Kathelene Bisko Email & Phone Number

State College, Pa, Us

State College, Pennsylvania, United States

Provide planning, technical assistance, and business development services to strengthen small business, support business startups, and enhance the impact of non-profit organizations.

Rockville, Maryland, United States

Provided analytical and technical support for special projects across various functional areas including operations, human resources, communications, and business development.Reviewed and documented business process and tested PM strategies for HR policy management.Designed and led 24 on-line sessions to elevate and transform thinking on business development.Developed 5 on-line learning modules to build entrepreneurial capacity and the skills needed to leverage existing customer relationships, cultivate strategic partnerships, and support growth.Evaluated current use of the social media tools and developed recommendations for moving towards a more dynamic and integrated approach.

Led a strategic re-visioning effort, shifted focus, and leveraged resources to better support and align projects and goals with economic development pressures and activities.Cultivated networking opportunities with partners at the Chesapeake Bay Foundation to identify and build relationships with other organizations with similar needs and challenges. Secured their input, guidance, and technical assistance to support our team and build capacity.Organized and led discussions, workshops, and public meetings to better understand the needs and concerns of stakeholders and identify shared interests and opportunities.Built and expanded relationships with local land-owners, farmers, business owners, elected leaders, and organizations and increased support for critical projects and advocacy efforts.

Inspired community vision and managed all aspects of complex, multi-phase community development projects including: project design, fundraising, grant-writing, budget planning, project management, implementation, project troubleshooting, and close-out.Served as principal source of business coaching and one-on-one technical assistance for local business owners and community leaders to build capacity and increase access to resources.Secured over $1.8 million in funding from state, county, and local agencies and foundations. Championed cooperative, forward-looking business development strategies. Organized and led a coalition of 35+ businesses, 9 organizations, and 5 communities on the Great Allegheny Passage to share ideas, align goals, leverage resources, and implement collaborative projects.Built an extraordinary team of staff, volunteers, and partners. Together our dedication, shared vision, creativity, and resilience made it possible to set ambitious goals, overcome adversity, prevail under pressure, rise above many unexpected challenges—and even have fun doing it!

Taught an independent study course on organizational leadership and operations. Topics covered included: operations management, organizational development, non-profit management, business planning, business ethics, and leadership.

Designed and led an applied-research project on social, economic, cultural, and political, barriers and their impacts in indigenous communities.Played a key role developing and teaching a service-learning course that included constructing an energy-efficient literacy center on the Chief Dull Knife tribal college campus in eastern Montana.Served as a primary tribal community liaison. Conducted site visits to assess local conditions and built strong, collaborative relationships with key partners including: the tribal college, the tribal housing authority, community groups, federal agency representatives, faculty, and students.Became a trusted resource and technical advisor for the Northern Cheyenne Housing Authority. Was honored to provide support to the Authority and the tribal community by collecting and analyzing data for their housing needs survey and providing assistance with annual strategy and budget planning.

Built strong, collaborative relationships with local elected leaders and engineers to resolve on-site issues and successfully secure critical approvals for current and proposed projects.Led due diligence, risk analysis, and evaluation of environmental compliance requirements for special projects including complex infill and brownfield redevelopment projects.Shifted focus and quickly developed advanced capabilities in financial analysis when the COO unexpectedly resigned. Kept key projects on track by taking on high-level responsibility for the evaluation of finance strategies and assessment of overall project feasibility and profitability.

Completed comprehensive reviews of high profile projects experiencing problems or setbacks.Reviewed project progress and results, analyzed risks, and worked with team leadership to develop strategies to resolve issues and keep key projects on track.Presented findings to department directors, the Chief Operations Officer, and Chief Executive Officer to secure needed input, buy-in, and resources as necessary.Provided extensive team coaching and work-based training to refine project strategies and streamline project goals, scheduling, budget, staffing, and team leadership.Evaluated overall project management needs, strategies, and tools throughout the organization.Developed and taught a two-day project management and team building workshop. The interactive, team-based course provided hands-on, high-impact, work-based learning for teams from headquarters, the international program, and over 25 different field offices.

Master Of Science - Ms, Community And Economic Development

Civil Engineering

Bachelor Of Science - Bs, Architectural Engineering

Activities and Societies: - International Exchange Program - University of Leeds College of Engineering Cooperative Education Internship.