ACADEMIC AND PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND

Years of Experience

Skills & Certifications

Skills

Operations Management

Project & Portfolio Management

Business Analysis

Strategic Planning

Process Redesign

Technology Implementation (Waterfall & Agile)

Change Management

Problem-solving

Critical Thinking

Writing & Editing (Technical, Promotional, Fiction)

Store Management (Etsy)

Project Management Software (MS Project, Jira, Trello)

Process Mapping Software (MS Visio)

Website Development (Wix, Wordpress)

CRM Systems (Salesforce, Monday, Zoho)

Infographics (Canva)

SQL (basic)

HTML, CSS

JavaScript (basic)

Certifications

Project Management Professional (PMP)

Professional Scrum Master I (PSM I)

Work Experience

Principal, Jennifer Tavis Consulting

Independent consultant offering an array of services including virtual operations management, project management, and strategic planning.

March 2022 - Present

SVP of Workforce Development, Goodwill NYNJ

Responsible for overall management and strategic planning of Workforce Development division, including a $9 million portfolio of programs related to job training, job skills and sector-based employer focused approaches for people with limited English, participants in welfare to work, non-custodial parents, NYCHA residents, veterans.

May 2020 - March 2022

Deputy Commissioner of Finance & Administration, NYC Taxi & Limousine Commission

April 2018 - May 2020

Led teams responsible for finance, procurement, IT, human resources, facilities, and fleet, as well as accessibility initiatives.

Directed the agency’s IT organization to ensure it keeps pace with an industry that has been transformed in recent years by major tech companies. Oversaw planning, prioritization, and execution of the agency’s IT project portfolio, ensuring that project work and IT resource allocation is aligned with agency priorities.
Managed a $57 million agency budget, $72 million in revenue.
Directed Human Resources for the agency’s 650 staff.
Oversaw fleet and facility management, including major capital improvement projects at the agency’s three main locations.
Managing TLC accessibility initiatives, including financial incentives for drivers and vehicle owners to use wheelchair accessible vehicles, as well as TLC’s accessible dispatch program allowing e-hailing of accessible taxis from anywhere in the City. Implemented the first comprehensive accessibility requirements in the country for the FHV sector, dramatically expanding transportation options for people that use wheelchairs.

Senior Advisor for External Affairs, NYC Department of Social Services (DSS)

March 2016 - March 2018

Acting as the DSS Chief External Affairs Officer’s change agent.

Led strategic and operational projects for the 600-person division including strategic planning, organizational changes, implementation of new contracts, and major technology projects.
Coordinated External Affairs’ support for the agency launch of AccessHRA, an online tool allowing over a million New Yorkers to apply for SNAP online.

Executive Director of IDNYC, NYC Department of Social Services (DSS)

June 2014 - March 2016

Oversaw all aspects of the IDNYC program, a mayoral initiative offering free government-issued identification cards to all New Yorkers.

Launched the program six months after legislation was passed establishing the program, hiring over 100 staff, managing setup of 18 enrollment locations across the city, defining program policies, creating a comprehensive program operating model, and procuring and overseeing development of an integrated card enrollment system.
Quadrupled the capacity of the program over the first four months of operation to keep pace with extraordinary public demand, and enrolled over 700,000 New Yorkers by the end of the program’s first year, significantly exceeding performance goals.
At program’s peak, managed a staff of over 375, a $24 million budget, and a network of 32 enrollment locations city wide.
Managed planned scale-down to just over 250 staff, reflecting reduced demand for the card in year two of the program.

Consultant, Experis

October 2013 - June 2014

Managed strategic initiatives for the Global Identity Administration (GIDA) division at Citi, which oversees access to the 5000+ systems used globally by Citi.

Launched unified operational reporting with consistent metrics across GIDA’s global operations.

Senior Manager, Public Works Partners

July 2012 - October 2013

Led high-profile projects with public and nonprofit sector clients. Provided operational and strategic support for the launch and growth of the firm.

Managed project to re-envision the NYC Housing Authority’s approach to connecting 400k+ residents with social services, moving toward a model of partnership other city agencies and nonprofit providers to address service needs rather than direct service provision.
Led projects with nonprofits to develop innovative program models, improve operational efficiency, and align organizational structure to achieve strategic objectives.

Assistant Commissioner Workforce Operations, NYC Department of Small Business Services (SBS)

November 2010 - July 2012

Directed 15 Workforce1 Career Centers that offer free job preparation and job matching services to the unemployed. Managed multi-million-dollar Workforce1 Career Center contracts and staff of 27. Accountable for driving large scale projects to expand the Centers’ operational capacity.

Raised volume of job placements by 13%, from 31,000 to over 35,000 in 2011 through the launch of new locations, implementation of transformative technology, and numerous small-scale initiatives to streamline operations.
Drove multi-year project to implement an online self-service registration and job application tool, which increased accessibility of Workforce1 services for the 100K+ New Yorkers seeking Workforce1 services annually, improved customer service, tightened quality assurance of customer data, and streamlined center operations, creating more operational capacity to match customers to jobs.

Executive Director of Strategic Operations Operations, NYC Department of Small Business Services (SBS)

June 2009 - November 2010

In charge of agency project management office, leading a team of 12 Project Managers and Analysts guiding large-scale strategic initiatives for other agency units. Projects under management included program launches, process and organizational redesign, strategic planning, and technology development.

Transformed service model for businesses by assisting program areas with articulating the services they provided, defining measurable outcomes for those services, and implementing a unified business service tracking database where all teams could view all services provided to a given business.
Improved services to Workforce1 jobseekers by instituting automated workshop and service scheduling to better align workshop schedules with customer demand.

Director of Strategic Operations Operations, NYC Department of Small Business Services (SBS)

August 2007 - June 2009

Managed projects and conducted analysis for Strategic Operations. Directed 2 Business Analysts.

Project managed launch of 8 anti-poverty initiatives at locations around the city, partnering with program managers to develop robust operating models, track tasks and timelines associated with launching the programs, and establish a strong structure for ongoing management.
Created 3-year strategic plan to standardize service delivery across program units and to centralize information about the businesses served by the agency and the history of all services.

Senior Associate, Princeton Consultants

Provided management consulting services, including project management, process engineering, and analysis of business problems. Project experience includes work with major insurance and transportation companies on high-profile IT initiatives.

September 2005 - August 2007

Education

Master of Public Administration, Finance, NYU Wagner

B.A., Comparative Literature (French and Spanish), Barnard College, Columbia University