SIMONE E.

DAVIS, MBA, MHRM, CDF

PROFESSIONAL PROFILE
Accomplished, self-directed higher education and business professional with extensive student support, career
counseling, programming, teaching, training, development, human resources and customer service/management
experience. Proven success building a sense of community, fostering sustainable business relationships, leading
diverse, cross-functional teams to achieve success in a fast-paced, dynamic environment.
EDUCATION
Capella University
Doctor of Education: Specialization in Educational Leadership and Management (Expected 2018)
Career Development Facilitator Certified (2014)
Keller Graduate School of Management/DeVry University, Atlanta, Georgia
Master of Business Administration (2002)
Master of Human Resources Management (2002)
Florida International University, Miami, Florida
Bachelor of Science in Hospitality Management (1996)

RELEVANT EXPERIENCE
Southern New Hampshire University August 2013 - Present
Virtual Career Advisor

Provide career advising to students through a vast array of delivery methods and modalities.
Collaborate with diverse constituents; employers, administration, faculty and staff in offering career
services activities for students and alumni.
Create and implement ongoing and regular career development events to engage and meet the needs
of online student population; including boot camps, tweet chats, blogs and other social media,
virtual/vertical programming.
Instrumental in the administration and collection of records and data of student interaction and
outcomes using CRM.
Advise students about internships, career opportunities, employer spotlights, webinars and other
training to facilitate gainful employment preparedness.

Oakland City University July 2012 - July 2013 (Contract)

Career Services and Student Success Advisor

Provide career and academic guidance for students and alumni including but not limited to career
interest assessments, interviewing skills, resume writing, job and internship assistance in an effort to
help students meet their educational and career goals.
Lecturer: Facilitate Freshman Foundations courses to first year students.
Develop, execute and facilitate career fairs, workshops and other career-related activities.
Generate and Administer assessments and translate results for school administrators.
Track and record placement statistics.

Maintain student database with all pertinent information as related to career services and
communications with students and graduates.
Researches occupational, educational, and economic information for use in job placement activities
and curriculum development.
Collaborate with university colleagues, and partner with employers to facilitate employment
opportunities for students.
o Initiated and implemented the OCU Mentoring Program
o Coordinated and lead the retention efforts for at-risk students via early alert, tutoring and
multiple outreach efforts to ensure student success.
o Actively coach and counsel students on academic and financial aid probation. 95% of
student assisted improved their cumulative GPA and were removed from probation after
their first semester.

TEACHING EXPERIENCE
DeVry University 2009 - Present
University of Phoenix 2006 - 2013
Kaplan University 2008 - 2012
Adjunct Instructor

Prepare and implement classroom strategies to engage and meet the needs of adult and nontraditional students in an asynchronous and synchronous "online" environment.
Provide classroom instruction in various disciplines including Business Management, Hospitality
Management, Human Resources, Career Development, Academic Strategies, New Student
Orientation and Event Planning and Management in an online environment in accordance with the
university's requirement.
Inform student about course requirements and evaluation procedures according to the syllabus.
Create rubrics for each course taught.
Challenge students and encourage participation and attendance to prevent drop-out, maintain
retention/persistence and effective learning, so that students can meet their educational goals.
Promote a positive classroom environment while building a sense of community.
Evaluate, grade and provide timely and constructive feedback on assignments and presentations.
Facilitate 1-2 courses per semester with approximately 25 students per class

CORPORATE EXPERIENCE
Dave & Busters, Inc. 2002 - 2008
Event Sales Manager (Marietta, Gwinnett & Lawrenceville, GA)

Supervised, trained, motivated, coached and counseled sales, street team and event staff.
Management level responsibilities including but not limited to; implementing sales strategy and
promotion to drive and maximize event sales. Complete event/meeting planning for corporate
and SMERF groups with various meeting, teambuilding and themed event needs.
Provided supervision and sales leadership to Event Sales Team to develop and nurture sales
leads and referrals. Identify and contact new accounts utilizing various sales tools and strategies
including cold calls, warm leads and street team efforts.
Actively monitored competitors to always be best-in-class.
Drove stores revenue to improve profits and positively impact bottom-line sales.

Tracked and reported weekly, monthly, quarterly and annual sales and sales trend.
Collaborated with the corporate marketing and promotion team to develop sales materials.
Booked and successfully executed in excess of 800 events annually. 65,000 sq. ft. facility for
Groups of 10 to 2500. Revenue responsibility in excess of $1.4 million.
o Exceeded all goals by 7 -13% of budgeted sales target since 2002.
o Multiple company-based (MVP) awards for excellence in customer service
o Venue named in the top 100 places to visit in Gwinnett county
o MVP awards for exceeding monthly sales goals
Pre and Post event follow-up to ensure accurate execution and completion for guest satisfaction.
Worked closely with EVP, DOS, General Manager, Kitchen Manager and vendors to
communicate goals, objectives and customer needs.
Developed and delivered executive level sales and marketing presentation.

Traveling Training & Development Associate, Nationwide (5/2005 to 12/2005)

Traveled to Dave & Busters/Jillians stores nationwide to train, develop, organize, and
maintain a structured training plan for Leadership and Management development.
Delivered structured and proven training programs, completed needs assessments, implement
guidelines and facilitated the transitioning event sales managers and sales department.
Collaborated with other trainers/departments and division to evaluate and modify existing
programs, conduct performance and needs analysis and recommend appropriate changes to
increase department efficacy.
Communicated frequently and effectively with Vice President and Director of Training, Sales
and Development to ensure goals and objectives are being fulfilled.
Positively impacted sales growth (2%+ margins) at all locations within a 4-6 week time frame.
AFFILIATIONS

Career Development Facilitator - National Career Development Association

2015 President - United Way of Gibson County
Steering Committee/Financial Literacy Facilitator - Neighbor to Neighbor Financial Education
Program
Professional Member - Evansville Area Human Resources Association (EHRA)
Professional Member - Career Development Professionals of Indiana (CDPI)
Professional Member - APICS