EXPERIENCE

Boys Town of Washington DC, Washington DC — Development Director 

August  2022 - PRESENT

Interface with funders including foundations, local government, corporations, and individual donors

Craft narratives relating historical, current, and future organizational vision, client outcomes, and connecting research to tangible, local results

Develop and implement public relations, media, and marketing strategies in partnership with national organization

Identify, initiate, and build community connections and partnerships to expand capacity, strengthen the organizational network, and improve projects and programs

Grant writing 

Horizons, A Family Service Alliance, Cedar Rapids — Community Relations and Grants Director 

October 2020 – August 2022

Lead marketing, volunteer, and development teams

Develop and implement public relations, media, and marketing strategies

Identify, initiate, and build community connections and partnerships to expand capacity, strengthen the organizational network, and improve projects and programs

Grant writing for all departments

Develop and lead all internal and external diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives

Interface with funders including United Way, the local Area Agency on Aging, state, county, and municipal leadership and elected officials, chambers of commerce, local business leadership, community foundations, national foundations

Elder Services, Inc., Coralville — Executive Director

January 2018 - June 2019

Oversight and strategic planning for a nonprofit agency with programming including Meals on Wheels, Caregiver Counseling, Retired Senior Volunteer Program, and Information and Referral services

Public and funder relations

Board development and engagement

Budget development, administration, and monitoring

Oversight of all staff and programs across 4 counties

Horizons, A Family Service Alliance, Cedar Rapids — Community Health and Nutrition Director 

October 2015 - October 2020

Oversight and strategic planning for community health programming including Meals on Wheels, Fresh Conversations educational programming, Summer Meals, and Neighborhood Nutrition Network urban agriculture projects to benefit underserved populations

Creation and implementation of pilot and research programs

Supported marketing and fund development

Special events and fundraiser planning and coordination

Media and communications

Preparation and management of annual department budget

Supervision of a multi-functional team of 26 employees

Transamerica Life and Protection, Cedar Rapids —Senior Claims Examiner

2013 - 2015

Data research, analysis, and verification

Correspondence and communications with external vendors and clients

Inter-departmental collaboration with legal and medical teams to facilitate life insurance claims

EDUCATION

Mount Mercy University, Cedar Rapids — MBA

2013

Capstone work: Executive Board consultation for Fresh Start Ministries

University of Iowa, Iowa City — BA

2010

Political Science

PROJECTS

Editorial Fellow— Cedar Rapids Gazette

2021 - present

Session moderator — Iowa Ideas Conference

2021 Session titles: Vaccine Acceptance, Maternal Health Disparities

Editor — Iowa City Police Log: Life and Strife in a Midwestern College Town

2020

Conference Presenter — Iowa State University: Changing the Narrative

2019 Session title: Local Education Policy

Conference Presenter — World Food Prize

2018 Session title: Collaboration for Capacity Building in Nonprofit Intrapreneurship  

SKILLS

• Organizational leadership

• Fund development

• Public relations

• Process improvement

BOARDS AND VOLUNTEER

Academy SPS Board of Directors

NewBo City Market BoD

Linn-Mar School Board

Volunteer committee chair, Iowa Women’s Leadership Conference

Founding member, Black Maternal Health Collective

RECOGNITION

Iowa Newspaper Association Master Columnist award, 2022

HER  Women of Achievement award, 2021

Corridor Business Journal 40 under 40, 2018

Iowa Public Health nutrition Leader award, 2018