Vanessa Reinertson

Experience

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  Colorado College Partnership for Civic Engagement

  Nov 2007 - Nov 2008

  Program Assistant (Americorps VISTA)

  Conducted assets-based mapping of the Colorado Springs. Coordinated service-learning partnerships between K-12 schools, Colorado College, and local community based organizations. Trained K-12 teachers on service-learning methodology. Participated in Public Achievement program, a civic engagement curriculum targeted at high-risk youth.

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  Anoka-Hennepin School District

  Jan 2009 - Jun 2009

  AVID Tutor / Supplemental Paraprofessional

  Supported low-income students who showed academic potential through study sessions aimed at improving critical thinking and organizational skills to increase college readiness.

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  Peace Corps

  Jun 2009 - Jun 2011

  Community Health Education Volunteer

  -Conducted an intensive community assessment and compiled a report to articulate development priorities-Taught Life Skills classes to 190 students in Forms I-IV (equivalent to grades 8-11, ages 13-24) at Sibetsaphi High School for the 2010 academic year-Compiled a Life Skills curriculum for Sibetsaphi High School and trained relevant teachers on its use-Assisted in Cabrini Ministries’ hosting of a Community Health Day with 1,800 attendees by organizing and overseeing 10 other volunteers-Designed and implemented a three day overnight Life Skills camp, utilizing local facilitators, for 66 local orphaned and vulnerable adolescents-Developed and improved several MS Access databases for Cabrini Ministries-Developed and improved various documentation and organizational systems for Cabrini Ministries, including documentation of child services and creating filing systems for records-Provided afternoon and evening educational support and tutoring for 120 orphans and vulnerable children residing at Cabrini Ministries-Participated in the case management of orphans and vulnerable children residing at Cabrini Ministries-Served as a member of the Psycho-Social Support team at Cabrini Ministries, including assisting with assessments of children in the community and home visits of resident children during school holidays-Aided Cabrini Ministries in collaborating with community based paraprofessionals to better serve children in the community-Supported implementation of a health day at a local neighborhood care point where 45 children and 16 caregivers received health screenings and basic medical attention-Developed capacity of Cabrini Ministries’ staff members in regards to organizational skills, technological skills, literacy, understanding and implementation of policies and procedures, programmatic implementation, record keeping, monitoring and evaluation and psycho-social support Show less

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  UNICEF Swaziland

  Jun 2011 - Oct 2012

  UNICEF Education Program Assistant (Peace Corps Volunteer)

  -Developed facilitation guides for, trained facilitators for, and coordinated implementation of five sectorial and one national dialogues on violence against children in and around schools-Conceptualized a monitoring and evaluation framework, including monitoring tools, and trained colleagues on basic monitoring and evaluation principles and how to collect and utilize data-Analyzed, synthesized and created visual representations of data and compiled an 80 page report on the non-formal education census of 2011-Supported development and implementation of the Ministry of Education and Training’s Guidance and Counseling syllabus, an HIV prevention initiative, by facilitating working groups and participating in development of the implementation plan and monitoring and evaluation framework-Planned and conducted a rapid assessment of the Malindza Reception Centre for refugees and co-authored a 60 page report which was submitted to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (in a joint effort between UNICEF and World Food Program)-Facilitated dialogues with refugees at the Malindza Reception Centre surrounding issues of early childhood care and development to inform new initiatives-Conducted consultations at schools to increase child participation throughout the process of UNICEF programming-Devised the concept of a school club guide to foster meaningful child participation at school level and developed an outline, including activity ideas, for the guide Show less

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  Anoka-Hennepin School District

  Jan 2013 - May 2013

  AVID Tutor / Supplemental Paraprofessional

  Supported low-income students who showed academic potential through study sessions aimed at improving critical thinking and organizational skills to increase college readiness.

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  Washington University in St. Louis

  Oct 2013 - Oct 2014

  Research Assistant

  -Co-authored paper published in the Journal of Consumer Affairs-Authored literature reviews and other research and writing tasks on the topics of financial literacy and capability, individual development accounts, child savings accounts, etc. -Assisted with Associate Editor responsibilities for a Special Issue of an academic journal

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  Beyond Housing

  Jan 2014 - Aug 2014

  Individual Development Account Program Assistant (Practicum)

  -Developed and implemented program evaluation for homebuyer's education and Individual Development Accounts (IDAs)-Assisted with youth IDA program management-Created youth IDA communication materials via newsletter and facebook-Facilitated financial education sessions-Provided FAFSA completion assistance to students and parents

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  East St Louis School District 189

  Aug 2014 - May 2015

  Strategic Partnership Assistant (Practicum)

  -Conducted program evaluation for the District’s truancy interventions and teacher evaluation process-Facilitated three community fora as part of Collective Impact process within community-Designed and secured $7,000 grant for a solar panel-Supported grant proposal development for STEM education and truancy interventions-Developed a program for violence prevention within schools

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  Washington University in St. Louis

  Jan 2015 - Apr 2015

  Policy Forum Program Assistant

  -Supported event planning, including marketing, registration management, and logistical arrangements-Updated Policy Forum website using workflow process-Added event details to Brown School of Social Work online calendar

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  INTERSOS - Humanitarian Organization

  May 2015 - Jul 2015

  Education in Emergencies Assistant (Practicum)

  -Designed 5 day training on psychosocial support-Designed 1 day training on gender based violence-Supported 3 day training on Peace Education for 57 teachers and community leaders-Assisted with distribution of hygienic materials to 350 children and youth-Facilitated focus group discussion on youth civic engagement

