Building a climbing gym in Fort Wayne 🧗🏽 | I own 2 homes but live in a van 🚐 | DM me a dad joke & let's be friends 😂 | Army National Guard 🇺🇸

I remember in grade school I was a loser with no vision or purpose for my life. One day, I met this lady who had pizza outside my middle school. She volunteered her time for an after school program where they created a fun space for kids to be kids. I went to the after school program because, let's be honest, there was pizza.

I finally found a place where I belonged, a place where I could discover who I am. She mentored me. She helped me with my first interview, college applications, and devastating high school break ups. 

She demonstrated intentionality and genuinely wanted what's best for me which is counter cultural. I  had no money to give and nothing to contribute. Yet, she invested in me anyways.

Now I want to give back. I live to equip, encourage, and empower people to reach their potential. I have no expectation of return, only invitation to be better humans.

Edwin Chow, PMP

What do you get when you put a professional soccer play, an architect, TikTok Influencer, Entrepreneur, and Mr. Fort Wayne in a room?

A reminder that Fort Wayne attracts way more talent than people realize.

This panel was intentionally curated to speak to the Best in Class, high school seniors hand-selected by their teachers, principals, and coaches for their leadership, character, and impact.

It was an incredible opportunity to cast vision, share what’s possible here, and show why so many people are choosing to invest into Fort Wayne.

Thank you Greater Fort Wayne Inc. for the invitation and what you're doing for us. 

Thank you to the panelists, Brett Gauger, Sam Casteneda, Janzin Cripe, and Taylor Tropp, AIA Associate — I learned so much from each of you.

And thank you to the students — the future needs your ideas, your talent, and your courage.

Built Fort Wayne's first climbing gym 🧗🏽 | I own 2 homes but live in a van 🚐 | DM me a dad joke & let's be friends 😂 | Army National Guard 🇺🇸

Toptal

- Spearheaded Toptal's TopVolunteer™ program, which connects expert talent from Toptal’s global network with NGOs, charities, and nonprofits. Managed partnerships to facilitate skills-based volunteer projects, contributing $1M annually in pro bono services.

- Led the Speakers Network initiative, empowering talent with professional development opportunities. Delivered access to custom public speaking training, hosted TED-style talks, and prepared speakers for Toptal-sponsored speaking engagements.

- Organized and hosted the annual Toptal Global Talent Conference, a multi-day virtual event dedicated to fostering community and professional development for 1000+ attendees. Oversaw entire event logistics from managing a small organizing committee, working with 25 technical speakers on their presentations, and handling all marketing and communications. 

- Crafted community-facing communications: monthly talent newsletter (43% open rate), weekly announcements via Slack, and supported Slack moderation to ensure a safe and engaged community.

Global Community Program Manager

CAPE FEAR CLINIC INC

Cape Fear Clinic provides compassionate and affordable patient-centered healthcare to low-income individuals and families in the Cape Fear region regardless of ability to pay.

- Assisted board members and key stakeholders with event planning, fundraising, and event marketing & communications.

Board Member

Tech Talent & Strategy

Tech Talent South, (TTS), is a woman-owned tech recruitment, training, and staffing
company that believes everyone can be equipped to do something big. TTS has the unique ability to access individuals with aptitude, equip them with technical skills and pipeline them to corporate partners in a rapid timeframe - cutting employer recruiting costs and the talent education timeline.

- Designed talent deployment roadmap across 4 departments, achieving 100% adoption rate within 2 months, to connect 5000+ talent network to open job reqs
- Contributed to the enhancement and evolution of the admissions process to consolidate team bandwidth from 5 people to 2, while increasing admissions by 10%
- Collaborated with Program Managers to monitor the success of students in training, about 120 per month, to achieve a 90% graduation rate

Director of People Growth, Programs

The Cargo District LLC

Wilmington’s first container community, celebrating art, innovation, and social enterprise. The expanding district features modern shipping container homes, one-of-a-kind coworking spaces, beer garden, local restaurants and boutique shops.

- Set pricing strategy and surpassed membership expectations within the first 3 months of market launch and maintained a 95% occupancy rate therein after
- Managed ~$30,000 monthly operating and expense budget and roadmapped a property management system and member onboarding process
- Coordinated community events at least 3x a month spanning key stakeholders, third party vendors, coworking members and press
- Handled all property management and leasing of commercial spaces by filling vacancies, responding to tenant requests, maintenance issues and coordinating routine maintenance

Community Development Manager

- Orchestrated quarterly speaker events as the Marketing & Communications Consultant for the Analytics & Big Data Society in Charlotte, NC; assisted with rebranding, event promotions, event planning, event supervision, marketing collateral and conducted outreach for sponsorships and memberships
- Headed operations for 3+ campuses to track admissions goals, plan and budget for events, and build relations with local startups to create strategic partnerships 
- Liaised with key stakeholders and trained the team to meet quality standards and expectations and deliver a successful franchise launch in Málaga, Spain
- Created a collaborative community environment amongst our students, alumni and employees through events and personal introductions to produce the highest student experience
- Onboarded, trained and supported new program manager hires

Community Manager

COTERIE Company

- Explored new markets for entry with a goal of opening one new location each quarter
- Collaborated with the Founder to establish the branding and voice behind COTERIE
- Acquired new leads for weddings and coworking members across three new locations
- Produced weekly email campaigns using MailChimp and oversaw all social media accounts using Planoly and Buffer
- Secured media engagements and influencer partnerships to expand awareness of the brand

Social Media Manager

Brooklyn Arts Center at St. Andrews

- Coordinated 7 large-scale community market events with 40+ vendors that attracted 1,500+ customers per event
- Oversaw 600+ person concerts and 100+ person weddings to deliver exceptional customer service to all guests, vendors, and key stakeholders
- Managed 6+ social media platforms, maintained the website using basic coding in HTML and CSS, and produced monthly newsletters

Event Coordinator

Hi, I'm Jess! As a dynamic program manager with 10+ years of experience and a proven track record in leading high-impact initiatives, I specialize in community building, strategic partnerships, and organizing large-scale virtual events. With experience spearheading skills-based volunteering projects, developing professional development initiatives, and crafting compelling messages, I excel at creating meaningful connections between community members that drive business outcomes. I’m now seeking new opportunities where I can leverage my expertise to foster growth, engagement, and community impact. Let’s connect if you're looking for a results-driven leader passionate about making a difference!

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Jessica Pham

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