Elnora Talbert, M.P.A., M.A.

Experience

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  Michigan Works! Association

  Nov 2011 - Feb 2012

  Case Manager, Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA)

  • Assisted clients with job searching, vocational/educational development, resume writing, workshops, life skills, post-secondary enrollment and connecting with employers for jobs.• Established career development plans. Answered telephone calls and monitored program participants’ progress and employment status. • Collected and entered training attendance data into excel spreadsheet as well as, entered case notes within the Michigan Information System database. • Monitored case files for all federal, state and program requirements. Show less

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  Kalamazoo RESA

  Feb 2012 - Aug 2014

  Case Manager

  • Site Supervisor for 150 youth workers ages 14-24 in the year-round Federal Youth Work Experience Program.• Established local business partnerships to place youth in paid work experience and conducted community outreach efforts to provide community resources and referrals for youth. • Conducted youth orientations, intakes, and enrollment processes as well as, goal setting, long-term case planning development, progress monitoring, and school enrollments. • Collected and input all federal, state and program required data into the Michigan Information System database. Show less

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  Communities In Schools of Kalamazoo

  Aug 2014 - Aug 2015

  Sr. Program Coordinator

  • Ensured data-driven results with organization’s Drop-Out Prevention program for youth by conducting and executing projects within $17,000 budget. Connected 1,500 students to community resources to improve their academic achievement by 68% and school attendance by 66%. • Supervised staff of 15 which included paid tutors, volunteers, AmeriCorps Vistas, and social work interns.• Provided college and career planning as well as, participated in community events.• Loy Norrix Behavior Intervention Team Member (BIT). Collaborated with school administrators and staff providing consultation and intervention strategies for students who received referrals or were on the verge of suspension. • Efficiently analyzed, collected and reported monthly data into CIS Data Management System.• Established and maintained productive and effective working relationships with school personnel, CIS staff, parents and community partners. Show less

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  Kalamazoo RESA

  Jul 2015 - Jun 2016

  Career Program Specialist

  • Provided education, training, and employment opportunities for 250+ at-risk youth. Implemented college-going culture and career planning through individual service plans, career laddering sessions, vocational field trips, FAFSA events and resume workshops.• Assisted in writing a grant that brought $304,000 to the WIOA youth program.• Michigan Works! South West Michigan Strategic Planning Committee Member. Devised strategies and action plans to address critical local workforce issues and service gaps.• Created quarterly reports, daily case notes which were submitted into the Michigan Information System online database. Show less

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  Cypress-Fairbanks ISD

  Aug 2016 - Dec 2016

  Program Manager

  • Oversaw the implementation and daily operations of the before and after-school program for 120, K-5 students in addition to supervising and training 10 employees to ensure quality programming.• Governed the design and delivery of transformative programs and activities for student enhancement, engagement, and learning. Created curriculum that focused on arts, healthy living, literacy, recreational games, math/science, and leadership. • Managed $2,000 budget and procured sponsorships from parents, business, and community members through word of mouth, marketing materials, outreach, and school website for program needs.• Collaborated with and conducted parent and stakeholder meetings with Board members, community members, and Cy-fair ISD executive leadership team.• Orchestrated Parent Night Events and logistics for 250 individuals to showcase the community program which improved engagement, increased enrollments, and boosted funding to the program.• Conducted staff development trainings on safety, drills, and standard operating procedures. Provided mentoring and coaching to staff resulting in 100 percent retention for the first semester. Show less

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  Houston ISD

  Dec 2016 - Jun 2022

  • Oversee strategy development and portfolio management of career readiness projects within the Business Partnerships division, supporting 47 district-wide campuses and 450 education professionals. • Manage team of Sr. Career & Technical Education Specialists to lead end-to-end execution of projects from conceptualization to implementation and oversee 50 business contracts and District Advisory Council with over 100 business partners.• Designed, developed, implemented, and evaluated district’s first-ever pilot program targeting generational poverty. Utilized data points to gain buy-in for program from commissioner and superintendent in partnership with USDA and Texas Health and Human Services department for rollout. Program trained BIPOC student cohorts at three low-performing high schools, resulting in a $1.5 million dollar capital infusion into the communities.• Spearheaded the design, strategy, and integration of the Capital One Road Ahead Grant which resulted in $40k for the Career & Technical Education (CTE) department to use for financial literacy initiatives for 1,500 middle and high school students over twelve campuses. • Secured new relationships with local agencies, Fortune 100 and 500 partners to increase industry involvement for students which led to an increase of industry-based certifications from 700 to 2700. This 252% improvement positively impacted student marketability to employers and increased career obtainment.• Implement and manage the State of Texas Work-Based Learning (WBL) framework, supporting 30 high schools and empowering 150+ educators with instructional strategies that connect the classroom with real-work experience for 3,500+ students. • Design and deliver targeted training and development programs to foster diversity and inclusion, increase collaboration, and build competencies and capabilities among site leadership teams. Show less • Coordinated and executed the annual HISD When I Grow Up Career Expo with $35,000 budget to provide over 3,000 students with industry knowledge, occupational, and post-secondary educational opportunities from over 100 businesses and community stakeholders. • Led the user experience design for HISD’s online digital learning platform where students and educators access digital tools and resources. As designer and content strategist, I was responsible for driving site traffic, analyzing site data, and making improvements based on data insights. • Increased memberships within HISD Advisory Council and built business partnerships by conducting employer outreach, hosting focus groups, and ensuring buy-in through use of labor market data. • Led the HISD’s annual Black History Month campaign, partnering with committee members to provide creative and strategic direction for campaign messaging and marketing for 275 K-12 campuses.• Managed Work-Based Learning training plans for HISD teachers and provided them with professional development training to meet Texas Education Agency guidelines. Show less

  • Program Manager, Business Partnerships Team

    Nov 2018 - Jun 2022

  • Sr. Program Specialist, Career and Technical Education

    Dec 2016 - Nov 2018
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  Cengage Group

  Jun 2022 - now

  Product Team Manager, Lead

  • Directly responsible for managing a team of Product Managers who generate $20M in Key Market areas of Business, Legal, Computer Applications, Trades, Teacher PD and Child Development.• Drive people and performance management by strengthening employee productivity, engagement, and development through effective management practices.• Establish meaningful team goals that align to company priorities and engage in continuous performance feedback. • Make market-informed decisions and build strategic proposals for investment as well as being responsible for forecasting, tracking, and analyzing costs as well as revenue.• Own the creation, management, and achievement of Objectives and Key Results (OKRs) & Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for Key Markets portfolio.• Own multi-year roadmap planning and monthly/quarterly operational plans and priorities.• Build and maintain 3–5-year product roadmap views and business cases to support plans.• Structure operational and strategic work by developing plans, gathering, and synthesizing relevant data, leading analyses, and implementing recommendations.• Create quality artifacts such as, (competitive analysis, SEO analysis, secret shopping analysis, product strategy documents, product improvement plans, GTM plans, and personas) which are heavily used throughout the organization. • Strong relationship builder who successfully works with other leaders within the product team, sales, marketing, and Technical Product Management teams to collaborate on solutions, align resources, implement strategies and tactics in their Go-To Market plans. • Work with Content Development team on all build projects to ensure a common vision and support the development efforts.• Key contributor in the creation of Product department staff Performance Dimensions.• Executed Product Team Meta Data project.• Created, implemented and sustain Product Team roadmap Change Management Process. Show less