Sara Ellis, AICP

Experience

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  Bay Area Legal Aid

  Aug 2010 - Dec 2010

  Law Clerk

  Researched a variety of legal issues for a legal aid organization including; expungment, driver’s license suspension and child support. Case management for indigent clients with legal issues receiving welfare benefits. Did client intake and consulted with other legal aid firms to get assistance on uncommon legal issues.

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  Will County Planning and Administration Department

  May 2012 - Feb 2013

  Land Use Intern

  Carried out goal of Neighborhood Plan to document the history of a small, economically challenged community with the goal of creating and strengthening a unique image and identity for the community. Worked with residents, elected officials, and community groups to create the first document telling the history of a small, unincorporated community thereby encouraging public and private investment.

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  Will County Community Development Department

  May 2012 - Aug 2012

  Community Development Intern

  Collected and synthesized census data to satisfy Department of Housing and Urban Development requirements. Worked with a diverse group of stakeholders to ensure the county was in compliance with Fair Housing requirements. Assisted with grant review for municipality applications for infrastructure improvement.

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  Woodstock Institute

  Feb 2013 - Oct 2013

  Data Management Intern

  Collected, aggregated and synthesized regional demographic census data for the institute’s online data portal utilized by nonprofits and local municipalities to better understand economic and social trends. Conducted data aggregation and research for multiple studies documenting employment, home mortgage disclosure information, lending and foreclosure data. Assisted with foreclose data reporting to nonprofit partners.

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  La Huerta Roots and Rays

  Aug 2013 - Aug 2014

  Volunteer Garden Manager

  ●Assisted in planning, outreach, and facilitating community visioning sessions to help redesign and redevelop a community produce garden. ●Developed partnerships with local businesses and nonprofits to support the garden’s mission of being a community-run, publically accessible greenspace. ●Wrote several successful grant proposals resulting in increased funding for the project.

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  Truly Living Well Center for Natural Urban Agriculture

  Aug 2014 - Aug 2015

  AmeriCorps VISTA Volunteer Coordinator & Garden Educator

  ● Built and maintained relationships with over 40 partner organizations including nonprofits, schools, universities and businesses to support the volunteer program. ● Managed, trained and supervised over 100 volunteers each month. Provided grant and progress reporting for all volunteer activities including quantifying their fiscal benefit. ● Oversaw youth garden program, including conducting grassroots community outreach to strengthen project through civic partnerships. ● Assisted with grant writing for volunteer and youth garden program.AmeriCorps VISTA places individuals with organizations that fight poverty, to build capacity and make sustainable change. Through fundraising, grant writing, volunteer recruitment, and so much more, AmeriCorps VISTA members gain experience and leadership skills that put them on track for a life of service in the public, private, or nonprofit sector. Show less

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  Mobilitie

  Jan 2016 - Feb 2018

  •Project manager for the deployment of a nationwide wireless small cell infrastructure buildout.•Submitted permit applications and tracked progress for small cells across several states and municipalities through the beginning of construction.•Researched local ordinances and zoning and worked with staff attorneys to modifyapplications and negotiation processes for permit approval.•Managed engineering vendors and reviewed construction drawings to ensure compliance withlocal regulations and requirements. Show less

  • Network Real Estate Specialist

    May 2016 - Feb 2018

  • GIS Specialist

    Jan 2016 - May 2016
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  City of Raleigh Municipal Government

  Feb 2018 - Oct 2021

  Senior Planner

  •Project manager for a $300,000 consultant-led small area study focused on land use, affordable housing, and community engagement. Duties included managing consultants, project budget delivery schedules, and interdepartmental coordination. •Co-Chair of the Wake County Complete Count Committee local government sub-committee for the 2020 Census. •Developed and implemented the City of Raleigh’s first neighborhood ambassador program to pay community members to assist with direct outreach and engagement. The program has since been expanded across the city. •Managed rezoning cases as a staff liaison to the Planning Commission including analyzing the consistency of requests against adopted plans and policies, presenting findings before appointed boards and commissions, and interfacing with the public and applicants to ensure a mutual understanding of the process. •Managed the development and adoption of the Community Engagement Process Development (CEPD) Playbook used to guide the Planning Department’s engagement efforts. Show less

