Leander Skeete

Experience

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  City of Richmond, Virginia

  Sept 2007 - Jan 2009

  Instructional Assistant

  Assisted students with disabilities ranging from mild learning difficulties to severe and chronic physical and mental impairments. Created and utilized a variety of instructional methods, strategies, and adaptive tools to help teach students. Collaborated with school administrators, teachers, and parents to design independent education plans.

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  The B.R.I.D.G.E. Campaign

  Jan 2008 - May 2009

  Program Specialist
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  Intercept Youth Services

  Aug 2009 - Jun 2010

  Life Skills Counselor

  Managed team of 4-5 counselors, regularly evaluating performance and providing assistance as necessary. Assisted with scheduling and individual leave requests. Performed training workshops on appropriate protocol and situational effectiveness. Conducted competency-based psychosocial and family assessments, developing individual service plans and effectively matching clients with necessary counseling services.

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  Brother's Keeper

  Dec 2009 - Jul 2010

  Lead Case Manager

  Coordinated educational groups designed to teach middle-school and high-school-aged students important life skills. Worked with subordinate staff members and community organizers to plan incentive-based community outreach programs, successfully implementing three on-going community-based programs. Drafted and presented detailed recommendations identifying program weaknesses and ideas for improvement to the board of directors. Evaluated the performance of 4 employees while utilizing the established performance criteria and guidelines. Prepared proper documentation and engaged human resource professionals prior to discussion with employee. Aided in the training and instruction of new case managers and offered guidance and direction as needed. Show less

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  DC Government

  Jul 2010 - Mar 2021

  Provide supervision for the Family Resource Division’s Resource Development Specialists (6 direct and 13 indirect reports) Responsible for overseeing, developing, coordinating, and evaluating policies and procedures in support of the full array of Resource Parent Support and Family Advocacy Programs. Identify and create opportunities to contract with new community resources to provide support for emergent needs. Creative supportive familial intervention plans. Approve home studies on prospective foster parents and all required documentation within appropriate timeframes. Oversee recruitment, selection, training, and support of foster parents and families within the District. Assist with assessing suitability of foster home placement with consideration to child’s strengths and needs. Work as a part of a collaborative team and participate in case conferences, team meetings, and staffing’s as appropriate. Evaluate the quality and effectiveness of each foster care placement. Provides technical assistance, policy interpretations and consultation on advocacy programs to include program evaluation and accountability issues. Maintain program accountability through qualitative and quantitative data mining and reporting out to agency leadership. Assess and recommend or decide on financial requests from foster parents within the financial confines of the administration. Ensure the development and delivery of a culturally appropriate, comprehensive orientation and training package for foster care providers. Show less Responsible for supervising the Placement Administration’s Resource Development Specialists (4 direct and 13 indirect reports) who routinely provide on-going support, trouble-shooting and family advocacy for the total array of social services and family foster care services to children placed in resource family homes. Identify emergent placement and service needs of the population of youth in out of home care. Establish relationships with external private agency vendors to benefit the unique needs of the agency. Track, analyze, and present program data in an easily consumable format to upper management and agency directorial leadership. Counsel and advise resource parents regarding relationship building and recommend appropriate social, cultural and educational enrichment programs to enhance child development and stability in the home. Facilitate weekly collaborative meetings with an audience of 40 or more participants in an effort to determine appropriate level of care for committed clients and Refugee unaccompanied minors in addition to identifying cost effective high impact opportunities to contract with private agencies in the district in an effort to provide additional resources and support to youth and families in need of services. Assist in resolving complaints regarding inadequate or inappropriate social work performed by assigned social worker. Serve as a focal point for communication and remediation of all such concerns as they may involve the court, other social workers and supervisors, other support units of the CFSA, and the external legal and professional community. Show less Responsible for providing on-going program support, trouble-shooting and family advocacy for the total array of social services and family foster care services to children placed in resource family homes. Counsel and advise foster parents regarding relationship building and recommend appropriate social, cultural and educational enrichment activities to enhance child development in the home. Perform program analysis and evaluation on state funded initiatives to ensure proper and appropriate allocation of funds. Assist in resolving complaints regarding inadequate or inappropriate social work performed by assigned child’s social worker. Serve as a focal point for communication and remediation of all such concerns as they may involve the court, other social workers and supervisors, other support units of the CFSA, or the external legal and professional community. Show less Worked as part of collaborative team tasked with monitoring the quality of services provided by district-funded foster homes and residential facilities. Analyze and assess facility effectiveness and provide recommendations with the goal of reintegrating clients into their familial units. Recommend solutions and draft reports for social workers, guardians ad litem, judges, and government administrators. Implement programs that aid clients in identifying appropriate services to establish healthy lifestyles. Show less

