Zalika W.

About Zalika W.

I build the operational infrastructure that allows organizations to grow without losing coherence. With experience overseeing million-dollar budgets, leading cross-functional teams of up to 12, and designing systems adopted across departments, I specialize in turning strategic priorities into sustainable execution.My work sits at the intersection of organizational design, capacity building, and people development. I have built programs from the ground up, standardized practices across distributed teams, and created accountability structures that hold without requiring constant oversight. That includes revising Salesforce submission structures to make ownership visible at the record level and building Asana frameworks adopted by senior leadership for cross-functional tracking.Most recently at Ceres, I designed an Ambassador Program across six teams that shifted 70% of external convenings to distributed ownership during a period of workforce reduction. At the University of Maryland, my team development work generated enough organizational confidence that two additional contracts were added to our scope.My focus is always the same: understand the opportunity, build something that works, and improve how the work gets done.

Experience

1. Senior Manager Project Management

   Ceres, Inc

   Nov 2025 — Present

   Designed and launched the Ambassador Program from the ground up across 6 teams and 12 ambassadors, translating a consultant recommendation into a functioning operational model that shifted 70% of external convenings to distributed ownership during a period of workforce reduction• Managed million-dollar budgets and spearheaded implementation of standardized expense tracking across the organization, improving financial visibility and accountability• Built cross-functional tracking frameworks in Asana and revised Salesforce submission structures to make ownership visible at the record level, both adopted by senior leadership• Led cross-functional project management of the annual fundraiser across teams spanning marketing, speaker recruitment, and logistics, generating up to $700K in unrestricted funds

Education

• Temple University's School of Sport, Tourism and Hospitality Management

  Bachelor of Science, Tourism and Hospitality Management; Destination and Event Management Concentration

  2008 — 2012

• Morgan State University - Graves School of Business & Management

  Master of Science - MS, Hospitality Administration/Management

  2017 — 2019

Skills

• Time Line Management
• Tourism
• Budget Monitoring
• Wedding Planning
• Parties
• Event Planning
• Coordinating Events
• Sponsorship
• Event Execution
• Tips Certified
• Hospitality Industry
• Management
• Private Events
• Fundraising
• Party Plan
• Trade Shows
• Customer Relations
• Relationship Management
• Leadership
• Business Meetings
• Cpr/First Aid Certified
• Account Management
• Hospitality
• Catering
• Event Management
• Rentals
• Meeting Planning
• Bartending
• Food & Beverage
• Customer Service
• Entertainment
• Outstanding Customer Service
• Events Coordination
• Training
• Budgets
• Fundraisers
• Corporate Events
• Invoice Processing
• Building Relationships
• Sales