Saralyn Grass, Ed.D. Tallahassee, FL 32308 [email protected] (904) 651-5959
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Saralyn Grass, Ed.D. Tallahassee, FL 32308 [email protected] (904) 651-5959 December 21, 2018 Mayor John E. Dailey Commissioner Jeremy Matlow Commissioner Curtis Richardson Commissioner Dianne Williams-Cox Tallahassee, FL 32301 [email protected] Dear Mayor Dailey and Commissioners Matlow, Richardson, and Williams-Cox, I am humbly submitting my resume for consideration for the City Commission Seat 1 vacancy. I know that it must be tough to have this vacancy come about in the way it did, but I have faith that I could fill the role (either temporarily or longer-term) in harmony with the group and bring a sense of balance of fairness to assist in continuing the work you all have already started. I have a variety of experiences ranging from working with the legislature to conducting research and I am eager to put these skills to work for the City of Tallahassee. My professional history has included a number of positions at Research I universities, such as Virginia Tech and Florida State University; non-profits, both local and statewide; executive management, with a large staff in both onsite and multiple offsite locations; and owning and managing my own business alongside my husband. Through my work in management I have secured multi-million dollar grants and worked with staff to create programs from the ground up while providing mentoring and training for employees to further their own careers. I have experience in crafting legislation and working with legislators both on the state and national level to implement change. I have produced training materials and presented to large groups in various settings, including teaching at the college level. I have also conducted evaluations and developed plans to make existing programs more efficient and successful. I believe that in addition to my educational background, my work experience has influenced my personal qualities and development and I am eager to continue this venture with the City of Tallahassee. I genuinely appreciate working with others towards a common goal and put a high value on building strong relationships with my team. I believe that I could provide you with reliable leadership and would strive to fully understand the needs in the community. My statewide work could also lend itself to looking at best practices around Florida and bringing those to Tallahassee. I believe that now is the time for the city to instill trust in the community and changes have to be made to ensure that every citizen and their needs are taken into account. Although some aspects of the report may be flawed, we know that Tallahassee was reported to be one of the most economically segregated cities in the US in 2015. We need to ensure that our city is actively working to bring together all citizens to truly understand their strife and what government can do to help alleviate it, and I look forward to the opportunity of working with you on this goal. In closing, I am confident that I could bring positive leadership and vision to your team. Thank you very much for your time and consideration! Sincerely, Saralyn Grass, Ed.D. DR. SARALYN R. GRASS Tallahassee, Florida 904.651.5959 | [email protected] SUMMARY • Doctorate in Education Policy and Program Evaluation from Florida State University • Served as Commissioner on both the Tallahassee/Leon County Commission on the Status of Women & Girls & the Tallahassee Minority Women and Small Business Commission • Entrepreneur –Co‐founded successful, community‐focused small business in Tallahassee, FL • Fifteen years experience in nonprofit sector, five years experience as an executive • Recognized by Tallahassee Democrat as one of “25 Women to Know in Tallahassee” in 2017 • Instrumental in the passing of important legislation, improving quality and strengthening accountability in early learning and school readiness systems • Served Tallahassee children as a Guardian ad Litem for 3 years, adopting a foster care teenager in the process EDUCATION Florida State University, Ed.D. 2014 Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Major: Education Policy and Program Evaluation Graduate Certificate, Issued by the Center for Global Engagement, FSU Major: Global Pathways (Specialization in Global Issues) Graduate Certificate, Issued by the Emergency Management and Homeland Security Program, FSU Major: Emergency Management and Homeland Security Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, M.S. 2005 Department of Human Development Concentrations: Special Needs across Child and Adolescent Development, and Community Agencies: Recruitment and Interviews University of North Florida, B.S. 2004 Department of Psychology EXPERIENCE ASSOCIATION OF EARLY LEARNING COALITIONS, INC. EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR