Heather Zenone, JD

Thought Leadership in Education & Employment

Juris doctor and highly organized executive manager with 15+ years progressive experience
in business, community, and policy-oriented and data-driven program management and
evaluation. Five years experience teaching academic research and writing for social sciences
and humanities at the university level. Entrepreneurial praxis problem-solver using research
& technology to bring together community, academia, and professionals in pursuit of social
justice goals.

Education
University of California Berkeley School of Law (Boalt Hall), J.D.
Concentration in Social Justice: Federal Indian law, Anti-discrimination law, Economic Development
University of California Berkeley, B.A. Rhetoric

Experience
Solutions Research, December 2006 – Present Founder/Lead Consultant
• Interdisciplinary Policy-oriented legal, social science, and humanities research in education,
employment, public contracting, and economic issues. Specialty developing legally compliant
policy and programming that is responsive to community needs.
• Research Primary and secondary research, project planning, data gathering, analysis and synthesis.
Draft memos, write reports, edit articles.
• Start-up Design Technology Training Academy. Outreach, recruitment of trainees and trainers,
perform needs assessment, match needs to capacity, budget planning, identify facilities.
http://academy.unamesa.org/Overview
• Curriculum Design Program engaging individual organizations or networks of organizations for
customized technology trainings. Organizations work separately or collaborate with partners who
have related information challenges, to develop data-entry, storage, and information sharing tools.
Includes facilitated needs-analysis, an overview of Web 2.0 technologies, hands-on technology
training, and collaborative IT design.
• Start-up Establish, organize, and supervise activities, programs, and services for non-profit human
services agency. Design culturally relevant service delivery model. Develop programmatic Policy
Manual in line with state and federal administrative law. Draft Personnel manual according to
tribal, state, and federal law.
• Human Resources Use Best Practices to build out executive team and personnel infrastructure.
Recruit, select, and train financial and advocacy staff, ensuring empathetic client service as well as
employee motivation and on-going professional development. Design culturally relevant
Performance model and evaluation standards.
• Organizational Development Create and articulate vision for agency through strategic hiring and
staff development. Engage all staff in identifying organizational mission, core values, goals and
benchmarks.
• Operations Open and manage facilities, identify vendors, create and oversee basic office functions,
and manage expenses against $3M multi-fund budget.
• Data &Compliance Identify and acquire data and services management software to assure
compliance in oversight and efficient audit of case files and supporting documentation. Maintain
document integrity and confidentiality when tracking assistance, social services, and client data.
Provide case management, compliance, privacy and HIPAA training for staff.
• Promote & Partner Represent agency to government and community representatives; develop
strategic partnerships for service delivery and referral.
• Marketing Research and design online marketing, public relations, and social networking
strategies.
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Heather Zenone – (510) 465-0588 – Hzenone@gmail.com
 University of California, Berkeley, January 2002 – February 2007
Graduate Outreach Officer.
• Manage Identify goals, research strategies and resources to maximize access, enrollment and
success of low-income and underrepresented students in doctoral programs. Administer
interdisciplinary residential Summer program operations from planning and logistics through
implementation and evaluation. Lead interdisciplinary team to structure and implement program.
Work with faculty committee in applicant review, selection and placement. Manage budgets,
supervise administrative staff; hire and supervise teaching assistants.
• Research Programs compliant with state and Federal law, and university policy. Know national
educational market in full range of disciplines; identify pools of target demographic. Evaluate
motivations and factors of success for target demographic; synthesize for policy, programming, and
communications.
• Promote Present series of informational talks and training workshops tailored to targeted
demographics. Plan comprehensive national outreach agenda. Represent University programs at
nationwide outreach events and conferences while developing an extensive network of contacts and
resources. Digital outreach campaign.
• Advise & Recruit Primary point of contact for prospective students. Use market knowledge and
networks for student advising, placement, and financial assistance.
• Talent Development Course design and instruction for research and writing skills in all disciplines.
Diversify methods for learning differences and cross train disciplines. Career development
training: identify, clarify, and pursue academic and professional interests; live/work balance;
interpersonal relationships.
• Evaluate Develop and maintain databases for tracking outreach and Summer program. Draft
evaluation, grant compliance, and strategic planning reports.
• Training in diversity development, leadership, FERPA and privacy, strategic market management,
and public relations.

