In the fall of 2021, I provided contractual consulting services to two local entities: Project Oz and Illinois State University Mennonite School of Nursing. In both cases, my role was to help them plan for and advance capital campaigns related to facility renovations and expansions. Locals will be able to observe the changes to these sites soon!

Deliverables for Project Oz included

• Brainstorming ways to improve the draft of site plan to leverage health benefits (i.e. adding a kitchen and laundry area to meet basic needs during a crisis)
• Drafting a project budget including various sources of capital
• Scheduling and hosting meetings with local officials including Congressman, state legislator (pictured above), county board members, and City officials
• Supporting the application process for a capital grant to the JMS Health Care Commission
• Securing co-sponsorship of key legislative proposal (re: Host Homes) from State Senator, which passed shortly after
• Establishing contact with DCEO to release capital funds appropriated in the state budget
• Creating collateral such as a one-page fact sheet for the Board’s External Affairs Committee related to the capital campaign talking points
• Introducing PO to partner/nearby stakeholder agencies to coordinate efforts (such as Friends of the Constitution Trail)
• Made recommendations about data collection to support launch of campaign including donor growth, financials, etc.

Deliverables for ISU Mennonite School of Nursing included the following, which were intended to help them expand and rebuild their nursing simulation lab to make it more competitive and accommodate more students:

• Scheduled and hosted on-site tours, meetings, and calls with local officials including including Congressman, state Senator (pictured below, doing VR), county board of health, and university Provost
• Facilitated introductions to key local partners such as the Bloomington Area Career Center to create a pipeline of local students and Home Sweet Home Ministries to explore community-based clinical sites
• Researched private, corporate and public funding opportunities including grants from companies such as travel nursing and a federal earmark (which was ultimately received)
• Researched best-practice models and other schools’ sim labs for ideas
• Offered technical assistance to make the school eligible to search for foundation grants via Pivot
• Created list of local stakeholders that may partner for clinical programs on site in new building or in community to create innovated partnerships that will lure funding
• Summarized staff needs and requests for use of new building

Since concluding this consulting contract, the nursing school broke ground on the new facility.