As an Adjunct Professor of Strategy at Sy Syms School of Business, Gabriel has developed course curriculum on strategy formulation and analysis, and negotiations. As COO at HR tech startup HireBeat Inc., he drove growth by implementing new product management and development flows. In his role as Interim COO at Inspire Human Resources, he transformed operations and increased growth by 65%. Gabriel has also held executive positions at ITT Inc., Hetrick-Martin Institute, and Family Equality Council, where he showcased his expertise in workforce strategy, operational excellence, and nonprofit leadership. In addition, he has been an independent consultant, providing strategic guidance to various organizations, startups, and nonprofits.
Entrepreneurial Leader and Creative Thinker
Experienced in growing both businesses and nonprofits by balancing long-term vision with immediate needs, and supporting staff and stakeholders.
Strategist
Professor and practitioner of strategy formulation and analysis. Studies goals, challenges, and resources to find opportunities, avoid pitfalls, and craft achievable and actionable strategic plans that unite teams.
Problem Solver
Quickly identifies the sources of challenges and leverages team talent, resources and technologies to craft realistic solutions. Brings significant experience in strategic operations leadership.
Selected Skills & Accomplishments
- Experience as executive, senior staff, consultant, and board member at various organizations, leading to strong skills in navigating complex dynamics among stakeholders.
- Proven funds development leader, combining strategy and infrastructure to build cultures of fundraising. Staff leader of two capital campaigns.
- Led highly visible national family civil rights organization with new strategy and growth.
Experience
Sy Syms School of Business
Adjunct Professor of Strategy
- Developed course curriculum on strategy formulation and analysis.
- Teaching two sections of “Principles of Strategy”
- Teaching “Negotiation Strategies and Practice”
HireBeat Inc.
Chief Operating Officer
HR Tech startup that has been working on recruitment software solutions for the small business market.
- Drove growth through go to market strategy with rollouts on Product Hunt and Pitch Ground, resulting in an average of two new customers each day.
- Conduct market research through data analysis and prospect interviews.
- Implemented new product management and development flows, resulting in improved performance and faster feature introductions.
- Manage daily operations including budget and finances, human resources, IT, marketing and product management, partnerships and product integration with external entities.
Inspire Human Resources
Interim Chief Operating Officer
HR consulting firm providing DEI, Workforce strategy, and Professional Development services.
- Transformed strategy, operations, and personnel to drive overall growth by 65%.
- Restructured executive leadership to include Practice Leads; created performance management, measurement, and compensation plan to support quality and sales.
- Streamlined service operations by introducing new project management standards, reporting, and consolidating and customizing software systems for improved collaboration and client delivery.
- Led daily operations, including finance, HR, IT, strategy, project management, and service delivery. Served as point of contact for legal matters, including client and staff contracts.
- Managed staff including Project Manager, Director of Finance, and consultants.
- Introduced a new framework for services with a new website and marketing language.
ITT
Director of Workforce Strategy and Operational Excellence
Global industrials firm with operations in more than 30 countries.
- Established Workforce Planning and Analysis function that collects, transforms, and analyzes data from across the business to identify opportunities and risks impacting business goals.
- Established statistical standards in order to identify strategic priorities.
- Standardized workforce reporting to manage impact of COVID-19 on ITT’s global workforce.
- Partner to CHRO in strategic planning, global metrics, and crafting message for the Board of Directors. Redesign integration of HR strategy with business strategy.
- Established and ran cross department project tracking and cadence meetings.
- Developed new action-oriented reporting designed for varying roles and business needs.
- Led integration of data sources including surveys, HRIS, finance, safety, and production.
- Improved annual performance calibration with new processes, custom tools, and metrics
- Manage Diversity & Inclusions efforts, metrics, goal setting, planning, and enablement of local leaders.
- Oversaw HR-related M&A due diligence and integration.
Equality New York
Interim Executive Director, 2016 – 2020
Statewide PAC and organization advocating for LGBTQI people and their families.
- Focus on advocating through electoral politics to ban conversion therapy, protect trans* people, secure families, and fund mental health, homeless, and other direct services.
- Provides unified voice with state government on behalf of LGBTQI organizations and people.
Non-Profit Consultant
2015 – present
Supporting non-profits in building institutional strength through strategy, governance, and fundraising.
- American Jewish World Service, directing an $18 million reserve campaign to bolster organization’s ability to provide lasting support to social justice projects by leaders in developing countries. Advising on launch of planned giving program and general development strategy.
- The Riverside Church in New York City, developing strategy and tools to engage the entire organization (staff, congregants, and beneficiaries) in increasing fundraising capacity.
- The Hetrick-Martin Institute, home of the Harvey Milk High School, heading research to determine new locations around the country for potential expansion. This project includes working with Moody’s, Facebook, Urban Institute, and Frameworks.
- Peter Cicchino Youth Project, which provides legal services to homeless youth, developing and implementing fundraising plan to double their budget in two years.
- PFLAG NYC, building a strategic growth plan, board rebuilding, and fundraising support.
- The National LGBT Bar Association, board training and executive recruitment.
- Faith In America, strategic and fundraising support during leadership transition.
- Athlete Ally, executive recruitment and support on board management.
Family Equality Council
Executive Director 2013 – 2015
National LGBT civil rights organization serving 9,000,000 Americans in families with LGBT parents.
- Stabilized finances, including eliminating a deficit for the first time in three years, implementing a three-year plan towards financial security, and establishing a reserve fund.
- Developed a strategic plan that expanded public education work (campaigns now each reach more than 22,000,000 people), implemented services for families in the South, established legal clinics for low income families, and formalized a regional advocacy and programming model.
- Improved fundraising efforts through redesign of development team and strategy, focus on key locations, attention to major donor relationships, and efforts to cultivate smaller donors. Also shifted foundation strategy to shore up greater support.
- Built the visibility and trust of the organization among partners at all levels, leading to unique opportunities, critical acclaim, and increased leadership shaping a national agenda.
Congregation Beit Simchat Torah
Director of Development & Communications 2010 – 2013
One of the country’s oldest and most influential institutions of its kind, active in civil rights efforts.
- Built a fundraising and communications team to raise an annual operations budget of $1.8 million each year and lead an $18million capital campaign.
- Developed donor recognition strategy to increase gifts and incentivize seven figure donors.
- Increased organization’s communications with members, donors, media, and the public. Results included coverage in the New York Times, WNYC, and LGBT Media.
- Engaged community in the It Gets Better project, including stories from two dozen members.
- Re-launched CBST’s legacy giving society, doubling planned estate gifts.
VisibleU
This firm served small business and nonprofit organizations through web development, marketing strategy, and implementation.
- Responsible for day to day company management and growth.
- Provided strategies, collateral, and management consulting to dozens of organizations.
- Trained professional groups on best practices in assessment, planning and implementation.
- Designed solutions to client challenges including web applications, and business concepts.
Additional Experience and Accomplishments
Speaker at many conferences and institutions including universities, rallies, and corporations.
Member of boards and committees, including LGBT Religious Archives Network, Love Comes First, Equality New York PAC, OutCasting LGBTQ Youth Radio.
Author including in Huffington Post, The Advocate, Newsday, chapters in four books on LGBTQI issues.
TV and radio appearances on NPR, MSNBC, Fox, Al Jazeera, SiriusXM, among others.
Certified Governance Trainer by BoardSource to provide guidance and support to boards and leaders.
Awards including The Advocate’s 40 Under 40, and the Stonewall Democratic Club Leadership Award.