Joshua T. Smith

Sacramento, California

Cell Phone: 786-***-****

ad2a96@r.postjobfree.com

Professional Summary

Bright, outcome driven self-starter with a diverse professional background in purse of an executive Diversity, Equity and Inclusion or other executive leadership role. I began my career in as a Higher Education and Non-profit leaders with experience as a grant writer, project manager, context creator and orator. I also have experience with managing Title VII issues among diverse teams ranging from C-suite executives to entry level staff.

Professional Experience

Improve Your Tomorrow (IYT), Sacramento, CA

Policy and Advocacy Development Manager April 2023- Present

Founded in 2013, IYT is 10+ million-dollar organization making it one of the country's largest education-focused nonprofits serving over 3,500 BIPOC students in over 60 schools and seven counties. IYT has a mission to Increase the number of young men of color to attend and graduate from colleges and universities. IYT offers program services before, during, and after school, where students receive wraparound support, including mentorship, leadership and personal development, college advising and tours, tutoring, internships, and family engagement.

Accomplishments

Supported IYT’s 1300 campaign by fundraising 1.2 million dollars to improve programmatic capacity.

Develop a pipeline of new corporate and foundation prospects and other institutional donors, including government sources, to support IYT programs. Conduct cultivation, solicitation, and stewardship of foundation and corporate donors, including securing, preparing for, and proactively following up on foundation and corporate cultivation meetings, proposals, and reports.

Develop and execute strategies to nurture, cultivate, and grow the base of individual donors, including increasing touchpoints beyond the fall fundraiser and end-of-year appeal. Personally manage a portfolio of individual and institutional supporters while practicing moves management.

Provide the Director of Communications and Marketing input to build the IYT brand and support fundraising efforts through social media, website, and partnerships.

Work closely with the central office Development Assistant to organize and upload.

LeadingAge California, Sacramento, CA

Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Sept 2021- Dec 2022

Founded in 1961, LeadingAge California is the state’s leading advocate for quality, non-profit senior living and care. The association’s advocacy, educational programs and public relations help its members best serve the needs of the state’s older adults. LeadingAge California represents nearly 700 non-profit providers of senior living and care, as well as business services providers across the Aging Adult continuum of care.

Accomplishments

Secured and managed a $350,000 department budget through grant writing to support our DE&I strategy. I authored the first ever short and long-term DEI Roadmap for the LTSS industry to positively influence workplace culture and employee satisfaction.

Designs & implements metrics, monitoring & reporting systems to effectively benchmark organizational progress in DE&I. Develops tracking strategies to monitor and evaluate the impact and DEI initiatives; develop reports on program effectiveness and make recommendations for program enhancement and improvement.

Develops & implements best practices for DE&I action planning and ensure business accountability for follow up. Serves as an advisor to our business leaders to embed DE&I in our health equity initiatives, community outreach and ESG initiatives/programs.

Works collaboratively with other DE&I professionals in the industry to build positive working relationships that can help inform our internal and external business practices. Which resulted in multi-state collaborations,

Manages LeadingAge California’s DE&I internet site data analytics and refresh academic content with support from the Communications team. Served as an DE&I subject matter expert supporting leaders in responding to employee inquires on the topics, submitting award nominations narratives and preparing business leaders for external keynotes on the subject.

Arkansas State University, Jonesboro, AR

Assistant Director of the Multicultural Affair Jul 2019 – Apr 2021

Assistant Director of Diversity and Strategic Initiative September 2018 – June 2019

Arkansas State University is a public research university in Jonesboro, Arkansas. It is the flagship campus of the Arkansas State University System and the second largest university in the state.

Accomplishments

Supervised a team staff of ten (10) and assisted the CDO and Executive Director with managing the department and multicultural center budget. Assisted with the development of social, educational, and cultural programs that promote education about marginalized groups across the University system.

Collected data and maintain database of student program reports and assemble the event planning report binder

Influenced culture and behavior change, collaborate, and work adeptly with university senior executives, managers, and staff members which lead to collaborate with St. Berend hospital, the second largest hospital system in the Northeast Arkansas District to establish a DEI conference. We have 150 registries that year.

