About This Resource

This session was part of the 2025 Supervisor Success: Growing Leaders from Within CE Week series

Series Overview

Frontline supervisors are the backbone of employment social enterprises (ESEs). They keep operations running smoothly, provide technical expertise and customer service, and most importantly coach participant employees as they navigate barriers to employment. Yet many ESEs struggle to train and prepare supervisors effectively, especially when promoting participant employees into their first leadership roles. To address this challenge, REDF created a three-part Continuing Education Week series focused on practical strategies to grow and strengthen supervisor talent. 

Grounded in research, trauma-informed management practices, and the lived expertise of frontline leaders, this series supports ESEs in growing their internal talent and in creating clear pathways from participant employee to supervisor and beyond.

Alongside these sessions, we’ll introduce REDF’s new Supervisor Success Toolkit, which equips ESE leaders with training content to enhance supervisor onboarding and development.

Session Description

The first 2-3 weeks of a new supervisor’s tenure are critical. This session provides a step-by-step guide for onboarding and training supervisors, integrating trauma-informed principles into reality. Facilitated by Eric Davis, a leading expert in trauma-informed care, the session will equip participants with structures, timelines, and tools to design or strengthen supervisor onboarding at their enterprises.

Session Goals & Key Takeaways

By the end of this session, you will:

• Understand trauma-informed principles and how to apply them in supervisor training
• Learn a structured two-week onboarding process for new supervisors
• Walk away with practical strategies to implement or adapt at your ESE tomorrow

This Session is Ideal for:

• ESE staff developing or implementing frontline supervisor training
• Leaders shaping employee experience, talent strategy, and professional development

Below is the session recording and accompanying materials

About Allen Davis Consulting

Eric Davis serves as the Executive Director of I Am Next, a Nashville-based organization dedicated to empowering young adults transitioning out of foster care through housing, workforce development, and holistic support services. Drawing from his own lived experience, Eric leads with empathy and authenticity, championing trauma-informed leadership and equitable practices that foster growth and resilience.

As the founder of Allen-Davis Consulting, he partners with social enterprises and nonprofits nationwide to design and deliver trainings that strengthen team culture, promote emotional safety, and build thriving, trauma-responsive workplaces.

Eric is best reached at allendavisconsulting@gmail.com