Christopher A. J.

Experience

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  Local Initiatives Support Corporation/ Michigan State Housing Development Authority

  Sept 2008 - Aug 2010

  AmeriCorps Member - Departmental Intern

  • Assigned to two local government agencies as an embedded AmeriCorps employee to help implement community development strategies and economic development initiatives throughout communities. • Participated in committees that focused on developing and implementing effective policies to tackle issues such as illegal dumping and blight remediation.• Collaborated with Wayne County’s Economic Development Growth Engine (EDGE) to explore resources and tools to market vacant commercial properties in Hamtramck. • Assisted the Hamtramck Downtown Development Authority (DDA) with their marketing plans and notifying businesses of the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) façade improvement program. • Helped prepare the monthly finance reports required by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MSHDA) for a financial review. Show less

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  State of Michigan Senate

  Jan 2011 - Apr 2011

  District Coordinator

  • Engaged constituents regularly to assist them with non-legislative inquiries and provide them with resources for further personal development. • Met with neighborhood associations and special interest groups on behalf of the Senator's’ Office and reported back to the office.• Updated the Senator's website daily with new resources by extracting information from relevant programs and resources from federal, state and local government agencies. • Handled sensitive and confidential information with discretion. Show less

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  Northend Central Woodward Alliance

  Dec 2011 - Aug 2012

  Community Outreach Coordinator

  • Worked with the Executive Director to implement the Skillman Foundation's Good Neighborhoods Initiative (GNI) plan in the Northend Central Woodward neighborhood.• Distributed and reviewed community surveys to get a better understanding of the community’s assets and obstacles. • Helped plan monthly and quarterly events for the community, local businesses, and other stakeholders in order to gather and disseminate information regarding local services, educational opportunities, and employment opportunities. • Participated in the Employer Outreach Team lead by Focus: HOPE to help align and consolidate multiple employer outreach efforts to accommodate youth, students, and individuals with criminal backgrounds. • Developed and maintained a database of local non-profits, businesses, community leaders, and other stakeholders.• Developed marketing material that consisted of pamphlets, monthly calendars, and newsletters for various projects and events. Show less

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  City of Highland Park, MI

  Aug 2012 - Nov 2012

  Community & Economic Development Volunteer (Neighborhood Stabilization Program II)

  • Assisted the City of Highland Park and the Michigan State Land Bank with their monthly closeout process for affordable single-family projects funded with the Neighborhood Stabilization Program 2 (NSP2) grant. • Assisted in reviewing payment applications and monitoring single-family construction projects for compliance with Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MSHDA) and U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) regulations. • Provided support in monitoring and updating online project activities to ensure file completion. Show less

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  Capital Access, Inc.

  Nov 2012 - Sept 2014

  Roving Project Closeout Specialist (Grant Manager)

  • Worked as one of the Technical Assistance (TA) Consultants with Capital Access, Inc. serving as the Implementation Management Consultant for the Michigan Neighborhood Stabilization Program 2 Consortium under the Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MSHDA).• Assigned to multiple local government agencies to help track the accuracy of their grant expenditures and reimbursement requests for upcoming audits.• Collaborated with senior management to find solutions that lead to the timely expenditure of the Neighborhood Stabilization Program II (NSP2) in two consecutive years. • Compiled and analyzed financial and programmatic data to prepare quarterly reports on the national objectives that were met as outlined by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).• Assisted in establishing quarterly benchmarks to help maintain and monitor receipts as well as disbursements. • Generated financial status reports (FSR’s) after reviewing pay requests, change orders and invoices for reimbursement.• Actively evaluated project activities within multiple grant portfolios to identify deficiencies and provide corrective measures to ensure project activities were in compliance with the state and federal guidelines. • Utilized the state government Online Project Administration Link (OPAL) to document, track, and update grant expenditures, project activities, and the remaining funds for the Neighborhood Stabilization Program. Show less

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  City of Flint

  Mar 2014 - Dec 2014

  Demolition Grants Monitor

  • Served as the administrator for Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds and coordinated the administrative process for $400,000 awarded to the Building Safety Engineering and Environmental Department. • Successfully collaborated with departments to maintain a schedule for ongoing and upcoming projects, monitor multiple budgets and contract deliverables.• Coordinated with the Purchasing Department to analyze and revise the scope of work for environmental services in order to increase the number of proposals received. • Monitored contracts to ensure project costs were acceptable and charged to the appropriate accounts and all the contract deliverables were met. Show less

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  City of Detroit

  Oct 2015 - now

  • Serve as Project Lead on providing audit support and implementing the uptake of corrective actions to address current findings as well as prevent future findings. • Use formal project management processes, resource management, and internal controls to help monitor and evaluate the performance of grant-funded projects.• Coordinate with management from various departments to tailor different strategies to fit their needs in meeting short and long-term goals.• Assist management in identifying current and or potential challenges with meeting department priorities. • Routinely coordinate with management at different levels to collect programmatic and financial data on projects.• Track the progress and spending of grant-funded projects to ensure end-to-end project completion, timely deliverables, and compliance with state and federal regulations.• Assist citywide departments in monitoring the performance and deadlines for projects that are funded from various grants such as Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA), LEAD Grant funds from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response Grant (SAFER) from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery Grant (TIGER) from U.S. Department of Transportation• Monitor audit resolutions in partnership with cross-functional audit teams.• Revise interdepartmental workflow processes to reflect new roles and responsibilities, streamline tasks, and eliminate defects and extra-processing. Show less

  • Assistant Director – Reimbursement, Close-Out, & Audit Support

    Aug 2019 - now

  • Program Analyst

    Feb 2015 - now

  • Program Analyst ( Subject Matter Expert)

    Oct 2015 - Nov 2017