American Indian Child Resource Center, Board of Directors, 2002-Present

Secretary/Treasurer.
• Financial oversight consulting with Executive Director and Chief Financial Officer on strategic
direction and partnerships. Lead Development Committee.
• Identify and administer tools for Agency and Executive evaluation.
• Recruit and assist American Indian foster families and youth.
• Represent agency and foster youth issues at funding meetings and events.

Impact209, February 2005 – June 2006

Co-founder & Chair of Research Committee.
• Organization Building Structure organization to grow and direct a statewide coalition of
academics, individuals, representatives, community-based organizations, and activist agencies
investigating the links between equal opportunity and the economic and social prosperity of
California.
• Collaborate Identify and contact stakeholders to build coalition. Convene meetings; draft
committee reports, memos, and publicity documents. Draft lightening response to government
action. Plan large-scale conferences to present research and promote dialogue.
• Research Outreach and Coordination of statewide research team comprised of sector experts in
law and policy, regional and constituent grassroots organizations, academics, and individuals to
evaluate economic, individual and social impacts. Hire and supervise two full-time professional
research staff.
• Development Draft concept paper and research agenda as basis for grant applications.

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Heather Zenone – (510) 465-0588 – Hzenone@gmail.com
 Discrimination Research Center (The Impact Fund) January 2002 – March 2002
Fair Employment Tester.
• Trained in testing protocol of matched testers who apply for the same jobs to test for discriminatory
hiring practices in entry-level construction and retail positions.
• Performed detailed and methodological examination and accurate documentation of hiring
practices.

Smith & Hawken August 2001 - December 2001

Information Technology Department.
• Project Management Support for national 50-retail-store installation of Virtual Private Network.
Created MS Project timeline.
• Presentation Created documentation for VPN installation, users, troubleshooting and HelpDesk.
Created PowerPoint presentations and accompanying instructional materials.
• Performed in-store and telephone installations of hardware and VPN client.
• Drafted IT policies and procedures handbook for corporate employees.

East Bay Community Law Center August 1999 - June 2001

Economic Development Unit. Huey Newton Fellow.
• Policy Collaborate with the community, organized labor, and local government to create jobs and
training in construction sector for homeless or low-income persons, minorities, and women.
Perform policy analysis in construction sector evaluating public contracting, wage practices,
recruitment patterns, apprenticeship & training procedures, and management support of female and
minority workers. Research and bill tracking for changes to federal, state and local public works
contracting.
• Convene Formulated agendas, organize and facilitate Board and inter-agency meetings
• Program Lead team to develop service delivery system including business model and budget
projections.
• Outreach & Recruitment Conduct orientations, select and administer evaluation tools, and provide
individual counseling, problem solving and service referrals. Drafted and designed outreach
materials.

School of Law (Boalt Hall) February 1997 - June 1998

Senior Secretary.
• Administer application and admission of LL.M, J.S.D, and Visiting Scholars. Maintain database of
applications; correspond with professors, judges and other international visitors.
• Built and maintained working relationships relevant University offices by developing
interdepartmental document system
• Created procedure manual for office operations. General administrative duties. Hired and trained
office assistants.

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Heather Zenone – (510) 465-0588 – Hzenone@gmail.com
Selected Research
• Economic and social impacts of California Proposition 209
• The Business Case for Diversity http://heatherz.wikispaces.com/
• Federal and State Public Contracting
• Tribal Economic Development & Programs
• Urban Economic Development & Policy
• Indian Child Welfare Act; urban implementation
• Equal Opportunity & Access
• Underrepresented Student Motivation & Success

Research and Practice Partnerships and Relations

The Center for Social Justice (Berkeley School of Law, University of California, Berkeley)

The Center for Social Justice and Public Service (Santa Clara School of Law)

The Equal Justice Society

Lake Research Partners

Impact209

The Lawyers Committee For Civil Rights, San Francisco

The Discrimination Research Center

Indigenous Peoples Law & Policy Program (Rogers College of Law, University of Arizona)

Native Nations Institute (University of Arizona)

Native Nations Law & Policy Center (UCLA College of Law, University of California, Los Angeles)

Eaglesun Systems (technology for tribal administration)

Tradeswomen, Inc.

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Heather Zenone – (510) 465-0588 – Hzenone@gmail.com