Jessica Summers
Community Health Worker/Peer Support Specialist
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About
Certified Community Health Worker and Peer Support Specialist with extensive experience in recovery and person-centered planning, goal setting, wraparound service referrals and deliveries, and mentoring/coaching. Bilingual nonprofit leader with 10+ years of experience in organizational management, program development, and fundraising. Proven success in securing over $1 million in grant funding, developing innovative peer support and reentry programs, and building cross-sector partnerships to serve individuals and communities.
Skilled in strategic planning, donor relations, staff and volunteer management, and compliance for federally and state-funded initiatives. Adept at driving mission-focused growth with authenticity and measurable impact,
Experience
January 2013-Present
Owner, Fenix Creative Services, LLC/Fenix Collective Inc., Charlotte, NC
- Academic and business research and writing, including white papers, presentations, proposals, program curricula/manuals, and for-profit and nonprofit grant research and writing
- Translation and transcription (English/Spanish)
- Author assistance (ghostwriting and coaching) for emerging authors, especially those who are justice-impacted. Includes story development, coaching, editing, and publication assistance.
- Develop and run all programs for Fenix Collective, Inc. (nonprofit peer support organization dedicated to providing support and advocacy for LGBTQIA+ women and gender non-conforming folks, especially BIPOC, returning from incarceration and on recovery journeys).
Peer Support Program Coordinator, Carolinas CARE Partnership, Charlotte, NC
- Develop federally-funded peer support program from inception, including policies and procedures, mission and vision statements, reporting and compliance documentation
- Recruit participants and cultivate community partnerships
- Attend Mecklenburg County Opioid Task Force meetings
- Peer support specialist supporting justice-impacted, LGBTQ+, and LatinX community members and their families in mental health and substance abuse recovery, with wraparound service deliveries and online/in-person individual peer support and groups.
- Coordinate community events, liaison with other organizations to build coalitions, develop campaigns to raise awareness.
Director of Development/Board Member, Silent Cry, Inc. (remote)
- Research, application for, and management of grants
- Executive board member
- Program research and composition
- Communications and reports for state- and grant-funded projects that support formerly incarcerated individuals and their families
Change Coach, Changed Choices, Charlotte, NC (hybrid)
- Change coach for non-profit organization working with women and families impacted by incarceration, both pre-release and reentry clients.
- Client care, such as case management, coordination of wraparound service referrals and direct service deliveries, peer coaching/mentoring, transportation, care plans, mentoring, documentation in case management software and records maintenance (Salesforce), HIPAA compliance, etc.
- Planning and coordination of community events and networking opportunities
Furniture Shipping and Logistics Specialist, Williams-Sonoma, Inc. (Remote)
- Inbound/outbound customer service calls (high-volume)
- Appointment scheduling, research, shipment coordination and tracking
- De-escalation and customer retention
General Manager, Hotel Puerto Viejo, Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica
- All aspects of daily operations of a 100-room hostel, including front desk/booking, staffing/scheduling, accounts receivable/payable, housekeeping and maintenance coordinating, dining, purchasing, event scheduling, concierge services for guests, promotions and publicity, and guest relations
Customer Service Supervisor, AccessRX, San Jose, Costa Rica
- Supervised and trained a staff of 10-15 customer service representatives
- Inbound calling (orders, escalations, tech support, etc.) as well as outbound calling (doctor referrals, pharmacy calls, shipping logistics)
- Staff training and quality assurance
- Assisted owner in developing and implementing new sales campaigns and customer service protocols as well as staff training programs.
Business Office Manager, IHS of Benbrook, Inc., Benbrook, TX
- All aspects of office management, including human resources, payroll, OSHA compliance oversight for a 114-bed skilled nursing home/rehabilitative center/assisted living facility
- Accounts receivable/payable, maintenance of resident trust fund accounts and petty cash, Medicare/Medicaid/Private Pay billing.
Education
NC Certified Peer Support Specialist
NC Certified Community Health Worker
BA in Sociology with an emphasis in Community Health, Minor in Communications
