Lanai Huddleston

Results-driven Program Manager with 7+ years of experience leading end-to-end program execution, managing cross-functional stakeholders, developing budget forecasts, building scalable operational systems, and delivering measurable outcomes in fast-paced, high-stakes environments. Proven ability to work independently on complex problems, provide direction on overall program plans and goals, communicate findings and recommendations to various levels of management, and develop new and ad-hoc reports that provide business insight. Detail-oriented, organized, and proactive with a track record of managing multiple projects under demanding time constraints.

Advisory Board

Member for the Robert F.

Smith

Fellowship & Internship Program at the Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture. Currently pursuing a PhD at Stanford University with a research focus on systems thinking, communication, and human behavior across institutional contexts.

Senior Program Manager - MeLisa Chanele, LLC

(2023-01)

Led end-to-end program execution across creative, legal, marketing, and operations teams, providing direction on overall program plans and goals and taking responsibility for most or all deliverables within each program implementation plan

• Communicated findings and recommendations to various levels of management through clear written reports, executive presentations, and verbal briefings
• Developed budget forecasts, conducted analysis to identify budget variances, and developed solutions to address gaps, maintaining spend within 5% of projections across budgets up to $500K
• Developed new and ad-hoc reports, summarized findings and recommendations, and provided business insight to senior leadership through data-driven dashboards and performance summaries
• Identified risks and dependencies proactively, developed mitigation strategies, and drove resolution before issues impacted program delivery
• Built scalable playbooks, SOPs, and process documentation that standardized execution across distributed teams and reduced onboarding time by 50%
• Managed vendor and partner relationships including contract coordination, performance tracking, and ongoing communication
• Planned and executed 20+ leadership events, offsites, and public activations end-to-end from requirements gathering through post-event closeout
• Leveraged multi-channel analytics to track program performance and drive continuous improvement, achieving an average 35% increase in audience engagement

General Project Manager - MeLisa Chanele, LLC

(2018-10 - 2022-12)

Managed cross-functional project delivery across creative, legal, marketing, and operations teams, building communication rhythms and delivery structures that kept complex initiatives on track

• Tracked and reconciled budgets up to $500K, monitored expenditures against projections, and prepared financial summaries for leadership review
• Built process documentation and operational frameworks that standardized execution and reduced missed deadlines by 40% throughout tenure
• Promoted to Senior Program Manager in January 2023 in recognition of demonstrated operational excellence and expanded program leadership responsibilities

Program Manager - Stanford Summer Research Early Identification Program (SSREP), Stanford University

(2024-05 - 2024-08)

• Managed the daily program schedule including arrivals, transitions, meals, and dismissal, serving as the operational connector between all moving parts of the program
• Served as primary point of contact for participants, families, and program stakeholders, ensuring timely and professional communication throughout the program lifecycle
• Onboarded, supported, and coordinated with instructors, researchers, and counselors to guarantee programmatic alignment and consistent delivery
• Maintained accurate attendance records, captured program documentation, and tracked and inventoried program supplies and materials
• Coordinated with external partners to host guest speakers and facilitate research activities, managing all associated logistics including scheduling, transportation, permissions, and materials
• Oversaw program documentation including budgetary documents and compliance materials to ensure all program requirements were met

Curatorial Intern - Smithsonian Institution

(2021-05 - 2021-08)

• Selected exhibition themes and designs while developing exhibit materials for public-facing collections
• Developed audio-visual exhibit from archival material provided by Bethune-Cookman University
• Cataloged and organized a collection containing approximately 20,000 items, enabling public access to the collection

Archival Intern - Library of Congress — Archives, History and Heritage Advanced Internship Program

(2021-02 - 2021-05)

• Created and maintained retrievable computer archives and databases for nationally significant collections
• Authored article centering the Sherry Sherrod DuPree collection of African-American Holiness and Pentecostal movements
• Designed dynamic educational exhibits to showcase newly procured items
• Established and administered policy guidelines concerning public access to materials
• Developed organizational systems for newly digitized content to streamline usage across research audiences

Constituent Services Intern - Office of U.S. Representative Tom Price

(2016-01 - 2017-05)

Supported cross-functional operations in a public sector environment, managing constituent requests, maintaining records, and preparing briefing summaries for senior staff

PhD - Religious Studies - Stanford University (2023-09)

BA - Philosophy, History - Howard University (2017-08 - 2021-05)