Tsehaye Geralyn Hébert

P. O. Box 823624 Pembroke Pines, FL 33082-3624 (954) 670 -6610 cell  (954) 379.7510 message 
sahiabear@ameritech.net

PROFESSIONAL SUMMARY
• Director, Family Literacy Arts Program– demonstrating 35% applicant increase; 90% attendance;
and $40K in staff in-kind donations. Developed all public relations and marketing materials.
• Director, Annenberg Project, funded after school arts program – supporting excellence in after school arts workshops.
• Excellent written communications skills; award winning writer; instructor in traditional and non-traditional settings
• Artist-In-Residence: Valparaiso University (Valparaiso, IN); School District 65 (Evanston, IL)
• Created site and situation specific performances and workshops for local, state and national organizations.
• Founded Prison, Arts and The Humanities (PATH) – a weekly writing, reading and literacy workshop at Cook County Jail, using the
humanities as a personal development and social reintegration tool.
• Skilled public speaker (Valparaiso University, Annual King Convocation Speaker/Event; Kendall College MLK Celebration; Today’s
Black Woman Conference; various broadcast media)

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
CENTER FOR URBAN EDUCATION & INNOVATION, COLLEGE OF EDUCATION, FIU
Director, FLAP – June 2007 – August 2008
• Responsible for the overall administration of program; hiring, training, ongoing staff professional development and supervision of
core staff of 21, part time office staff, consultants and volunteers; oversight of day to day operations to successfully implement
program; community based and field based outreach; public relations and marketing of program; research and development
regarding the artistic and academic rigor of after school curricula relative to national standards; spokesperson for and liaison
between The Children’s Trust, Center for Urban Education & Innovation/College of Education, Miami Dade Public Schools,
National After School Association and other relative local, state and national organizations.

CHICAGO PUBLIC SCHOOLS

Substitute Teacher – EXCEL Academy, Orr High School Campus (2006 – 2007)
• Assigned by principal to EXCEL (Orr High School Campus) math and language arts staff. Responsibilities include: assisting in
the instruction of high school Geometry and Survey of Literature classes; preparing innovative curricula aimed at motivating at
risk and Special Education high school students in Survey of Literature classes.

Coordinator, The Write Place – Westinghouse Career Academy (2004 – 2006)

• Selected by principal to develop and coordinate an innovative writing laboratory for junior and senior high school students. Key
accomplishments include: designing, creating and managing a 34 unit writing laboratory as an inviting, academically rich
environment for at risk high school students; developing training sessions for teaching staff; and editing parent newsletter and
school documents, including those detailing the final years of the Academy before its renovation. Additional duties include
managing after school supplemental activities in the writing lab. After school activities include instructing students in research
and documentation; monitoring special projects (Black History Month performances; city and school district wide writing
contests; Science Fair and Chicago Metro History Project); assisting staff in the researching curricular projects.

CHICAGO ARTS PARTNERSHIPS IN EDUCATION

Consultant/Facilitator The Great Migration Project (2000 – 2003)
• Created, developed and team taught workshops based on The Great Migration as an arts integrated curricular concept for
teachers and teaching artists at Delta State University (Cleveland, MS); Chicago Public Schools Continuing Education
Workshops and Professional Development Workshops. Effectively managed exchange project for team of international artists
and educators traveling to Mississippi and Chicago, IL; and planned and implemented tour for visiting Mississippi teachers,
artists and students.

Teaching Artist – Chicago Fire, An Opera (2004 – 2005)

• Developed and implemented writing curricula for middle school students integrating music (lyrics), theatre and dance with social
studies and language arts. Working with co-teaching artists from the Chicago Opera Theatre, middle school department chairs
and classroom teachers, produced an opera based on the Great Chicago Fire.

Workshop Facilitator and Presenter (2000 – 2005)

• Led workshops for teachers and artists in the successful integration of the arts and core subjects.

