Project Manager | Helping Women Land Tech PM Roles | your PM bff

Senior Program Manager at Palo Alto Networks. I specialize in navigating ambiguity and stabilizing high-stakes enterprise delivery. In 4 years, I moved from IT Coordinator to Senior Program Management by mastering one thing: Positioning.

I help experienced professionals increase their compensation by 5-6 figures using the experience they already have. You don’t need to start over; you need to be re-positioned.

I operate at the intersection of technical delivery and executive strategy. Whether it’s moving a high-visibility customer from "Red to Green" in 41 days or driving portfolio alignment across Engineering and Product, I focus on the ROI of Every Move.

The Proof: 
• Career: Promoted 3x in 4 years; currently directing program-level coordination for a global cybersecurity leader. 
• Client: Moved a professional from higher-ed to IT PM at $110K after a career gap. 
• Client: Secured $145K tech PM roles for clients in under 8 weeks. 
• Reach: Ranked among the top PM creators in the US with 3.5M+ annual impressions.

Positioning is the only variable you can control. I don’t agree with "entry-level resets." I believe in leverage.

I focus on: 
• Turning chaos into structured delivery paths. 
• Translating technical complexity for C-suite stakeholders. 
• Helping you get paid for the level you are already operating at.

I am building a self-paced program for experienced professionals who want to cross the gap into $150K+ Program and Project leadership roles.

Join the waitlist here: https://stan.store/yonellyg/p/close-the-gap-to-a-100k-pm-role-bisomg46 

For quick clarity: DM PIVOT to identify your salary gap and next move.

Yonelly G.

University of Houston

Program Director II

Assist alumni and current students with career services including job search strategies, resume writing, mock interviewing, professional networking, etc in person and via phone.
   
Provide information about university resources, demographics, and services to professional/student organizations, employers, students, and faculty, and community stakeholders.

Develop relevant workshops and activities based on employer insight, professional development resources, student/alumni challenges, and the economic outlook. 

Track alumni career services subscription trends with regards to month-to-month changes, alumni majors, years after graduation, and employment needs.
  
Develop and publish a quarterly UH Alumni CareerLink newsletter providing workforce development articles, resources, career-related events, and professional development opportunities. 

Design and coordinate the collection of the employment surveys for recent graduates reaching a response rate of ~60 percent.   Data is maintained in Baseline and statistics/graphs are constructed and shared with faculty and staff and posted on the UCS website and all university stakeholders. 

Track student and alumni outcome data/success stories to display on the University Career Services (UCS) digital signage and the website.

Assistant Director, Alumni Career Services

Facilitate a college success course for first-time in college (FTIC) students deciding their major and exploring their career options.   The curriculum includes Career Exploration, Time Management, Study Strategies, and Financial Literacy to promote and support success throughout their academic and professional careers.

Instructor: CORE 1101 - College Success 

Assist employers with connecting with qualified student candidates. Provide career counseling to College of Technology students looking to improve their marketability and enhance their opportunities to gain valuable work experience.

Assist students with job search services including job applications, critiquing resumes, and/or letters of interest in person and via TechConnect.  Provide information regarding university resources and professional/student organizations.

Manage the Symplicity career service management system (TechConnect) allowing students and employers to connect and share opportunities.   

Conducted resume writing and interviewing workshops  
Organize two college-wide career fairs per year consisting of over 70 employers and 631 students.
Increased career fair employer participation 33% from Fall 2012 to Fall 2014.  

Recruit employers for College of Technology students informing them of the programs and degrees offered.  Research salary trends, job descriptions, required credentials, and track high demand occupations.  

Initiated the design and promoted marketing materials for the Career Management Software (TechConnect) utilized by employers and students.  Develop ways to effectively advertise student talent and employment openings, including incorporating a QR-code feature.    
Initiated the development of  a surveying instrument and process to collect employment data each semester  

Collaborated with graphic designer to develop an infographic titled “Where do Our Coogs go?” displaying College of Technology alumni placement successes listing the students’ major, their employer, and their current job title.

