11 / Community engagement + program management
Seven sessions. One community experience.
A lot of moving pieces.
Perry Township Schools’ Leadership Academy gives community members an inside look at how a large public school district works across seven sessions.
I manage nearly the full participant lifecycle, from recruitment and applications to session logistics, communications, feedback and ongoing alumni engagement.
- Role
- Nearly the full participant lifecycle: recruitment, applications, session logistics, communications, materials, feedback and alumni engagement.
- Challenge
- A seven-session community program needed clearer recruitment, a workable cohort process, hosted session experience and stronger district storytelling materials.
- Approach
- Managed multi-channel recruitment, application and selection pathways, session operations, presentation development and closeout communications.
- Result
- Average session rating of 4.75/5, with applications growing from about 35 in Year 1 to 92 in Year 2 (+163%) and 30 participants selected for Year 2.
Recruitment channels, selection pathway and session experience
Recruitment channels
- District website. A dedicated application page gave people one place to understand the program, see what participation involved and apply.
- Social. Social posts helped introduce the program to a wider community audience and gave us an easy way to keep recruitment visible throughout the application window.
- ParentSquare. ParentSquare put the opportunity directly in front of families already connected to the district, without requiring them to go looking for it.
- Email. Targeted email outreach gave us a more direct way to reach community members, partners and people who were already engaged with Perry Township.
- Principal outreach. Principals helped extend the invitation through their own school communities and relationships, giving recruitment a more personal reach than district channels alone.
- Previous participants. Past participants became some of the program’s strongest advocates. Their firsthand experience helped the opportunity travel through word of mouth and personal networks.
- Local media. Local media expanded the reach beyond district-owned channels and helped introduce the program to community members who may not already follow Perry Township communications.
Application and selection pathway
- Apply. Prospective participants submit an application covering their connection to Perry Township, interests and goals for the program.
- Review. I review incoming applications and organize the information needed to evaluate the prospective cohort.
- Qualify. I identify applicants who meet program requirements and prepare qualified applications for district leadership.
- Select. District leadership completes the final review and selects the cohort.
- Onboard. I manage acceptance communications, calendar invitations, participant information and the materials that turn selected applicants into a connected cohort.
Participant experience
- Arrival. Make the first five minutes feel intentional. Name tags, Nameplates, Room setup, Gift bags, Attendance, Arrival flow.
- In the room. Set the room. Feed the room. Keep it moving. Participant directories, Padfolios, Catering, Run of show, Presenter support, Room logistics.
- After the session. The experience does not end when the presentation does. Building tours, Attendance tracking, Follow-up, Session notes, Preparing materials for the next session.
Results: average session rating 4.75 / 5. Applications grew from about 35 in Year 1 to 92 in Year 2 (+163% application growth). 30 participants were selected for Year 2. Year 2 generated roughly 2.6× the applications received in Year 1.
01Reach
Getting the program in front of the right people.
Recruitment worked across district channels, trusted relationships and community word of mouth rather than relying on a single announcement.
Recruitment channels
District website
A dedicated application page gave people one place to understand the program, see what participation involved and apply.
View application page02Build
Turning interest into a cohort.
Recruitment creates interest. Then I manage the process that turns that interest into a workable cohort.
Apply
Prospective participants submit an application covering their connection to Perry Township, interests and goals for the program.
- MotivationWhy do they want to participate?
- ConnectionHow are they connected to Perry Township?
- InterestsWhat parts of district operations interest them?
- EngagementHow do they hope to stay involved afterward?
- SourceHow did they hear about Leadership Academy?
Apply
Prospective participants submit an application covering their connection to Perry Township, interests and goals for the program.
- MotivationWhy do they want to participate?
- ConnectionHow are they connected to Perry Township?
- InterestsWhat parts of district operations interest them?
- EngagementHow do they hope to stay involved afterward?
- SourceHow did they hear about Leadership Academy?
03Experience
Making seven sessions feel intentionally hosted.
I manage the details participants notice and the ones they never have to think about, from arrival and materials to catering, room flow, tours and follow-up.
Make the first five minutes feel intentional.
Make the first five minutes feel intentional.
The goal is simple: participants should feel like everything was thought through, even when a lot is happening behind the scenes.
04Explain
Making a complex district easier to understand.
I coordinate more than logistics. I also work with district leaders and departments to gather, organize and translate complex information for a community audience.
Presentations
District overview materials introduce size, structure, people, programs and resources before participants dive into individual departments.
What I inherited → what I built
I inherited an existing presentation format and a lot of district information. I rebuilt the overview around clearer hierarchy, stronger data storytelling and more context for an audience outside of the organization.
That meant making a complex school district easier for someone outside the organization to understand.
Current District Overview presentation I developed
Same program. A different approach to helping the audience understand the information.
05Measure
People liked the experience. More people wanted in.
The experience
Participant feedback
End of the 2025–2026 school year
4.75 / 5
Average session rating
The demand
Community interest
~3592
Applicants
+163% application growth
~12~22
Average session attendance
30Selected participants in Year 2
Year 2 generated roughly 2.6× the applications received in Year 1.
06Continue
The relationship does not end after Session 7.
The program closes. The connection keeps going.
Complete
Track attendance, confirm completion and wrap up the operational side of the seven-session program.
What this work demonstrates
- Community engagement
- Program management
- Lifecycle communications
- Cross-functional coordination
- Presentation development
- Participant experience
- Recruitment marketing
- Measurement + feedback