Kristin Donlon

Experience

• 

  Project Lead The Way

  Oct 2009 - Mar 2022

  Played a pivotal role on a team to establish a new PMO and EPMO, including the implementation of change management processes. Successfully managed a portfolio of projects, optimized workflows, and developed policies and procedures that empowered the organization to develop strategic plans and achieve overarching business goals.Led an initiative to create a cross-functional product development team and process in alignment with organizational goals and strategies, resulting in a reduced development timeline of 8 months, improved fidelity, predictability, transparency, and consistency across product development projects, and enhanced communication across teams. Cultivated and maintained strong relationships that resulted in a high-trust team environment and motivated team members to collaborate cross-functionally and effectively.Developed a deep understanding of curriculum product development, leading to delivering on-time and in-scope strategic initiatives. Delivered with a 99% alignment of expectations set for the network.Facilitated project status meetings and stand-ups consisting of 12 or more team members focused on work prioritization, report generation, and the presentation of project milestones to stakeholders and the Executive Leadership team. Proactively elevated and addressed risks and issues at this time.Collected metrics, assessed project outcomes, and documented findings to provide critical data points that informed future product development initiatives.Managed project management initiatives, led onboarding procedures for new hires, developed Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), established workflows, and coached team members to assume new roles and responsibilities. Offered mentorship and guidance to junior team members that led to enhanced project management skills and increased confidence. Show less Served as Project Manager for all item development projects by managing contractors and resources, resolving issues, ensuring compliance with budget and timelines while leading item review meetings that led to improved test design processes and comprehensively sound assessmentsManaged and enhanced the product vendor relationship by overseeing communication across all levels of the organization which ensured 98% system availability for vendorsDesigned training resources for adult learners, including peer review training assets for end of course assessments - enhancing the ability for teachers to write quality test itemsGenerated internal and external resources including documentation, presentations and communication for non-technical audiences which increased understanding and awareness of testing policies and processesCo-led the Standard Setting process for high school courses using Item Response Theory which led to the identification of cut scores and defining achievement level descriptorsImplemented the delivery of Braille assessments by developing a secure file transport protocol and chain of custody documentation process which increased accessibility and delivered 5 Braille tests to visually challenged studentsLed 3 program development teams consisting of up to 12 members each through the process of identifying “for learning” and “of learning” opportunities within the curriculum - increasing the ability of teachers to measure student progress Show less Planned logistics for the transition of test delivery processes from a paper-based testing format to online testing for large scale assessment by transferring test items and coordinating with vendors, resulting in a 30% increase in student participation and 100% score reportingBuilt long-standing sustainable relationships with teachers and administrators that improved customer experience and increased testing numbers by an estimated 12% year over yearReduced a backlog of unaddressed network emails by 38%, supported a network of teachers and administrators via phone and email, and improved response rates from 2 weeks to 48 hoursTracked and provided testing accommodations for students with 504 Plans and IEPs, which generated a 15% increase in student participation and accessibilityOnboarded all new assessment employees, Directors, and Psychometricians, which included delivering comprehensive training on new policies, procedures, and systems Show less

  • Project Manager

    Jul 2015 - Mar 2022

  • Associate Director of Assessment

    Jul 2013 - Jul 2015

  • Assessment Specialist

    Oct 2009 - Jun 2013
• 

  Madison Area Technical College

  Mar 2022 - Oct 2022

  Technical Project Manager

  Collaborated closely with stakeholders to carefully define the scope and scale of strategic initiatives, ensuring a comprehensive understanding of project objectives.Led 3 teams through the process of gathering requirements necessary to meet project objectives using a thorough and systematic approach to information gathering, resulting in a carefully defined project scope.Contributed to the development of training materials and support services for team members and project staff around the implementation of Agile methodologies, leveraged leadership, and change management skills that would ensure a seamless implementation. Demonstrated leadership in steering complex initiatives within a cross-functional setting, adeptly identifying risk, optimizing resource capacity, performing milestone analysis, and ensuring adherence to timeline and budget constraints. Show less