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  Nascent Solutions

  Sept 2015 - May 2016

  Director of Education and Literacy

  -Provide leadership, planning, technical support, and management on education and literacy aspects of McGovern-Dole Food for Education program in Northwest Cameroon-Facilitate organizational development through revision of organizational chart, creation of job descriptions, and leadership of strategic planning process-Provide technical supervision to two Cameroon-based Education staff members-Adapt assessment and evaluation tools (Early Grade Reading Assessment and Stalling's Classroom Observation Snapshot) to local context-Provide training on Early Grade Reading Assessment (EGRA) and Stalling's Classroom Observation Snapshot to 10 staff members and 23 enumerators-Supervise enumerator teams during three weeks of baseline data collection and provide coaching as needed-Design training packages to bolster primary school teachers' capacity to provide quality literacy instruction, integrate learning materials into teaching practices, and manage classrooms-Pilot e-readers as tools for literacy instruction in four primary schools-Conduct research, establish partnerships, and seek funding opportunities to better meet the educational needs of children in Africa Show less

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  Ethiopian Community Development Council, Inc.

  May 2016 - Dec 2017

  -Supervised two Program Officers.-Served as the team lead for R&P programmatic themes: Cultural Orientation, Family Reunification, Gender, Refugee Health, Refugee Mental Health, and Refugee Minors.-Supported three affiliates for quality, compliant provision of reception and placement programming.-Provided technical assistance on refugee minor cases and compiled all required minor reports.-Conducted affiliate monitoring visits as needed.-Managed affiliate capacity chart to facilitate evidence-based placement decisions.-Analyzed data and encouraged an expansion of M&E to support program improvement.-Tracked placement of medical cases and provide technical assistance as needed.-Distributed quarterly health newsletter.-Represented ECDC on external working groups for monitoring and vulnerable minors. Show less -Supported three affiliates in the provision of quality, compliant reception and placement programming.-Served as focal point for Cultural Orientation, developing resources and providing technical assistance.-Conducted two affiliate monitoring visits.-Analyzed data and encouraged an expansion of M&E to support program improvement.-Developed results framework for reception and placement program.-Managed affiliate capacity chart to facilitate evidence-based placement decisions.-Managed an in-kind donation of $240,000 across nine affiliates.-Contributed to ongoing program reports and a grant proposal.-Represented ECDC on external working groups for cultural orientation, documentation, and monitoring. Show less

  • Senior Program Officer - Reception and Placement

    May 2017 - Dec 2017

  • Program Officer - Reception and Placement

    May 2016 - May 2017
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  Various clients

  Jun 2018 - Sept 2018

  Independent Consultant

  Client: International Rescue Committee. Conducted a mixed methods final evaluation for the Monitoring and Evaluation Technical Assistance project, which builds M&E capacity among refugee service providers.

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  WE.org

  Oct 2018 - Mar 2020

  Leading the WE Schools Missouri strategy and supporting local implementing and funding partners:-Developing and maintaining partnerships with educational leaders to integrate service-learning and trauma informed practices into local schools to empower the next generation of change-makers-Raised over $320,000 for WE Schools by mobilizing individual donors and family foundations through grant proposals and relationship building and supporting corporate partners in achieving their corporate social responsibility goals Show less Connected educators and youth-serving organizations with transformative experiential service-learning opportunities through the WE Schools program. -Managed partnerships with leaders of school districts, independent schools, and community organizations and programs. -Conducted outreach to increase WE Schools engagement by 78% from 110 groups to 195-Supported planning and implementation of WE Day Community: St. Louis, convening 2,500 youth and educators in a day of celebration and inspiration-Conducted business development pitches and supported proposal development to ensure viability of continued programming Show less

  • Associate Director, Community Partnerships

    Sept 2019 - Mar 2020

  • Educational Partnerships Manager

    Oct 2018 - Sept 2019
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  The Opportunity Trust

  Jul 2020 - Aug 2023

  Leading The Opportunity Trust's talent initiatives to manage investments and effectively deliver programs for educational leaders that increase the number of students attending high-quality schools in St. Louis.-Develop the Instructional Leadership Fellowship, managing the process from ideation through design, pilot, and scaling implementation with the inaugural cohort completing the three year learning arc in June 2024.-Manage the Catalyst fellowship, equipping 9-15 educators annually with the mindsets and skills to enact innovative practices towards student outcomes.-Drive towards outcomes through development of strategy, operating plans, monitoring and evaluation, supervising and leading others.-Design and lead all fellowship recruitment and selection processes, consistently increasing the depth, diversity, and talent of candidate pools.-Oversee administration of Insights instructional culture survey and TNTP Opportunity Scorecard, synthesize results, and engage partner schools in reflection discussions towards data-driven decisions.-Manage grantees and capacity builders towards contracted outcomes. Show less Leading The Opportunity Trust's fellowship and talent initiatives to effectively deliver programs for educational leaders that increase the number of students attending high-quality schools in St. Louis. -Manage and regularly refine the recruitment, selection, and enrollment process for new fellows and residents-Design and deliver high caliber programming that builds capacity of leaders to meaningfully improve educational outcomes-Foster connection and collaboration across the education landscape Show less

  • Associate Partner

    Jul 2022 - Aug 2023

  • Director of Fellowships & Talent

    Mar 2021 - Jul 2022

  • Program Manager

    Jul 2020 - Feb 2021
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  Collective Vector, LLC

  Sept 2023 - now

  Consultant

  I established Collective Vector, LLC to partner with schools and non-profits to yield meaningful outcomes for students, teachers, leaders, and the community at large. I believe collaboration is a key to success; as a consultant I work with partners to establish shared purpose and chart a path forward together. I am committed to excellence in strategic planning, the design, execution, and evaluation of programs, talent development, facilitation, and fundraising.

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  Charter School Growth Fund

  Apr 2024 - now

  Investment Manager

  The Charter School Growth Fund identifies the country’s best public charter schools, funds their growth, and helps to increase their impact.