  • Supervisory Resource Development Specialist-Family Resource Division

    Mar 2018 - Mar 2021

  • Supervisory Resource Development Specialist-Placement Serv

    Oct 2015 - Mar 2018

  • Resource Development Specialist-Placement Services

    Dec 2013 - Oct 2015

  • Family Support Representative- Permanency Division

    Jul 2010 - Dec 2013
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  NASA

  Aug 2012 - Nov 2013

  STEM Educational Intern Office of the Chief Technologist

  Responsible for the development of critical technology for NASA's future science and exploration missions. Assists the program in reaching current and future innovators. Works with the OCT communications team to implement educational programming, support social media activities, and provide special events support. Works with OCT's Education Lead to implement OCT's education programming targeted at elementary, high school, and undergraduate students. Manages project plan schedules, timelines, and milestones from inception to completion. Performs performance management analysis. Gathers information about the Space Technology Program's existing activities. Acts as a liaison between STEM program and parties of interest/potential resources in the community. Supports the space technology programs as they develop education and outreach content within their programs. (i.e. research, final reports, poster presentation, etc.): Research and author reports on effective methods to increasing interest in engineering and technology development. Advance the objective of NASA to learn and practice innovative ways to draw more high school and undergraduate students to careers in STEM. Show less

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  DC Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services (DYRS)

  Dec 2014 - Jun 2015

  Supervisory Youth Development Representative

  Responsible for the administration and supervision of 33 direct-care Youth Development Representatives. Direct job activities to ensure adherence to DYRS and the District of Columbia Policies/Procedures, goals, expectations and standard operating procedures. Provide for the safety, security, and well-being of court-involved youth, visitors, and staff within the secure facility. Monitor work schedules; employee evaluation; initiates corrective actions proportionate to non-compliance and or performance issues and mediate disputes that promote reconciliation in addition to professional growth and development. Provide critical analysis of facility educational and rehabilitative programming activities to the agency Superintendent and legal staff related to incidents, youth rule violations, youth grievances, and use of behavior management continuum. Show less

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  Maryland Family Resource, Inc.

  Jul 2017 - Aug 2018

  Psychiatric Rehabilitation Program Specialist

  Promote healthy development of a youth’s behavior, social skills, self-management skills, and family relationships. Implement a strength-based approach that strives for the empowerment of the client, which leads to the youth attaining identified personal goals and objectives. Provide the setting most conducive to enhancing each youth’s own healthy participation in the community. This may include the youth’s home, foster care home, job site, educational setting or other community sites. Vary the intensity of services depending upon the youth’s individual needs, environment, or diagnosis. With the input of the client and family, establish specific goals relating to the areas of personal care, behavioral management, social skills, and other skills that will lead the client and his/her family to a more positive future independent of or with less intensive mental health services support. Show less

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  U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)

  Mar 2021 - now

  Program Manager

  Direct a team of 8 Project Officers responsible for the Administration of Family and Youth Services Bureau (FYSB) discretionary and formula grant programs, contracts, and special initiatives for the Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Program (APP). Support efforts to reduce teen pregnancy using age appropriate, evidence-based models that stress the importance of sexual risk avoidance, abstinence and the use of contraception. Serve as the key advisor, technical resource and supervisor with considerable program authority and accountability for the financial management, planning, coordination, implementation, and monitoring of the APP Program. Formulate comprehensive organizational development program plans and strategies to accomplish agency goals and objectives for the program areas assigned. Manage the process of-reviewing and-negotiating grant applications while remaining aligned with Federal legislation. Serves as a COR and manages complex contracts and acquisitions. Evaluate and analyze Federal Programs and provide policy, or programmatic recommendations for the improvement of FYSB programs. Provide guidance and assistance related to teen pregnancy prevention, sexual risk avoidance education, or other vulnerable youth populations to staff and grantees or stakeholders. Work independently to develop documents related to pregnancy prevention or other youth related legislation suitable for public release and presentation to senior leadership. Perform supervisory duties such as: evaluating employee performance, identifying developmental and training needs of staff members, and/or hearing and resolving group grievances Show less