Vanessa Bennett

Vanessa Bennett's work experience includes various roles and responsibilities in organizations such as Jobs for the Future (JFF), YouthBuild USA, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Volunteer NH, Town of Epping, and Share Our Strength.

At JFF, they have worked as the Director and Associate Director of the Center for Apprenticeship & Work-Based Learning, where they have designed workforce development initiatives to promote diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility to economic mobility. Vanessa has also developed strategies to maximize on-ramps into apprenticeship and national service programs.

During their time at YouthBuild USA, Vanessa served as the Senior Manager of Career Pathways and Program Manager of the AmeriCorps VISTA Program. In these roles, they developed career and service pathways in collaboration with government departments and foundations, managed budgets and contracts, and provided federal policy guidance. Vanessa also oversaw the implementation and management of the AmeriCorps VISTA grant.

At the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Vanessa worked as an Administrative Specialist II for the Center for Neuro-Oncology. Vanessa was responsible for managing program operations and coordinating conferences and educational programs. Vanessa also collaborated with the communications team for marketing and outreach efforts.

Vanessa's experience at Volunteer NH involved leading and expanding youth programming for underserved students, managing program budgets and grant reporting, and supervising staff and the hiring process.

In their role as the Senior Manager of the Epping Recreation Department, Vanessa managed youth programming, built partnerships with schools and community organizations, oversaw fundraising and budgets. Vanessa also designed curricula and collaborated with educators to develop comprehensive wrap-around services.

Lastly, Vanessa interned at Share Our Strength's Cooking Matters initiative, where they supported the scaling and execution of the program. Vanessa worked on logistics, volunteer recruitment, and collaborated with government agencies and community partners to advance food security initiatives.

Vanessa Bennett completed their education history with a Master's Degree in Public Administration from Northeastern University, which they pursued from 2011 to 2013. Prior to that, they attained a Bachelor of Arts degree in History from the University of New Hampshire, where they studied from 2006 to 2010. Additionally, they spent a semester studying abroad at Regent's University London in 2009, with a focus on International/Global Studies.