Chief Operating Officer, Director Of Operational Supports
Chicago, Il, Us
Responsible for administrative oversight, operational support, and advocacy to all programs, including the Settlement's public charter school Rowe Elementary, early childhood program, offsite educational Camp, theater company, and food pantry.Responsible for the successful acquisition, financing, and construction of a $14M Middle School Addition to the Settlement's historic Chicago campus utilizing New Market Tax Credits, bank loans, and philanthropy.*Built a team of brokers, consultants, architects, and contractors to redesign real estate strategy, execute property swap, and meet challenging timeframes for phased development of Middle School. Each phase of the project was delivered on-time and under-budget:*Worked with President and Board to comprehensively select the best banking partner; closed needed interim and permanent debt capital financing with excellent terms. Annual debt service of $622,000 with $9.1M in "true" permanent capital debt, for a $14M project:*Created financial model demonstrating that the Settlement's child care program could break even by expanding, provided its enrolled children qualified for Head Start, Child Care, and Preschool for All. This strategy was adopted and led to the program's financial stabilization. *Partnered with another Chicago charter network to jointly bid out the school food program, greatly improving food quality and nutrition, boosting student participation rates significantly, while generating positive cash flow of more than $200,000 annually.*Created and implemented a documentation and lobbying strategy to win much-needed seven-figure capital investment by the Chicago Board of Education in the school facility leased by Northwestern Settlement. The Settlement did not contribute financially.