Demonstrated emotional intelligence and interpersonal skills when advising several student organizations; ability to influence an outcome across all levels through a consultative methodology; strong commitment to client-focused, relationship-based service. Developed an effective methodologies and practical approaches; excellent change management, project management and process improvement skills.

Wiley College, Marshall, Texas October 2016 – August 2018

Adjunct Professor of Religion & Philosophy

Founded in 1873, Wiley College is a private Historically Black College in Marshall, Texas by the Methodist Episcopal Church. Wiley is one of the oldest predominantly Black Colleges west of the Mississippi River.

Accomplishments

Review and evaluate curriculum in order to meet student interests and needs of the College.

Utilized a variety of instructional strategies in order to engage students, including cooperative and experiential learning.

Met with academic department chair to develop courseware and curriculum.

Presented prepared materials and supervises organized activities.

Maintained records of student attendance, involvement, and progress.

Taught assigned class material in accordance with learning objectives that are developed by the department.

Communicated with students outside of class to provide supplementary instruction, when necessary.

Develop quizzes, tests and examinations which fairly evaluate student progress; monitor student activity during examinations/quizzes to ensure no cheating.

Participated in faculty meetings involving departmental updates.

Served on faculty panels to move the University mission forward

Surveyed students in order to obtain information about their wants and needs in certain courses.

Forensic Specialists (Debate Coach)

Help manage the historic Wiley College debate 30+ students’ team to 2nd in the National Championship.

Assisted in implementing, modeling, and facilitating argumentation assignments and activities. Facilitated exhibition debates and group discussions in various disciplines as liaison to the QEP Coordinated of the end of semester workshops and tournament, in collaboration with the Grant and Budget Specialist.

Ensured adequate distribution of in-class debates across the semester.

CarePath Hospice LLC.

Chaplain January 2016 - October 2016

Carepath Home Health Network is a hospice care center situated at Arlington, Texas.

Accomplishments

Manage a 45 max client list of and provided competent and compassionate spiritual care interventions based on spiritual needs assessment. Comforted patients using inspirational resources important to them, such as blessing, prayer, meditation, or reading of sacred texts. Worked to mitigate spiritual pain and to addressed end-of-life fears and hopes for patient and bereaved family.

Presentation and Publications

Presentations

Medical Apartheid Revisited: Pandemic, Politics, and Priorities Conference Speaker @ Vanderbilt University (2020)

Navigating Graduate Studies as A Black Scholar at PWI Panelist @ University of Mississippi (2021)

LeadingAge California Annual Conference Pre-Conference (2022)

Publications

LeadingAge California’s DEI RoadMap (2022)

“How DEI impact the Healthy Aging” article in Engage Magazine 2022 Fall Edition

Grants

Archstone Foundation 150,000.00- 2022

California Health Care Foundation 200,000.00- 2021

ECMC Foundation 51,200.00- 2023

Sacramento City 96,000.00- 2023

Sacramento Regional Community Foundation 10,000.00- 2023

Cal Endowment 75,000.00- 2023

Sierra Health- San Joaquin 60,000.00- 2023

Leadership/Awards

Leadership

Arkansas States University’s Co-chair of Black History Month

Vanderbilt’s University’s Public Theology and Racial Justice Cohort Member

Co-Curricular Data and Campaign Strategy Committee Member

Member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc., Fall 2013 initiate

Member of Wiley College "Great” Debate Team

Awards

JV Educational 18th Annual International Males of Color Honoree

Theta Alpha Kappa National Religion Honor Society (2014)

Pi Kappa Delta National Forensics Honor Society (2012)

Professional Affiliations

Arkansas States’ University CARE Team

Implicit Bias Conference Planning Committee

Arkansas Summit on African American Males (ArSAAM) Advisory Group

Memphis Urban League: The City of Memphis Youth Service

Harvard Divinity School’s Diversity and Explorations Program

Education

Arkansas State University Jonesboro, Arkansas Expected May, 2024

Doctor of Philosophy in Heritage Studies

Arkansas State University Jonesboro, Arkansas

Master of Heritage Studies

Southern Methodist University Dallas, Texas

Master of Theological Studies

Wiley College Marshall, Texas

Bachelor of Arts Religion

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