Lesley Mcmillan Email & Phone Number

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Strategic leadership for CHT's Anti-Human Trafficking, Community Housing, Drop-In and Outreach, and Education and Employment programs (operations budget of $7.6 million)Developed and implemented integrated service delivery models, ensuring adherence to trauma-informed care and harm reduction principlesProvided mentorship and professional development opportunities for managers and staff and promoted a culture of professional growth and learningIdentified service gaps and drove program development initiatives to address deficienciesEvaluated and coordinated grant submissions, securing government funding for multiple programs and negotiated government contracts, aligning them with organizational prioritiesRepresented the organization on national committees and community-based projects, cultivating collaborative relationships with stakeholders

Toronto, Canada Area

Led and directed Employment and Education, Transitional Housing, Anti-Human Trafficking, Prevention, and Healthcare Services programsEnsured program objectives were achieved and compliance with service models and philosophies were maintainedProvided coaching to program managers, supervisors, and staff to enhance staff performance and program outcomesCollaborated with managers to develop and monitor strategic plans and annual budgets for programs totaling $5.5 millionOversaw quality improvement projects, utilized data management for performance management and program reviews, resulting in a 30% increase in positive outcomes for participantsLed youth leadership initiatives, supported youth leadership opportunities, and facilitated co-design workManaged government grants, including writing proposals and fulfilling reporting requirementsActively participated in various committees, including the Senior Management Team and Program Managers Team

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Co-managed the Making the Shift: Youth Homelessness Social Innovation Lab project, a collaborative initiative between A Way Home Canada and the Canadian Observatory on Homelessness, aimed at revolutionizing Canada's approach to youth homelessness through social innovation.Successfully oversaw the financial and administrative aspects of the $10.9 million Making the Shift: Youth Homelessness Social Innovation Lab project, including the management of 17 third-party contracts and preparation of comprehensive financial and activity reports for funders.Played a pivotal role in developing and implementing 3 Housing First for Youth programs, 1 Youth Reconnect program, and 8 Family and Natural Supports programs.Demonstrated exceptional leadership by providing technical and training support for 12 demonstration projects, ensuring staff proficiency through the development of a comprehensive training curriculum and facilitation of community of practice calls.Co-authored the influential publication "Family and Natural Supports: A Framework to Enhance Young People's Network of Support."Provided exemplary guidance and direction as the manager of the National Learning Community on Youth Homelessness, fostering collaboration and open-source work among 28 community of practice members.Collaborated extensively with national partners to identify and disseminate effective strategies for preventing and ending youth homelessness.

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Managed the National Learning Community on Youth Homelessness, leading a community of practice and expanding membership to 29 professionals.Fostered collaboration and open source work within the community, promoting knowledge sharing and innovation.Led the Youth Voice constellation of A Way Home, ensuring that youth voice was integrated into the organization's initiatives.Conducted extensive research on promising practices related to youth voice and developed a comprehensive strategy with A Way Home partners and constellations to actively engage youth in the organization's work.Collaborated with national partners to identify and disseminate effective responses to prevent and end youth homelessness.Successfully managed and maintained the LGBTQ2S Toolkit, ensuring its relevance and usefulness.

Toronto

Managed the implementation of the HireUp program. This involved designing program processes and developing relationships with youth-serving organizations registered with the program.

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Applied extensive knowledge of youth homelessness in conducting knowledge transfer and community engagement activities for Eva's Initiatives.Disseminated program models to community agencies, funders, and policymakers to enhance understanding and support for addressing youth homelessness.Organized and facilitated the National Learning Community on Youth Homelessness, including coordinating the annual Mental Health National Needs Assessment and ensuring effective dissemination of findings.Developed a new governance model and successfully coordinated the expansion of membership from 12 to 26 members.Created and implemented various tools, such as the LGBTQ2S Toolkit, to showcase emerging and promising practices in working with LGBTQ2S youth experiencing homelessness.Demonstrated proficiency in performance measurement by tracking program deliverables and ensuring compliance with funding agreements.Prepared funding proposals and reports for funders and donors, utilizing data analysis to identify trends and inform program improvements.

Toronto, Canada Area

Conducted comprehensive training program outreach, ensuring effective engagement with potential participants.Provided unwavering support to youth participants to facilitate their successful completion of the training program.Offered guidance and assistance in securing employment opportunities through readiness and life skills workshops.Meticulously tracked and analyzed program results, compiling and reporting statistics to assess program effectiveness.Played an instrumental role in identifying program trends and emerging trends for future enhancements.Achieved outstanding outcomes, with 80% of program graduates successfully connecting with employment or education programs post-graduation.Demonstrated significant impact, as 85% of participants experienced a notable improvement in their housing situation for a minimum of 6 months upon program completion.

Toronto, Canada Area

Managed the volunteer cycle (recruitment, training and retention of volunteers) with focus on ensuring meaningful experiences for volunteers. Worked with program staff to create volunteer postings, interview potential volunteers, trained and coached volunteers. Coordinated third party events and school groups who wanted to research Eva’s Initiatives and youth homelessness.

Toronto, Canada Area

Trained and coached new staff members. Exceeded productivity targets to assess credit risk, based on bank policy, judgmental lending and critical analysis skills, to reduce risk exposure. Lead, Spirit in the Citi Team - promoted community events (e.g. annual United Way campaign); developed e-mail campaigns and delivered presentations.

Organized three major fundraising events (two in 1999 and one in 2000). These events grossed over $250,000. Recruited and supervised a volunteer phone bank for the fundraising events (resulted in 45% of the ticket sales for the formal dinner). Researched major corporate prospects for the Victory Fund.

Organized three major fundraising events (two in 1999 and one in 2000). These events grossed over $250,000. Recruited and supervised a volunteer phone bank for the fundraising events (resulted in 45% of the ticket sales for the formal dinner). Researched major corporate prospects for the Victory Fund.

Led a team of three Students’ Union executives, six managers and volunteer staff of nearly 100.Developed and recommended educational policy and Students’ Union policy. Researched and wrote position papers for the Students’ Union on topics ranging from tuition to rent control to labour issues.Acted as a key player in the long term strategic planning of the Union. Oversaw the restructuring project that reviewed the business aspect of the Students’ Union and revised key policy and regulations and organizational structure.

St. Catharines

Teaching Assistant in the Sociology and Women’s Studies departments. Courses taught were Sociology of Deviance and Introduction to Women’s Studies.Responsible for leading seminar discussions and provided guidance to students to address course related questions. Evaluated course assignments. Worked with teaching team to create evaluation criteria and worksheets.

Honours Ba, Women'S Studies And Sociology

Diploma, Community Work Program

Program focuses on human rights, community services, social justice and community development. Program elective courses taken were.

Certificate, Volunteer Management

The Volunteer Management Certificate focused on the recruiting, training and retaining volunteers with a concentration on fundraising.