Career Counselor

Houston Community College (HCC) Alumni Advisory Board

The Houston Community College Alumni Association promotes meaningful engagement and continuing relationships between HCC and its alumni through programming and membership. The HCC Alumni Association strives to support, serve, inform, and involve alumni of the College, ensuring they have a lifetime connection to HCC and its mission.

Founding member

Initiatives for All

Initiatives for All (IFA) promotes higher education in Houston's Hispanic community and assists all individuals in their pursuit of a college degree.

President/Chief Executive Officer

BBDO New York

Performed under contract for BBDO New York as a Principal Performer for a "Developing Health Foundations" website commercial for a General Electric and El Centro de Corazon clinic partnership.

Principal Performer 

Texas Workforce Commission

Assisted customers with basic job search services through effective use of the resource library.  Critiqued job applications, resumes, and/or letters of interest.   Provided information about community resources and supportive service availability.  Inform customers about of job search/resume writing classes, labor market trends, job search methods, and interview techniques.  

Provided job search assistance including direct referrals to employers in the Work-in-Texas database and record referrals. Worked as a team member to meet employment placement goals and provide quality service to all resident customers and employers. 

Interviewed individual job seekers and accurately data enter personal and professional information maintaining confidentiality.   Researched salary trends, job descriptions, required credentials, and track high demand occupations.  Reviewed and monitored criminal background records to locate appropriate employment opportunities.  

Performed employment counseling for applicants who present unusual placement and job adjustment difficulties.  Administered Test of Adult Basic Education (TABE) online and paper assessments, grade and explain test results.  Conducted orientation sessions and explain services, including program eligibility requirements and responsibilities.  Marketed career center services within the community and local colleges.

Workforce Development Specialist III

Interfaith of the Woodlands

Conducted orientations for CHOICES, Food stamp, and unemployment claimants by assessing and interviewing clients’ education, skills, abilities, work history, and pay and location preferences; data entered Work-in-Texas applications, completed intakes, designed service plans, and provided job referrals.  Established relationships and communicated effectively with job seekers, employers, educators, and other agencies regarding clients’ goals towards self-sufficiency.  Counseled hard-to-serve customers presenting barriers.  Managed and tracked client participation and progress towards employment.

Employment Counselor

Harris County

Implemented the CHOICES program maintaining compliance standards and meeting participation goals, managed a caseload of 60+, conducted orientations introducing clients to the “Work First” philosophy and program requirements, verify eligibility via THHSC, assessed clients’ needs, barriers and goals, data entered information into the TWIST database, provided job leads using TWC, updated client progress, documented weekly contact in counselor notes, and referred clients to various educational vendors and social services agencies.

Career Management Specialist

Baylor College of Medicine

Recruited children to test nutrition education software, and reported all software errors.  Presented nutrition education study to HISD teachers, administered the consent form process, interviewed students, and conducted observations of eating patterns in fourth-grade students.

Research Assistant

MD Anderson Cancer Center

I am currently serving as the Program Director II at the University of Houston, Cullen College of Engineering bringing over two decades of experience as a career management professional. My background includes extensive career counseling involvement, particularly with challenging populations such as the undocumented, ex-offenders, individuals with differing abilities, and post-traditional students.

Witnessing the transformative journey of students is what inspires me professionally.  Whether it's supporting a student with anxiety in securing an internship, helping a financially disadvantaged student receive a scholarship, seeing an international student thrive in a Ph.D. program, or witnessing a graduate with neurological differences securing a competitive job offer – each success story is immensely fulfilling.

My passion lies in guiding individuals to discover their passions, enhance their skill sets, market their professional brands, and network their talents effectively in the global workforce.

Currently, I am in the final year of my EdD program in Strategic Leadership at the University of St. Thomas.  My dissertation topic will focus on career exploration strategies.

StrengthsQuest  
Empathy  |  Includer  |  Woo  |  Communication  |  Developer

Holland Code: Social, Realistic, Conventional (SRC)

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Yonelly G.

Cynthia E. Olmedo

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