Experience

St. Francis Children's Center

• United States
• Individual and Family Services
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Executive Director

  • 2015 - - aujourd’hui

  Mara is the chief executive of St. Francis Children’s Center, an agency that serves children with special needs and their family members in inclusive environments. SFCC provides early childhood education, family support, and therapeutic services for children and families throughout Milwaukee County. As Executive Director, Mara provides leadership within the agency and throughout the community on issues impacting child development. She oversees strategic planning, directs the development and expansion of services for children and families, and ensures that marketing, public relations, fundraising, and financial management support the needs of SFCC's high-impact programs.



Creativity Springs

• United States
• Artists and Writers

• Artist

  • 2019 - 2022

  Mara is a portrait artist who specializes in pen & ink drawing and acrylic painting. Creativity Springs is an online gallery where she displays recent works that have been created for clients, as well as galleries, art shows, and personal fulfillment. Mara is a portrait artist who specializes in pen & ink drawing and acrylic painting. Creativity Springs is an online gallery where she displays recent works that have been created for clients, as well as galleries, art shows, and personal fulfillment.



COA Youth & Family Centers

• United States
• Non-profit Organizations
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Associate Executive Director

  • 2012 - 2015

  Served as the lead operations and strategy officer for COA Youth & Family Centers (Children’s Outing Association), a human services agency in Milwaukee, WI. COA serves low-income families through early childhood education, youth development, family support services, and resident and day camps. Her responsibilities included: overseeing major community programs; leading COA’s strategic visioning processes from methodology and metrics development through socialization and execution; directing capital building projects (this included the building of a $300,000 outdoor amphitheater, a $100,000 public health clinic, and a $2 million early education center); and growing the quality and reach of the administrative and program departments within the agency.



YMCA of Metropolitan Milwaukee

• United States
• Non-profit Organizations
• 100 - 200 Employee

• Associate Vice President, Philanthropy

  • 2010 - 2012

  Provided strategic direction to raise over $7 million in contributed revenue for 10 YMCA centers, a charter school, two overnight camps, and multiple programs. Responsibilities included: soliciting major gifts ($10,000+); leading fundraising workshops and best practices trainings for Center Executives and Center Boards; developing community partnerships with external agencies; supervising the creative direction for the Y’s $2 million annual campaign; overseeing online and mobile giving initiatives; working collaboratively with board members, team members and volunteers to support program innovation initiatives.



COA Youth & Family Centers

• United States
• Non-profit Organizations
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Development & Public Relations Director

  • 2005 - 2010

  Led all fundraising, public relations, and marketing efforts for COA Youth & Family Centers. Responsibilities included: increasing the profile of COA as a leading human services organization in Milwaukee; leading a $5.8 million endowment campaign; building lasting relationships with board members, donors, and community collaborators; soliciting individual, foundation, and corporate gifts; managing two large-scale fundraising events annually; serving as a spokesperson for COA; mapping out the strategic fundraising goals for the agency and training employees and a corps of 50+ volunteers to surpass those goals.



Milwaukee Youth Arts Center

• United States
• Performing Arts
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Capital Campaign Coordinator/Development Director

  • 2003 - 2005

  Supported volunteers in raising over $12 million to build the Milwaukee Youth Arts Center, a partnership between Milwaukee Youth Symphony Orchestra (MYSO) and First Stage Children’s Theater. Solicited gifts, designed marketing materials and raised community awareness for the capital campaign which received local and national recognition for its innovative and collaborative approach to arts education. In addition, directed all areas of fundraising for MYSO, including securing its first grant from the National Endowment for the Arts and launching an annual fundraising campaign.



MPTV Friends

• Manager of Major & Planned Giving

  • 2001 - 2003