Cassandra Small

Background

About Cassandra Small

CAREER PROFILE: More than 16+ years of combined experience in public administration, grants management, sustainability planning, higher education student engagement, non-profit administration, and program development. A cornerstone of higher education leadership, intelligence, policy, and program management, my contributions have successfully managed limited resources while influencing vision buy-in, impact, visibility, and productive work solutions. Three years experience as an Executive Director for a Norfolk-based CDC and seven years as a grant manager for a New Jersey-based 501(c)(3) organization. HIGHER EDUCATION IMPACT & RESULTS (K12 & UNIVERSITY LEVEL): 10+ years of exceptional leadership in higher education, driving strategic enrollment growth and student success. Leveraged strong analytical skills to tailor solutions for executive leadership and develop robust programs. Championed the success of over diverse students, including non-traditional and at-risk populations, by guiding them towards academic and career goals. Adept at prioritizing, problem-solving, and delivering results-oriented solutions across the full admissions, recruitment, and program development lifecycle. NON-PROFIT OPERATIONS, LEADERSHIP AND COMMUNITY EMPOWERMENT: Leveraging 7+ years of non-profit experience, I currently lead a Norfolk-based Community Development Corporation (CDC) for 3 years as Executive Director. I spearheaded the development and implementation of 50 impactful outreach programs, fostering community engagement, literacy, senior services, and economic empowerment for diverse households across Hampton Roads. My leadership encompassed comprehensive program management, including short and long-term planning, evaluation, operations, donor development, grant sourcing, staff oversight, and policy implementation. CORE COMPETENCIES Non-profit Program Management & Evaluation Fundraising, Grant Making, Grant Sourcing, Proposals / RFP’s Higher Education Leadership & Results Community Outreach & Development Collaboration, Innovation & Integration Work Processes Streamliner Executive Director Faith-Based Leadership Client Management & Communications High-performance Event Logistics & Space Planning CRM Tracking & Data Analysis & Reporting