TYA BOLTON
Charlotte
Summary
Global dynamic leader with a proven track record, driving community engagement and economic development. As an expert in strategic planning, coaching, consulting, and partnership management, I excel in fostering innovation and collaboration. My initiatives have significantly transformed communities and the lives of leaders, showcasing my commitment to impactful growth and sustainable success.
Overview
28
28
years of professional experience
Work History
Chief Executive Officer & Founder
Exceptional Business Solutions, Inc.
Charlotte
02.2006 - Current
- Award-winning, sought-after professional providing executive leadership with an innovative approach, deeply impacting Greater Charlotte and extending outward to Mid-Atlantic states, African, and Caribbean countries.
- Advocate for and coach thousands of small businesses by aligning resources and partners with their needs, and providing training.
- Manage a diverse portfolio of for-profit, nonprofit, and government contracts.
- Responsible for business development initiatives.
- Manage multiple teams and projects simultaneously.
- Write operation, project, and business plans, and develop systems for business growth and sustainability.
- Provide contract administration and invoicing for clients.
- Manage project management systems via Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace, from tasks to milestones, and other deliverables using systems such as Monday.com, Notion, Asana, Trello, and others.
- Ensure Microsoft Teams and SharePoint sites are optimized for collaboration, productivity, and transparency on projects.
- Design and uphold policies and procedures, and act as a liaison to staff, project teams, clients, and public stakeholders.
- Provide leadership and program updates at a variety of stakeholder events and meetings to identify, implement, and achieve measurable priorities.
- Responsible for strategic plan implementation to bolster sustainability, develop leadership, and leverage resources.
- Lead the process for creating, submitting, and processing reports that outline outputs and outcomes based on demographics served, number of participants, progression, retention, and other key priorities.
- Develop curricula for small business programs.
- Develop training, and evaluate existing operations and business systems for cost-effectiveness, efficiencies, usage, and recommendations.
- Foster a culture of innovation and continuous improvement within teams.
- Develop creative solutions for complex problems facing the organization.
- Increase productivity by creating new policies, objectives, and procedures to streamline operations, and integrating automation and AI workflows.
- Oversee event strategy
- Cultivate relationships with stakeholders and industry partners for collaboration.
- HUB, MBE, SBE, & NCSBE Certified.
Director, Small Business & Entrepreneurship
CLT Alliance Foundation
Charlotte
03.2023 - 02.2025
- Led strategic initiatives to enhance community engagement and support local businesses.
- Developed partnerships with stakeholders to promote economic development in the region.
- Coordinated outreach efforts to increase awareness of foundation programs and services.
- Managed communication strategies to effectively share organizational goals and impact stories.
- Established relationships with vendors and suppliers to secure favorable terms for materials or services.
- Collaborated with senior leadership to set long-term objectives for the company.
- Served as a public spokesperson at industry events or conferences.
- Facilitated workshops and training programs for small businesses.
- Launched and championed new programs and initiatives related to access to capital, ecosystem development, coaching, and leadership.
Interim Director, Operations & Events
ASPIRE Community Capital
Charlotte
01.2018 - 07.2022
- Developed strategic partnerships to enhance community support initiatives.
- Oversaw program development to align with organizational goals and community needs.
- Managed budget allocations to ensure effective resource utilization across projects.
- Collaborated with stakeholders to enhance service delivery and community impact.
- Led team meetings to promote communication and align project objectives.
- Recruited, trained, supervised, evaluated and mentored staff members.
- Directed the organization's daily operations, ensuring compliance with applicable laws and regulations.
- Developed policies and procedures to ensure compliance with corporate standards.
- Created detailed plans outlining timelines, goals, budgets, staffing needs and other requirements for projects.
- Negotiated agreements with external partners such as contractors or consultants.
- Served as a public spokesperson at industry events or conferences.
- I wrote the curriculum and led training for small business accelerators and workshops.
- Organized and led Board meeting updates, and facilitated Board development strategies.
- Oversaw fundraising initiatives, guiding the organization from $50k to $1MM.
Business Manager
Lee Hecht Harrison
Washington
05.2004 - 12.2005
- Managed client administrative needs for up to 120 clients monthly and 6 administrative team members.
- Managed personnel and operations of a tri-office cluster.
- Approved, coded and processed timesheets, and vacation scheduling for 36 team members.