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  Public Participation Partners

  Sept 2021 - Mar 2022

  Community Engagement Manager

  •Managed outreach and engagement for municipal and county projects including the development and implementation of outreach plans, identifying, and developing stakeholder databases, and setting demographically driven engagement goals. •Facilitated and planned logistics of both virtual and hybrid in-person public meetings including the coordination of interpretation services, audio/visual contractors, and other professionals. •Produced demographic, land use, environmental assessment, and other maps using ArcGIS and Adobe Creative Cloud. •Prepared Environmental Assessments (EA) for compliance with the National Environmental Protection Act (NEPA), and State of North Carolina regulations. Show less

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  On The Ground Consulting

  Mar 2022 - now

  Principal

  Our focus is on direct community engagement. We believe the community is the expert when it comes to their needs. On the Ground works with local governments and nonprofits to handle the logistics of hiring local community members to help collect or distribute information on development and planning matters. We also have in-house canvassing staff who are trained to administer surveys and distribute information. Some of our accomplishments are listed below: •Expanded capacity building for a transportation advocacy non-profit as Interim Executive Director to enable the successful hiring of a 40-hour-per-week Director, and two part-time Safe Routes to School staff. •Served as engagement sub-consultant on municipal park redevelopment projects in Durham, and transportation projects in Raleigh and Durham. Managed grassroots outreach, including canvassing, intercept surveys, and pop-up information tables. •Supervise and train independent contractors who assist with outreach and engagement on municipal and electoral projects. •Developed informational blog posts on how to engage with local government including how to find and read City Council agendas, and how to look up and understand your zoning. Show less

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  Oaks & Spokes

  Apr 2022 - Feb 2024

  • Established and managed a $14,500, 1-year contract with Wake County’s Safe Routes to School Program. Due to the program's success under my management in 2022, Oaks and Spokes was invited to provide a second year of services.• Administer the Wake County contract including managing staff hours on a project basis, and coordination with non-profit and municipal partners. • Helped establish the first all-ages Learn to Ride a Bike program in Raleigh, hosted in partnership with the City of Raleigh’s Parks, Recreation, and Cultural Resources Department. This program has been hosted by two community centers, with plans for two more in 2024. Show less • Manage the planning, outreach, and execution of events including advocacy meetings, group rides, and educational programming. • Track current municipal and state policies related to transportation equity, and prepare comments on behalf of the organization. • Grant writing, management, and reporting including using census data to develop metrics the organization could measure and track over time to understand the success of the programming.• Built up Dero bike rack sales program to help the organization secure an additional revenue source that supports advocacy work. Show less

  • Safe Routes to School Program Manager

    Apr 2023 - Feb 2024

  • Interim Executive Director

    Aug 2022 - Apr 2023

  • Program Manager

    Apr 2022 - Sept 2022
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  Town of Morrisville

  Sept 2022 - Feb 2024

  Small Business Program Specialist

  • Administration and management of a two-year $300K U.S. Small Business Administration (U.S. SBA) grant written to launch the Town’s first small business program. • Development of outreach and engagement plan to gather data on business needs to inform program development, including development of a language access plan to ensure the inclusion of Hindi, Vietnamese, and Spanish-speaking business owners. • Deployed a COVID-19 relief micro-grant program that awarded 28 small businesses $4,500 grants. Approximately 63% of the micro-grant applicants identified as women, and over 44% identified as Asian, reflecting the Town’s diverse ownership. • Developed Town programming including Morrisville Restaurant Week, paid culinary training for restaurants in partnership with Wake Technical Community College, and facade grants. Show less

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  Louisville Metro Government

  Mar 2024 - now

  Brownfields Project Manager