Rutland, Vermont, United States
As a result of my diverse experiences, I have a wide range of skills, insights, and expertise. The constant thread throughout all of my endeavors is that I have taken on daunting challenges and worked tirelessly, creatively, and in a professional manner to arrive at solutions.
After seven years as a nonprofit leader in storytelling and fundraising, I started Next Summit Solutions, LLC to take the lessons I learned in building marketing and development departments and share them with other mission-driven organizations. DM me if you're interested in working together!
- Served as the inaugural Development Director to centralize fundraising operations for a growing ecosystem - Scaled the Development department (from $4 million to $8 million annually), securing diverse funding streams, and establishing internal systems for sustainable growth. - Led a team of four in developing and implementing prospecting, cultivation, and stewardship strategies - Participated in fundraising initiatives including federal grants, individual donations, foundation grants, and corporate sponsorship, resulting in increased funding for core operations and nonprofit programs. - Improved operating procedures through collaboration with program leaders, executives, finance staff, marketing, and external partners to write, implement, and monitor grants.
- Rebuilt a Marketing and Communications department that had been unstaffed for over a year - Established processes that created regular communication across teams to ensure timely updates were received and shared through the relevant channels - Grew the team to three FTEs and established working norms and team culture that empowered team members while maintaining accountability - Universally increased reach and engagement metrics across four Facebook pages and three Instagram pages - Piloted community-based communication channels - Provided marketing support through the planning and implementation of an ecosystem-wide rebranding - Planned and facilitated countless media and funder visits to increase the profile of the organization and increase access to new opportunities
● Helped launch the Wolakota Buffalo Range (the world’s largest Native-owned and managed buffalo herd) by creating a business plan, building relationships with multiple stakeholders with varied interests, creating marketing and fundraising materials, and managing a budget ● Collaborated with a small team of stakeholders to develop, implement, and monitor the effectiveness of a digital marketing and social media strategy ● Utilized tools such as Google Ads, Google Analytics, and Facebook Business Suite to meet and measure progress toward goals, which led to a doubling of our organization's Facebook reach ● Conducted research, collaborated with content experts, and consolidated and analyzed to draft a strategic and visionary “7Gen Plan” for the Rosebud Sioux Tribe ● Consolidated data from multiple scientific studies and reports to create a comprehensive assessment of the potential impacts and opportunities presented by climate change on the Rosebud Reservation ● Performed research and analysis to develop and communicate a clear, data-driven economic argument supporting educational innovation to improve educational outcomes for Native American students ● Created a comprehensive State of the Future Workforce report that utilized educational and economic data to project the future workforce of the Rosebud Reservation
● Participated in LEE’s nationwide Policy and Advocacy Summer Fellowship, which involved placement at a local organization as well as ongoing training and support During my placement with the Rosebud Economic Development Corporation (REDCO) I: ● Wrote a business plan for an educational child care facility ● Utilized Google Sheets to consolidate, organize, and analyze data from various sources with the aim of projecting population growth for the Rosebud Reservation ● Created a comprehensive State of the Future Workforce report that summarized the current landscape of the economic and educational landscape of the Rosebud Reservation and utilized that data to project the future workforce of the reservation and make recommendations for improving outcomes ● Condensed South Dakota legislative bills and hearings into succinct summaries to share with partners working to pass charter school legislation in South Dakota ● Performed research and analysis to develop and communicate a clear, data-driven economic argument in support of innovation to improve educational outcomes for Native American students
● Practiced culturally relevant pedagogy by creating engaging, rigorous, and personalized math and computer science lessons for Lakota students on the Rosebud Reservation in South Dakota ● Enacted a school-wide survey to create a real-life data set that was then used in our statistics class and shared with school administrators ● Worked with students to develop soft skills such as communication, work ethic, creative thinking and problem solving, and teamwork ● Delivered a district-wide presentation to SFIS staff regarding MAP standardized testing and classroom applications ● Participated in monthly Decolonizing Native Education professional development ● Served as the assistant coach for SFIS Track (2018) and Cross Country (2018) teams ● Provided play-by-play analysis, as well as school and community announcements and recognitions during SFIS live stream broadcasts ● Served as National Honor Society Adviser, organizing volunteer events and student academic honorings
● Completed an intensive six-week TFA Institute in Phoenix, AZ, which involved teaching summer school, learning various teaching practices, and leadership development ● Participated in ongoing professional development centered on student identity, college access, teacher effectiveness and growth, as well as diversity, equity, and inclusion ● Set and developed a plan to meet quarterly goals for student test scores, learning objectives, ACT participation, and family engagement