Déja Imani Fitzgerald, M.Ed. Email & Phone Number

Knoxville, Tennessee, United States

The Collective by Imani is dedicated to building a community of change-makers, injustice interrupters, innovators, educators, connectors, systems builders, and leaders. We are committed to grounding all of our work in the strengths of authenticity, intersectionality, radical honesty, healing, accountability, self-empowerment, and community. And we believe in the power of building from the intersection of lived and professional experiences so we can approach this work as our full, authentic selves.Offerings:-Justice, Liberation, Equity, and Inclusion Skill Development Workshops-Restorative Justice Centered Conflict Transformation Dialogues-Liberated Leadership Coaching (One-on-One and Group)-Anti-Racist Leadership Practices Training-And more!

Knoxville, Tennessee, United States

•Facilitated health equity centered research and data analysis in support of the NIH All of Us Research Program.•Assessed how biology, lifestyle, and environment affect health outcomes.

Portland, Oregon, United States

●Served on the Executive Leadership Team, and partnered with the CEO and leadership to influence, drive, and maintain positive culture and engagement at CAP. ●Developed and implemented the organization’s equity plan using frameworks of emergent strategy, restorative justice, community-building, education, and empowerment.●Championed discussions, policy changes, and culture shifts that promote equity, and inclusion organizational goals.●Refined processes for recruiting, screening, interviewing, and hiring job applicants and orienting new employees to the organization with a focus on equity and inclusion.●Designed a company-wide Bias Incident Reporting process and restorative justice-based educational accountability discussion process. ●Provided equity-focused leadership coaching to the 7+ members of the Executive Leadership Team and 20+ managers, including the Chief of Staff, Chief Financial Officer, Director of Development and Communications, and the Director of Healthcare Operations. ●Worked collaboratively with directors and the HR Administrator to facilitate, coordinate the planning and implementation of equity and inclusion-based staff development and training for 130+ employees.●Coordinate and facilitate CAP’s Equity, and Inclusion Committee, including making recommendations as identified by the committee to leadership and directors.●Acted as a liaison where needed between management and frontline staff regarding issues of equity and inclusion.●Served as the Equity Liaison on the Trauma-Informed Care Committee.●Supported the organizational system revamp for the Human Resources Department for case management, recruitment, selection, and more.

Portand, Oregon

●Designed, facilitated, and implemented training and development for 52 part-time employees on topics like inclusion, communication and boundaries, conflict management, accessibility, resource referral and more.●Designed and implemented evaluative feedback measures for part-time staff and residential communities and crafted data-informed proposals for climate improvement. ●Served on recruitment committees in which I have been responsible for identifying any hiring needs, communicating with internal and community stakeholders regarding needs, equitable sourcing, screening using Taleo (ATS), behavioral interview question development, developing stakeholder panel interviews, candidate ranking and evaluations, and providing recommendations to senior leadership. ●Supervised 14 part-time live-on staff members, facilitated disciplinary conversations regarding breaches of policy, and mediated conflict amongst staff members. ●Provided case management, mediated conflict for a residential community of approximately 250 students, and facilitated support conversations regarding community impact, managing harmful community behaviors and mitigating disruptive behaviors.●Managed two residential affinity groups for 40+ BIPOC and genderqueer community members, and facilitated trainings and dialogue sessions for minoritized groups.●Served as an on-call after hours immediate point of contact for residential facilities emergencies and community crisis.●Managed two apartment complexes that housed 140+ tenants and three studio-style residential buildings that housed 200+ tenants. ●Managed a combined budget of +$10,000 for community engagement event planning.●Planned and facilitated community events for residential communities of 100+ people that included: speaker series, educational series, music concerts, etc. ●Coordinated facilities and repairs for residential buildings, and planned renovations for a residential community building that increased community engagement by 80%.

Portland, Oregon

●Collaboratively designed a study for the Portland Chamber of Commerce and Partners in Diversity to assess reasons for attrition for employees of color●Performed qualitative interviews with current and previous employees of color to gain an understanding of why individuals have either stayed or left Portland, including psychological distress, family impact, and more.

●Supervised a team of 15 undergraduate and graduate student researchers who explored diversity, equity, and inclusion workplace research●Created trainings and educated lab members and colleagues in protocols for using new research technologies and tools. ●Managed administrative operations of 30+ ongoing research projects.●Planned research tasks and activities between Dr. Martinez, lead graduate student researchers, and undergraduate lab assistants. ●Served as a research assistant and contributed to various projects by completing literature reviews, transcription work, data collection, and copyediting.

