Omaha, Nebraska, United States
An innovative leader, a thoughtful communications strategist, and an engaged community advocate and relationship builder with 15 years of progressive, professional experience in public education, nonprofit leadership and the private sector. An engaging speaker and writer with demonstrated fundraising success, uniquely qualified to lead a team or an organization in education, communications, technology or civic engagement.
Lead multiple client and internal teams through annual and multi-year strategic communications plans and accompanying budgets | Develop and implement creative strategy, digital campaigns, public and media relations, community engagement efforts, thoughtful fundraising support, and board engagement and management on behalf of nonprofit and government sector clients | Serve as a liaison between clients and media | Maintain continuous knowledge of news and legislation potentially impacting clients and serve as a consultant to guide them | Member of agency’s Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Accountability (IDEA) work group and our FORGE work group, guiding strategy and best practice in industry workforce development | Member of PRSA and AMA professional organizations | Participate in continuous community engagement and board leadership opportunities
Served on Advancement team as a key fundraiser | Managed a team of program participant recruiters | Responsible for $500,000 annually in both earned and unearned revenue | Responsible for external relationship building and relationship management with key donors, CTOs, CIOs, nonprofit executives, and their support staff | Lobbied for key legislation and efforts pertaining to technology and support of political leaders for grantmaking and fundraising efforts | Part of an active team of community leaders working to serve students, adult learners, and career changers | Continuously serve on committees and boards as a thought leader in the STEM education space
Harnessing the incredible potential of the Greater Omaha Metro by utilizing data and resident experiences to drive decisions, Metro Smart Cities presents innovative and resourceful solutions to pervasive issues facing the broader community. Worked directly with funders and partners across the philanthropic, public, and private sectors | Manage, organize, and facilitate work groups and communication among over 30 public/private partners participating in the MSC effort, coordinating monthly and quarterly gatherings | Serve as lead contact for each working group developing and implementing transportation and technology pilot projects in the Omaha metro region | Communicate with and present to key stakeholders overseeing the MSC effort including elected officials, technology and innovation leaders, transportation planners, and philanthropic partners | Worked alongside a strategic partner agency to build a brand, website, social channels, and other communication resources for the Metro Smart Cities (MSC) Initiative Serve as a content knowledge expert in transportation, mobility, technology, and innovation spaces | Continuously serve on committees and boards as a thought leader in technology and transportation
Supported technology integration and training efforts as a district-level administrator with the IMS department for all 93 OPS schools and programs | Led programming for digital citizenship education for teachers, students and families across the metro as the Lead Teacher of Digital Citizenship in Partnership with Common Sense Media | Served as the Nebraska Coordinator for Common Sense Media Recognition efforts, state-wide | Secured nearly $2,000,000 in grant funding through collaborative grant writing efforts | Served as project manager and UX designer of the Microsoft App Approval Tool and system for OPS | Advocated for student data privacy both locally and nationally to Congress and the FCC | Nebraska Educational Technology Association (NETA) Member, Presenter, and Award Winner | International Society for Technology Education (ISTE) Member and Presenter
Taught English Language Arts (9th grade English and Credit Recovery) to high school students at Bryan High School | Sponsored Student Council | Served as one of Bryan’s Microsoft Innovative Educators (MIEs) and provided professional development to staff desiring to teach with technology | Nebraska Educational Technology Association (NETA) Member