July 2017 –Present ‐ Work closely with AELC Chair, Executive Committee, and Coalition Executive Directors to facilitate the coordination and dissemination of information and best practices. ‐ Communicate with state and local partners and stakeholders. ‐ Research, prepare, and disseminate position papers, policy analyses, and information related to Early Learning issues. ‐ Plan, coordinate, and facilitate AELC meetings and activities, including the dissemination of related materials, and provides organizational support to members. ‐ Facilitate committee calls, meetings, work products, and activities. ‐ Represent the AELC at state and national conferences, meetings, workgroups, and other opportunities. ‐ Meet with and provide information to legislators and policymakers. ‐ Coordinate organizational priorities and strategic plans with industry‐specific contractors (i.e. lobbyists, etc.). ‐ Coordinate and manage annual Leadership Symposium. ‐ Establish and maintain permanent office space for AELC in Tallahassee. GRASSLANDS BREWING COMPANY CO‐FOUNDER August 2015 –Present ‐ Co‐founded community‐focused, environmentally‐conscious business with my husband, Gabe Grass. ‐ Managed all aspects of setting up a small business, including but not limited to: human resources, event management, community involvement, accounting, and more. ‐ Strategically positioned GrassLands as a community resource as well as a provider of high quality beer. ‐ Work with accountant to manage multi‐million dollar budget and to maintain sound fiscal responsibility to investors. DR. SARALYN R. GRASS EXPERIENCE, CONTINUED HELP ME GROW FLORIDA STATEWIDE DIRECTOR July 2016 – July 2017 ‐ Managed $3 million budget, including allocation, hiring and management of staff, and reporting to a governing board on the status of the program. ‐ Ensured training and technical assistance is provided to local 2‐1‐1 Help Me Grow affiliates via technical assistance site visits and quarterly technical assistance phone calls. ‐ Oversaw the coordination of the common database referral tracking system. ‐ Collaborated with state/community stakeholders to increase Help Me Grow visibility and development of relationships and partnerships. ‐ Coordinated the statewide public awareness campaign. This includes providing expertise and direction to the campaign, coordinating stakeholder input and Media/PR consultant material development, providing direction to local sites for their public awareness campaign, and providing general oversight. ‐ Participated in presentations, meetings, conferences, and other statewide activities to promote Help Me Grow and its desired objectives. ‐ Advocated on behalf of the program, as well as other initiatives benefiting children with disabilities to legislators in the House and Senate. CHILDREN’S FORUM, INC. VICE PRESIDENT / CHIEF PROGRAMS OFFICER October 2012 – June 2015 ‐ Managed staff of over 40 both locally and offsite on child care policy and administrative initiatives including: 21st Century Community Learning Centers administrative project; professional development within a Quality Rating Improvement System; a Professional Development Registry, a Refugee Micro‐development Family Child Care Home project; and other various initiatives. ‐ Acted as Operations Director of the agency assisting in improving Human Resources, company‐wide professional development, and other strategic initiatives. ‐ Researched and crafted application for various funding opportunities for the agency. ‐ Conducted statistical analysis of various programs and report to funders. ‐ Managed contracts and large grants ranging from $40,000 to $2,000,000. ‐ Presented at state and national conferences on behalf of the organization and our research and advocacy work. FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY GRADUATE RESEARCH ASSISTANT August 2010 –May 2011 ‐ Assistant to Dr. Lora Cohen‐Vogel, Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies. Funded by a grant from Institution of Education Sciences (“National Center on Scaling Up Effective Schools”). ‐ Assisted with a large, multi‐year research and reform effort focused on identifying the combination of essential components and programs, practices, processes, and policies that make some high schools in large urban districts particularly effective with students from traditionally low‐performing subgroups. ‐ Worked in collaborative project teams that include policy scholars, sociologists, economists, and others from FSU and our research partners: Vanderbilt University, the University of Wisconsin, Madison and the Education Development Center. ‐ Conducted CLASS assessments on high school classrooms to determine high‐quality learning environments and best practices for teachers. ‐ Worked with the Principal Investigator and Co‐Investigators at FSU in planning and conducting fieldwork, preparing