ANTON ANDREW
QUALIFICATIONS PROFILE
Experienced professional with a unique toolbox of ‘hard’ (knowledge/content based) and ‘soft’ (interactive/process based) skills, developed during 15 year career, looking for freelance projects to complement lifestyle and develop/deepen skill set.
SKILLS AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Governance Level Leadership 2007-Present
Led strategic planning and governance restructuring for Open Connections (OC) as it successfully managed the passing of one co-founder and the retirement of the other. Provided hands on training and professional development plans for management team which replaced founders and has: increased retention across programs, doubled organizational capacity, while boasting one of the highest customer satisfaction ratings of any independent school (according to a survey conducted by Independent School Management, a leading consultancy for independent schools). Created and taught FIGHT CLUB--a course offering for teens based on Argumentation, Debate and Dispute Resolutions that has become so popular it has developed into a series of course offerings for all age groups.
Championed governance restructuring process for The Land Conservancy for Southern Chester County (TLC), which facilitated 49% increase in individual and institutional giving and national accreditation by the Land Trust Alliance (less than 10% of the nearly 2000 existing land trusts, share this distinction)..
Management and Executive Level Leadership 2002-2006
Executed $34.5 million voluntary agreement between university and the state system of higher education, which revitalized the historic heart of the campus. Established and secured permanent funding for a statewide center for small minority and female owned businesses--The Pennsylvania Disadvantaged Business Enterprises Supportive Services Center--in collaboration with the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation and served as its first Director
ADDITIONAL EXPERIENCE
CHEYNEY UNIVERSITY – Cheyney, PA 2002 to 2006
Built a reputation for professionalism and integrity with two different Presidents, while assuming increasingly complex g responsibilities and earning unofficial title of ‘Chief Change Officer’.
Special Assistant to the President for Internal Relations
Implemented and monitored policies to promote diversity and inclusion, to eliminate discriminatory behaviors and encourage civility at Cheyney University including, its: Affirmative Action Policy, Discrimination and Harassment Policy, Human Resources Policies and Practices and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Assisted students, faculty, staff, and administrators seeking assistance in addressing a variety of problems: including academic disputes, access to resources, conflict in the workplace/classroom, failure to follow university procedures, and interpersonal tensions.
Key Accomplishments:
• Helped create and served as the first Director of the Disadvantaged Business Enterprises (DBEs) Supportive Services Center--a shared initiative of the University and the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PENNDOT)
• Headed the University team which implemented the an agreement between the United States Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania--wherein $34.5 million dollars were committed to the University for Facilities Renovations and Program Development.
• Applied for and received grants providing training and certification, in Meditation and Alternate Dispute Resolution, for key staff members and students in the University’s Honors Academy. As a result physical altercations on campus were significantly reduced and the several hundred students from local and regional high schools, have received in these techniques, from the University’s Honors Academy.
OFFICE OF THE PUBLIC DEFENDER – Miami, Florida 1995 to 2001
Consistently asked to work with some of the highest caseloads before the toughest judges because of the ability to retain ‘grace under pressure’ and dedication to serve clients.
Specially Appointed Public Defender
Provided legal counsel to indigent juvenile and adult clients facing a loss of their liberty. Worked with a team of investigators, social workers and medical professionals to create sentencing alternatives to incarceration and to ensure the most beneficial possible dispositions and sentence planning for those clients.
Key Accomplishments:
• Represented clients in more than 50 criminal trials, approximately half of them before a jury.
• Worked as part of pilot program that developed and implemented strategies that resulted in a 70% reduction in the number of children transferred from juvenile to adult court, and improved sentencing advocacy for juveniles charged as adults.
EDUCATION AND CREDENTIALS
Doctor of Jurisprudence (1995)
HOFSTRA UNIVERSITY – Hempstead, New York
Bachelor of Science in Political Science (1992)
UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Professional Licenses and Certifications:
Licensed attorney in FLORIDA and the DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
Certified Mediator
Certified Strategic Planner
Professional Training
Process Consciousness—paying attention to the way we do or say something so that the effects serve our highest goals and intentions
Strategic Planning and Strategic Financial Planning
Leadership & Team Building
Grant Writing and Fundraising
Volunteer Activities
Open Connections (www.openconnections.org): Board Chair, Staff Trainer and Visiting Lecturer
The Land Conservancy for Southern Chester County (www.tlcforscc.org): Board Member, Chair Corporate Governance Committee