QUALIFICATIONS SUMMARY

•  10 years proposal writing, grants managing, board support, special events planning experience;
• Flexible, resourceful, able to meet multiple deadlines and manage concurrent processes with little supervision;
• Adept at managing team members from diverse departments to complete projects and meet annual fundraising goals;
• Excellent public speaking skills; experience presenting to a variety of audiences.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Erie Neighborhood House    Temporary Development Associate/Grant Writer, 2013-present

• Provides direct support to Associate Director of Development ;
• Communicates the organization’s mission and program successes by working closely with multiple internal departments to craft compelling grant proposals and reports to Chicago-area foundations, corporations, and other private organizations.

Latin American Youth Center (LAYC)    Senior Grants Manager, 2005-2013

• Developed government, foundation, and corporate grant proposals to renew, expand, or cultivate new funding sources for youth development agency  in Washington, DC with an average annual budget of $14 million;
• Managed proposal writing process with team members across departments (program, finance, and evaluation);
• Monitored grant compliance and composed interim and final reports to diverse array of funders;
• Managed staff of two grant writers and one communications specialist when Development Director was absent;
• Assisted coordination of annual giving solicitations, fundraising dinners, raffles, and awards galas;
• Trained in the Benevon model of individual donor cultivation; led mission tours of the agency for potential donors; worked with Board members and other donors to invite guests and complete follow-up calls;
• Maintained detailed minutes of board meetings, committee work, and binding resolutions; created board library for members’ and staff use stocked with documents vital to institutional history as well reference resources relevant to board management and responsibilities; advised Associate Board on fundraising initiatives;
• Matched volunteers with agency’s programs appropriate for their skill level and interest.

Washington Walks   Tour Guide, 2006-2013 (seasonal/part-time)

• Researched and led weekly walking tours of up to seven distinct historic Washington, DC neighborhoods;
• Proven ability to speak authoritatively and engagingly in front of an audience.

Reingold, Inc.   Strategic Communications and Marketing Consultant, 2004

• Conceptualized and managed branding and marketing campaigns including the writing and editing (occasionally, in Spanish) of campaign materials for a variety of government, non-profit organizations, foundations, and other private-sector clients in the Washington, DC region;
• Coordinated research and evaluation for multi-audience campaigns and funding proposals addressing social and policy issues such as education, workforce development, drug rehabilitation and urban redevelopment;
• Assisted in strategic messaging and planning sessions with workforce investment task forces and other public services organizations.

Georgetown University CCT Program   Research Associate, 1999-2003

• Co-founded the Cottage Industry–Global Marketplace Project upon winning $90,000 seed money grant in the World Bank’s Development Marketplace competition; assisted in workshop facilitation on a team of graduate students, professors, and local non-governmental organization leaders to teach marketing skills and resource sharing to women’s weaving cooperatives in northern India;
• Trained 10 adjunct faculty members in Blackboard course management software.

NetCorps Americas   Hi-Tech Volunteer/Teacher, 2000 and 2001

• Taught (in Spanish) Guatemalan and Ecuadorian non-government and government agency employees, civil society groups of disabled youth and urban marginalized communities in website development, Microsoft Windows and Office, Mac OS, Internet research, and e-mail communication; customized curriculum for multiple education levels; used formal/non-formal teaching techniques.

Colegio Americano and Colegio International Montessori   High School Teacher, 1998-1999 

• Taught English literature, creative and essay writing, and social studies at two bilingual schools in Guatemala City; earned Master’s degree in education while working full time.

U.S. Peace Corps (Guatemala)   Agroforestry Volunteer, 1994-97

• Created and coordinated training activities on a range of environmental topics for rural farmers, community groups, local elementary schools, and local mayor’s office; achieved fluency in Spanish conversation (earned a 3+ on FSI) and proficiency in writing.

 

EDUCATION

Georgetown University Washington, DC

M.A. Communication, Culture, and Technology Area of Concentration: Socio-economic development of Latin America

Framingham State College Framingham, MA (Coursework done in Guatemala, Nicaragua, and El Salvador)

M.Ed. Education   Area of Concentration: International Teaching

Miami University Oxford, OH

B.A. English/Journalism    Minor: Creative Writing

PROFESSIONAL TRAINING

Benevon 101: Building Sustainable Funding for Your Mission (Benevon); Proposal Writing and Budgeting Basics (The Foundation Center), Individual Donors 101: The Secret to Fundraising Success (Donors Forum, Chicago); Financial Management, Strategic Management, and Operations Management (University of Illinois at Chicago); Positive Youth Development (LAYC); LGBTQ Ally Training of Trainers (LAYC); Wilderness First Aid (Wilderness Medicine Institute).

 

TECHNICAL SKILLS

Highly proficient in Microsoft Office Suite, Donor Perfect, Windows and Mac operating systems, social media.

WRITING

Feature articles and editorial columns have appeared in: Worldview (National Peace Corps quarterly magazine); El Quetzal (Guatemala Human Rights Commission quarterly newsletter); Disability World (webzine); Siglo Ventiuno (newspaper, Guatemala City); Dayton Daily News (newspaper, Dayton, OH); The Hamilton Journal News (newspaper, Hamilton, OH).

COMMUNITY SERVICE and LEADERSHIP ACTIVITIES

Board Member and President, Guatemala Human Rights Commission-USA, 2009-2012;

Board Member and Secretary, Centro De Alfabetizacion En Español, 2009-2011;

Adoptions Event Volunteer and Shelter Dog Trainer, Washington Humane Society, 2006-2009;

Community Service Director, Board of Directors, Returned Peace Corps Volunteers of DC, 2005-2009;

English as a Second Language Instructor, Language ETC, Washington DC, 2006-2007.