●Taught the First Year Experience curriculum that emphasizes Guilford College’s Core Values and allows for student transitions towards higher education●Planned out-of-class activities such as the service project component of the course. ●Prepared and conducted well-organized presentations, class discussions and activities on various topics. ●Worked effectively and collaboratively with other members of the FYE program and campus community.●Met regularly with Peer Leader to coordinate and plan course components ●Work as a Student Success Mentor for community members at risk of departing from the institution within the First Year Experience program

Greensboro/Winston-Salem, North Carolina Area

●Coordinated and facilitated diversity trainings for university staff and student personnel of 500+ people, such as Understanding Racism and LGBTQ+ Liberation Space trainings.●Managed the ALAS student organization, a Latinx mentorship program that offered leadership development, professional development, and affinity based networking events.●Supported the implementation of featured Multicultural Education Department campus-wide events, such as the All-Black Everything Symposium, the Bayard Rustin LGBT Symposium, and other key events.●Facilitated community dialogue roundtables that addressed community concerns regarding harm and harm reduction, oppression, and racialized minority stress, sexual and gender minority stress, ability, and advocacy.

Analyzed compiled data that assessed student diversity, student behaviors, institutional trends. Formulate descriptive analyses for the Dean of Students Office.

●Supported the research efforts of Dr. Gonzales, a faculty member of my current academic program, as we explored coping, stress, and well-being of ethnic communities. ●Prepared other articles, reports, and presentations. Assists academic research. ●Performed routine clerical duties as instructed, if essential to the research activities of the supervisor or project to which the research assistant is assigned.

●Worked alongside a doctoral graduate student from Strayer University to assist with research collection for their dissertation. ●Compiled research articles pertaining to higher education business strategies and historically Black colleges and universities to assess the financial struggles these institutions face. ●Created an annotated bibliography.

Greensboro/Winston-Salem, North Carolina Area

Compile research articles that pertain to higher education institutional policies and strategies on initiatives that support the retention and feelings of belongings for LGBT students.

Served the University of North Carolina at Greensboro graduate student population by communicating information between The Placement Exchange Conference and the students. Programmed career preparatory events for the second-year graduate students. Provided networking opportunities for second-year graduate students. Conducted meetings through webinars and conference calls.

Transcribed 40+ interviews for a doctoral student. Analyzed the data derived from the transcriptions, and graded the data in accordance to the Motivational Interviewing Treatment Integrity Coding Manual. Participated in interview process for a study.

Provided academic and social support to African-American identifying students to increase their sense of belonging and support on campus at a predominantly white institution.

Boone, Nc

• Develop and promote a positive living environment conducive to student academic excellence, growth and development. • Market, develop, and lead student centered hall programs to promote social, diversity, health, emotional, understanding and growth. • Implement and enforce all University and Housing policies. • Budget and allocate money used for residence hall/floor events. • Respond to emergencies and practice crisis management skills

Provided academic support resources to students, met with students upon request for academic support, engaged in classroom discussions.

Charlotte, Nc

• Procured and prepared various packages for shipment. • Assisted customers in tracking missing or delayed shipments. • Responded to customer service issues. • Obtained various products from around the store and delivered them to its respective department or shipped them out of the store using mobile devices.

Charlotte, Nc

• Procured and prepared various packages for shipment. • Assisted customers in tracking missing or delayed shipments. • Responded to customer service issues. • Obtained various products from around the store and delivered them to its respective department or shipped them out of the store using mobile devices.

Boone, Nc

• Facilitated community building within the residence halls. • Mediated and resolved any conflicts that occurred in the building• Manage the residents’ safety within the residence hall. • Maintained daily log of irregularities within the hall.

Doctor Of Philosophy - Ph.D., Counseling Psychology

Research and Practice Interests: Equity, Inclusion, Intersectionality, Anti-Racism, and Liberation; Well-being and Success of BIPOC.

Master Of Education (M.Ed.), Higher Education/Higher Education Administration

Bachelor’S Degree, Psychology

Activities and Societies: Appalachian State SAACURH delegate October 2015 Linking Education And Diversity Mentor August.