- Pre-screened, hired, trained, counseled and terminated staff as appropriate.
- Managed the annual review process for all full-time team members.
- Partnered with staff to provide exceptional delivery services to clients.
- Facilitated client workshops and attended industry events for networking.
- Accurately maintained personnel records and enforced compliance of new policies and procedures.
- Partnered with Managing Director to prepare and monitor annual business plans, forecasting, and other financial reporting upwards of $3,000,000 annually.
- Managed capital assets, depreciation schedule, and negotiated vendor contracts.
- Facilitated office training sessions for all staff regarding new human resources and operational initiatives from Corporate.
- Determined profitability of programs.
- Facilitated dialogue and work flow to coordinate special projects throughout the cluster of offices.
- Invoiced up to $400,000 monthly and leveraged relationships with customers for timely payment and business development.
- Certified Client Engagement Specialist - responsible for training all staff in the four-office geographical cluster on the process of bringing new clients into service and selling additional services to existing clients.
Office Manager
Experient- Inc.
Arlington
10.1997 - 05.2004
- Managed special events, such as: client appreciation events, management retreats, and annual meetings.
- Partnered with Vice President to manage annual budget, approve expenses, manage purchase orders, and negotiate vendor contracts.
- Advised management on the status of staffing positions.
- Revised local recruitment strategies, utilizing internal and external sources.
- Managed a variety of personnel actions, maintained personnel files and reconciled leave.
- Conducted quarterly and annual reviews of subordinate staff with recommendations for salary increases and bonuses.
- Provided regional staff with information concerning benefits and ensuring accurate completion of said paperwork.
- Partnered with corporate HR team to re-classify positions and generate new and revised job descriptions, to include physical requirements.
- Hired, counseled, and trained administrative staff.
- Oriented and trained all other employees.
Education
MBA - Innovation
Hult International Business School
Boston, MA12-2025
Skills
- Community engagement
- Project management
- Business development
- Strategic planning
- Curriculum development
- Team collaboration
- Partnership management
- Stakeholder engagement
- Training facilitation
- Fundraising oversight
- Board governance
- Business planning
- Budget planning and cost control
- Market access and expansion
- Innovation management
- Coaching and Consulting
- Corporate leadership
- Operations management
- Business start up
- Strategic visioning
- Relationship management
- Vendor relationship management
- Event technology
- Managing events start to finish
Leadership Programs
- African American Leadership Academy of Charlotte, 2024
- American Leadership Forum, 2022
- AmpUp Charlotte, 2018
Prior Key Projects
- Contract Event Producer, Blue Cross NC Foundation, 2022 - 2026
- Project Manager, Corridors Connect, City of Charlotte, 2023
- Event Producer, Faith in Housing, City of Charlotte, 2025
- Outreach Consultant, Mecklenburg County Public Health, 2024
- Lead Consultant, Beyond Open Grant Canvassing, 2022 - 2024
- Contract Event Producer, Afrofuturism Fest, Blk Tech Interactive, 2022 - 2023
- Contract Director & Co-Founder - Kenya and USA, Global Wealth Exchange, 2019 - 2022
- Mentor & Community Ambassador, Charlotte SCORE, 2019 - 2020
- Contract Senior Project Manager, Black Business Owners of Charlotte (BBOC), 2018 - 2022
- Event Producer & Strategist, NFL Players Association, Charlotte, 2018 - 2019
- Access to Financial Services - El Salvador, USAID, 2013 - 2015
Active Memberships
- Board Member, Charlotte is Creative
- Founding Member, Become CLT
- Founding Member, Charlotte Mecklenburg Community Coalition
- Partners in Tourism, Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority (CRVA)
- Meeting Professionals International (MPI)
- Project Management Institute (PMI)
- Facebook Leaders Network (invite only)
Accomplishments
Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award, Biden Administration, 2025
Timeline
Director, Small Business & Entrepreneurship
CLT Alliance Foundation
03.2023 - 02.2025
Interim Director, Operations & Events
ASPIRE Community Capital
01.2018 - 07.2022
Chief Executive Officer & Founder
Exceptional Business Solutions, Inc.
02.2006 - Current
Business Manager
Lee Hecht Harrison
05.2004 - 12.2005
Office Manager
Experient- Inc.
10.1997 - 05.2004
MBA - Innovation
Hult International Business School