Veronica Watson Email & Phone Number

Madison, Indiana, United States

Madison, Indiana, United States

• Oversee the daily operations of the federally funded Housing Choice Voucher rental assistance program.• Lead and supervise a 3-person team, including two HCV Specialists and an Intern, ensuring effective assistance is provided to 330 low-income client families and over 500 local applicants.• Plan and implement outreach activities to increase landlord participation in the HCV program as well as general community understanding of the purpose and impact of the program.• Develop standard operational procedures to submit the Community Action Plan CSBG Annual Report, creating consistency across reporting years and reducing time and effort required to complete.• Gather and analyze data on current clients compared to OVO’s service territory, to identify areas or populations that should be targeted for program outreach.• Prepare for the triennial CSBG monitoring on a monthly basis; ensure required actions are completed by staff and correctly reflected in board minutes.• Connect with community, state, and local partners on issues like housing, representing & spreading the word about OVO's impactful work.• Led the Point-in-Time Count in Jennings County in partnership with Wayside Inn Homeless Shelter, ensuring county inclusion in the state report for the first time in at least four years.

Indianapolis, Indiana Area

• Manage four federal and state anti-poverty programs for the Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority, providing $30 million+ in funding:o CSBG: A federal program that provides funding to community action agencies, which are required to assess their community’s needs regularly and provide programs that directly address those needso IDA: an asset-building program that provides financial education and match funds for participant savings, to be used on a home purchase, vehicle purchase, small business, etc.o NAP: a state tax credit program that funds nonprofits of all sizes and their neighborhood-based work.o IDA Tax Credit: a state tax credit program that helps nonprofits expand their IDA program • Create program guidelines, submit state and federal reports, negotiate contracts, and update budgets for all four programs, which are on three different calendar cycles.• Provide technical assistance to 350+ subgrantees, via email, phone calls, webinars or in-person meetings; explain how to apply for funding and how to complete required reports, provide tips for navigating program requirements and answer questions related to policy and best practices for managing a program.• Oversee additional projects as needed or as assigned, such as Interest in Education, a program that funded 529 college savings accounts to kids at IHCDA-supported low-income housing developments.

Indianapolis, Indiana Area

• Designed materials and implement outreach strategies for CreatINg Places, a crowdfunding and matching grant program created in partnership with the Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority (IHCDA)• Provided technical assistance to 140+ CreatINg Places participants as they apply to the program, run a crowdfunding campaign and complete final grant reports• Spoke at conferences, workshops, and seminars about CreatINg Places and its impact on Indiana communities• Reported on CreatINg Places to IHCDA and incorporate their goals into program management• Improved Patronicity’s project management methods with the creation of new reporting documents, program guidelines, program manager resources and applicant resources

Indianapolis, Indiana Area

•Contributed to the development of Placemaking Indiana, a brand new state-wide initiative to help communities in their placemaking projects through funding, technical assistance and marketing on social media •Identified placemaking efforts occurring across the state and arranged visits to five communities to meet with local leaders and learn about specific projects •Researched best practices for adaptive reuse development and explored possible tools IHCDA could offer to help communities market and redevelop their vacant structures •Created training materials for managers of future VISTA members

New Orleans

•Planned and administered Service Learning lessons for 250 local high school seniors; led students on-site through activities and discussions to foster connections between the class and volunteer construction work•Developed new partnerships with 2 local schools through the Service Learning program; met with 3 other schools to start the partnership process•Wrote 24 grant proposals for several different departments and programs; at least 13 were approved, earning the organization over $47,000•Successfully applied for grant funding for over 20 individual ABWK Home Repair projects•Managed the evaluation and reporting of grant-funded projects from the Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas and Enterprise Community Partners•Provided logistical support for major volunteer and sponsor events

Bloomington/Normal, Illinois Area

• Assisted the Director of Rehabs and Revitalization in planning and implementing a community outreach campaign• Created and implemented the first ever "Capture the Westside Photo Contest" on Facebook• Started the Block Party in a Box program in partnership with the local Tool Library• Co-wrote the grant $1,200 grant proposal for Block Party in a Box that was later fully funded• Planned a block party in the West Bloomington neighborhood with a resident cohort• Summarized community survey results for presentation to residents and city officials

Bloomington/Normal, Illinois Area

• Assisted the International Office Director and the International Student and Scholar Advisor with office management and peer advisement.• Created promotional materials and organize campus events.• Served as Conversation Partner/Tutor for international students developing their English Language skills.

Chicago, Il

• Managed over 200 volunteer applicants using the Volunteer Connection database.• Processed, interviewed and ran background checks for 70 volunteer applicants in 3 months• Participated in ongoing recruitment of volunteers for 13 counties in the region, for various roles including Disaster Action Team, Health and Safety Instructors, and Special Events.• Gathered data on volunteers in disaster-prone areas to better address volunteer shortages and created a report on findings• Performed database updates on the accounts of 250 prospective volunteers to better represent active and non-active applicants.• Contributed to the ongoing evaluation of organization wide internship program through research and gathering of historical data

Bloomington/Normal, Illinois Area

• Recommended improvements to current cultural acumen training videos and supplement materials• Researched changing demographics of multicultural populations in target states using the American FactFinder census database and presented findings to whole department• Evaluated training videos for new employees

Bloomington/Normal, Illinois Area

• Created lesson plans for transition program for high school students with developmental disabilities, focusing on job skills and independent living skills• Established connections between Marcfirst and the Boy Scouts of America• Wrote grant proposal to fund a new hand-on nutrition and cooking program for the high school transition program

South Elgin, Il

• Allocated time efficiently between customer service and product management• Completed financial transactions in an accurate, timely and organized manner• Performed opening/closing/cleaning duties in a team environment

Bloomington/Normal, Illinois Area

• Sorted and distributed library mail to the appropriate employees .• Cataloged library periodicals and managed library inventory.

Bachelor Of Arts (Ba), International/Global Studies

International Studies And Multilateral Diplomacy

•Completed 3 qualitative research projects using interviews with experts from organizations such as the United Nations High Commissioner.

High School, World Languages And International Studies

Valedictorian, Class of 2010

Graduate Certificate, Real Estate Development

Graduate Certificate, Real Estate Development