andrew simmerman
San Diego, CA • CELL (310) 804-6822 • E-MAIL andrew.simmerman@gmail.com
PROFILE
Passionate non-profit leader, community collaborator, and educator with 10+ years experience in designing, implementing, and executing short-term and long-term strategic plans that align with ambitious visions and goals. A San Diego native and California connector, working to improve collaboration and community involvement through a focus on relationship building and shared vision
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EXPERIENCE
KIPP SoCal Public Schools San Diego, CA
Director of Community and Donor Relations and Member of Leadership Team Jan ’20 – Present
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Responsible for all community, district, and donor partnerships across San Diego
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Set long-term strategy around KIPP SoCal’s goals and growth in San Diego while delivering on relationship goals in the short-term that serve KIPP students and families in San Diego
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Ensure families know about KIPP SoCal as an option for their students while garnering support amongst key community and elected influencers through relationships and public affairs
RISE San Diego San Diego, CA
Business Development Consultant Jan’20 – Present
Interim COO and Vice President of Business Development Sept ’17 – Jan '20
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Served as Interim COO supporting CEO on all programmatic and strategic elements of organization
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Founding member of start-up social enterprise RISE@Work responsible for building out the 3Cs: Company, Contacts, Curriculum
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Developed short-term and yearlong contracts with partner organizations, companies and school districts to provide diversity, equity and inclusion trainings that goes towards funding the RISE San Diego Urban Leadership Fellows Program
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Grew client list from 1 to 14 clients with 90% retention and a 150% increase in revenue each year
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Managed team of PhD-level facilitators and co-presenting workshops to groups of six to three-hundred attendees, often including one-on-one coaching sessions with executives and leaders
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Facilitated San Diego Unified school board reform town halls, led trainings with local community college districts and chambers of commerce, keynote speaker for the African Delegation of United Nations Fellows and San Diego County LiveWell event.
ChamberlaynePR San Diego, CA
Director Nov ’17 – Present
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First and foremost a storyteller
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Manage accounts for wide range of clients with comprehensive services that include building strategic communications plans, public relations solutions, digital media marketing, and shaping public opinion through available channels.
Andrew Simmerman Consulting
Owner and Consultant Jan ’17 – Present
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Provide array of consulting and freelance services, including: startup support, strategic planning and vision formation, brand strategy and communications, developing critical connections, event planning, recruiting, and more
University of San Diego, Jacobs Institute for Innovation in Education San Diego, CA
E2E Incubator Project Director, Spark Series Lead Apr ’17 – Present
Communications and Project Development Manager and Member of Leads Team Jan ’17 – Sept '17
Leadership and Professional Learning Specialist Sept ’16 – Dec ‘16
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Currently lead the rebranded "Spark Series: fostering equity and innovation in our schools" speaker series
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Promoted to lead efforts to redefine Institute mission, redesign Institute website and marketing materials, and manage multiple flagship projects that include members of various Institute teams
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Establish and cultivate relationships across Institute teams (Research, Professional Learning, Faculty, etc.) and also within peer organizations, school districts and business community (increased industry partnerships by 300%)
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Strategic consulting on vision and priorities with district superintendents, principals, and teachers
Teach For America San Diego CA
Head of Partnerships and Founding Member of Leadership Team June ’15 – Sept ‘16
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Built and maintained strong relationships with many of San Diego's low-income schools and districts, respected community non-profits, and prominent educational and political leaders
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Managed the expansion of school/district partners (from 8 partners in ‘13 to 17 partners in ‘15)
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Established and facilitated hiring processes to ensure that 100% of corps members were hired by the first day of school in September (increased percentage of corps members hired pre-summer from 5% in 2013 to 75% in 2015)
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Made region-wide strategic plans, integral part of all major decisions across functional teams, and facilitated all-staff team meetings (per annual survey results, consistently maintained a top five region for corps member and alumni culture out of TFA's 52 regions across the country)
Manager of Growth, Development and Partnerships Oct ’13 – June ‘15
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Promoted quickly to provide organizational development and partnership strategies, operating structures, and execution of vision, goals, and annual strategic plan
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Managed every regional donor portfolio, including major gift donors, philanthropic foundations, and corporations (increasing fundraising goals from $850K in 2013 to $2M in 2016 and launching our Innovation Consortium with local STEM companies like ResMed and Illumina)
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Secured $1.2M in 2015 through effective donor cultivation, stewardship, and relationship building (working alongside board of directors and executive director to increase corporate funding by 600% through quality connections and opportunities with prominent corporate partners)
Operations Specialist and Launch Team Member June ’13 – Oct ‘13
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Managed and tracked $250K non-payroll spending budget
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Established many operating procedures and systems where such structures did not exist as a start-up region
Reality Changers San Diego CA
College Apps Academy Instructor, Curriculum Designer Aug ’12 – June ‘13
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Instructed 6 course sections of 20 students regarding all pieces of the college application process (100% of students were admitted to at least one college/university and became the first in their family to go to college, with 4 students earning the prestigious Gates Millennium Scholarship)
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Constructed the copyrighted curriculum as well as all Academy marketing pieces and instructor materials, while collaborating with staff on growth planning
Endeavor College Preparatory Charter School Los Angeles CA
6th Grade Reading Teacher Aug ’11 – July ‘12
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Designed and implemented standards-based curricula for 6th grade reading and intervention classes at a school with 90% of students qualifying for the Free and Reduced Lunch Program
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Inspired students to reach their maximum academic potential through use of inventive reading programs (73% of students scored Proficient or Advanced on the English Language Arts state exam, compared to 45% two years prior and a district average of 48%)
Academy for Language and Technology High School Bronx NY
9th Grade ESL Teacher, ESL Department Chair, Title III Program Director Aug ’08 – June ’11
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Selected from more than 30,000 applicants nationwide to join Teach For America, a national teacher corps of recent college graduates who commit two years to teach in under-resourced public schools
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Designed and implemented project-based learning curricula for beginning and advanced 9th grade ESL classes at a bilingual high school with 93% of students having recently entered the country
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Oversaw the ESL department containing 6 teachers, and collected data for all 294 students
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EDUCATION
Master of Science in Education Bronx, NY
City University of New York, Lehman College April 2010
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Honors: AmeriCorps Full-Tuition Award
Bachelor of Arts in Advertising Malibu, CA
Pepperdine University April 2008
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Leadership: Residential Advisor, TOMS Shoes “Day Without Shoes” Founder, Math Tutor
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LEADERSHIP
Named to San Diego Metro Magazine's 2018 "40 Under 40" List of Young Leaders in San Diego
USD Trans-Border Opportunities Certificate Led by the Trans-Border Institute at the University of San Diego, this program prepares working professionals and aspiring civic leaders to help shape the future of the border region. Participants learn to identify unique possibilities for business, entrepreneurship, activism, and public problem-solving presented by the border environment.
RISE San Diego – 2015 Urban Leadership Fellow In collaboration with University of San Diego’s
Leadership Institute, RISE Fellows are offered the next phase of their development, enabling them to lead more effectively in the face of the complex and seemingly intractable challenges present in their communities. Awarded Certificate in Urban Leadership by the University of San Diego in July 2016
LEAD San Diego – IMPACT Class of 2015 Often described as a "master's degree" on San Diego, IMPACT highlights historic and contemporary perspectives on relevant regional themes and features presentations from leading experts and key community leaders
INTERESTS
When I’m not working, I enjoy going to concerts, being active (running, hiking, playing basketball), exploring Tijuana, and reading at my favorite coffee shops.