GALLERY 37/AFTER SCHOOL MATTERS (1995 – 2001)

Lead Teaching Artist – Whitney Young Magnet School, Lakeview High School , Gallery 37 Campus; Adjudicator
• Created, developed and taught creative writing curricula for award winning summer arts and concurrently run academic after
school workshops for young adults. Produced young writers’ final performances and edited manuscripts for publication.
Developed art-repreneur concepts for bookmarks and postcards with student work. Managed a team of artists, teachers and
administrative staff. Responsible for day to day operation of workshop; curricula oversight; purchasing, distributing and
inventorying supplies; and served as liaison between sponsoring organizations (Young Chicago Authors; the Guild Complex),
the City of Chicago (After School Matters, Department of Cultural Affairs),. Developed proposal to fund workshops.
• Reviewed and scored applications for both after school and summer programs; oversaw student selection process

NORTH LAWNDALE LEARNING COMMUNITY NETWORK (February 1997 – May 1999)

Director – NLCArt
• Selected to direct Annenberg funded after school program after successfully served as an arts consultant to 12 member school
improvement network. Accomplishments include: effectively managing team of teachers, artists, parent aides and volunteers.
Developed and facilitated training workshops for entire team; assisted teaching artists in the successful implementation of an
integrated arts/core subject after school and in-school workshop; and served as liaison between organization, funding community and
the Chicago Public Schools. Designed and developed logos, training materials including but not limited to reports; program
guidelines, newsletters, brochures, forms, applications.
ASSOCIATED COLLEGES OF THE MIDWEST, URBAN STUDIES PROGRAM (July 1988 – December 1996)
Teaching Faculty, Preceptor
• Facilitated precept for international and domestic upper level university students in this experiential semester-in-Chicago program.
Led twice weekly student workshops; oversaw independent research projects; and planned arts and cultural community building
experiences for group. Served as student advocate with all outside agencies. Team taught Core Course – general studies, urban
neighborhood focus. Taught seminar: Culture, Context and Identity.

EVANSTON ARTS COUNCIL, CITY OF EVANSTON, (August 1988 – September 1993)

Program Coordinator
• Produced annual Evanston Ethnic Arts Festival. Accomplishments include expansion from a half day event to a full weekend long
celebration of cultural diversity attracting national media exposure; broadened funding support to include local, state and national
funding; and developed volunteer and artistic base reflective of community demographic. Coordinated volunteer committees;
designed festival marketing materials and public relations campaign and materials. Developed, wrote and edited agency documents
including reports, guidelines, business communications and program applications; designed publications concepts.

Served as Americans with Disabilities compliance liaison. Administered Affirmative Action and Community Service Programs for
community based resident artists and organizations at the Noyes Cultural Arts Center. Monitored grant review process and
community outreach initiatives. Oversaw national art competition for award winning festival logo. Represented agency at city council
meetings; Illinois Arts Council meetings and panels; New Forms Regional NEA Panels (Chicago, IL and San Francisco, CA).

ADDITIONAL EMPLOYMENT
RAVINIA FESTIVAL, Consultant, Editor
After successfully representing the North Lawndale Learning Community Network at community meetings, was selected to edit newsletter
highlighting community initiatives for internally acclaimed music festival; and reviewed arts in education teaching programs.

PROLOGUE ALTERNATIVE HIGH SCHOOL, GED Instructor

Taught GED classes for highs school dropouts, court mandated students, new immigrants and senior citizens.

BRONX COURT EMPLOYMENT PROJECT, Project Assistant

Researched and wrote case histories successfully arguing for applicants’ admission into innovative anti-recidivism program with the New
York City Criminal Courts.

COMMUNITY SERVICE & VOLUNTEERISM

• Founder, Prison, Arts and The Humanities (PATH) – a weekly writing, reading and literacy workshop at Cook County Jail and a
quarterly workshop at various state prisons that uses the humanities as a personal development and social reintegration tool.
• Creative Drama and writing instructor at Madonna/St. Joseph Center (Catholic Charities) for homeless indigent teen mothers; and at
Genesis House (half-way house for ex-offenders; retraining for sex trade workers)
• Red Cross – Candy Striper, Baton Rouge General Hospital
• Board Member – The Piven Theatre Workshop
• Chicago Historical Society – Docent
• African American Arts Alliance – President, Board Member
• The Latin School of Chicago, Loyola Jesuit Academy – Parent volunteer

AWARDS/RECOGNITION
• Native Voices and Visions Award, Playwright, Louisiana State University (Baton Rouge, LA)
• First Place, New Works/New Vision Midwest Playwrights Project , Playwright
• Gwendolyn Brooks’ 80th Birthday, One of 80 literary artists selected nationally to celebrate Pulitzer Prize winner and US Poet
Laureate’s birthday
• Special Incentive Award, Northwestern University, , Department of African American Student Affairs
• Bayou Girls State, Best Politician Award

PUBLICATIONS/PRODUCTIONS
• Award winning playwright, produced
• Essayist, poet, short story writer
• Freelance writer and editor

SKILLS
• Computer literate ● Desktop publishing ● Digital media - photography, video ● American Sign language

EDUCATION
• Northwestern University, Bachelor of Science, The School of Communication, June 1986