Experience

Prison Fellowship

• United States
• Non-profit Organizations
• 400 - 500 Employee

• Field Director, VA

  • Nov 2018 - Present

  Responsible for equiping and mobilizing local community-based stakeholders interested in prison reform to identify and meet the needs of prisoners and their families. Responsible for establishing and maintaining Academy programs across Virginia correctional centers which includes faciliation of curriculua-based weekly session, as well as build, maintain, and enhance relationships with volunteers, pastors, DOC staff, prison chaplains, and community re-entry partners. will develop, manage, and coach teams of volunteers to meet ministry goals as well as organize and facilitate large-scale events across correctional centers. Show less



Support Services of Virginia

• Virginia Beach, VA

• Head of Operations

  • Jul 2018 - Apr 2020

  Responsible for oversight of daily operations across the company. Ensuring that all business-related operations are well-coordinated and productive by managing and developing system and processes, including internal policies and guidelines. Responsible for labor management, including schedules, overtime, marketing procedures, with the ultimate goal to safeguard and augment the efficiency of the company’s operations to facilitate accelerating development and long-term success. Responsible for oversight of daily operations across the company. Ensuring that all business-related operations are well-coordinated and productive by managing and developing system and processes, including internal policies and guidelines. Responsible for labor management, including schedules, overtime, marketing procedures, with the ultimate goal to safeguard and augment the efficiency of the company’s operations to facilitate accelerating development and long-term success.



Operation Blessing

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

• International Program Manager for Livelihood and Microenterprise

  • Aug 2016 - Apr 2018

  Managed sector building, including: defining vision/direction, designing, and implementing projects /programs, assessing projects, streamline processes (implementation / monitoring), approving proposals, overseeing funds within budgetary guidelines for 37 projects in 10 countries, address challenges, travel to project countries to evaluate and assess project progress; train new in-country staff (livelihood managers/coordinators), quality assure procedures conducted / documents submitted per deliverables schedule / timeline; some projects were in ‘hostile environments’ countries (Mauritania and Niger) with persecuted/ fragile groups; programs included start-up businesses, housing projects, food security, adult literacy programs, vocational training, agriculture, animal husbandry, and fish farming in 10 countries/Manage implementation staff including National Directors in 11 countries including in-country managers / coordinators (22 total) plus two partnership directors with reps of other organizations in Mauritania, Senegal as well as meeting with community leaders (e.g., Massai leaders, Kenya), to discuss possible intervention, needs and mutual expectations for community engagement, in-country and design of livelihood programs, including: structure, implementation, beneficiaries, identify communities, sustainability, longevity; designed Mauritania, Senegal, and Niger projects to increase Livelihood projects in West African nations; researched / identified profile partners for targeted countries, traveled to meet with local reps, toured communities, and developed projects (start-up businesses [Senegal]; vocational training / adult literacy programs / start-up businesses for widows / single mothers [Mauritania]); Liaise with Media Department for media stories for monthly newsletter and website; traveled / created videos for stories for intervention projects Extensive travel (80%) Show less



Jagiellonian University

• Poland
• Research Services
• 700 & Above Employee

• Doctoral Researcher/Project Coordinator

  • Oct 2012 - Jun 2016

  Taught graduate classes (2013-2017), with ~22 students per class / semester (~100 total), including: o International Relations Workshop, International Cultural Center (MCK) Krakow, Poland o Discrimination and Tolerance, Institute of European Studies, Jagiellonian University o Conceptualizing Stereotypes, Institute of European Studies, Jagiellonian University o International Security in post-Cold War Europe: The Western Balkan Complex, Institute of European Studies, Jagiellonian University /Taught cultural competence classes to undergrads and high-school students classes (two classes per semester for four semesters); developed activities (Poland, Germany, and Belgium) corresponding to the overall program; accompanied Dr. Gajda as research team assistant for the Institute of European Studies – University Class of Intercultural Competence- working with youth, project/workshop facilitation, teaching, outgoing seminars, conferences/ Wrote grant proposals, research and analysis of project costs, scope, tasks, and productivity benchmarks (deliverables), including EU-funded open-calls (e.g., Horizon 2020); tracked project deliverables for project timeline /Developed / maintain cross-institutional/cross-national collaborations (Polish-German Youth Cooperation) for projects (see list below); liaised with donors (Polish Ministry of Science and Higher Education, Polish Ministry of Culture and National Heritage, and departments) resulting in projects, grants, and cultural events at the University, including: Study trip to Concentration Camp Memorial Site and Youth Encounter, “Positive Places of Memory-University’s Young Inventors” project, “Regional or trans regional cultural education using museums as a case study,” and "E-voting and electoral participation”/Performed research on East and Southeast Europe, on minorities, regional security, refugee crisis, gender equality, voter participation, memory/identify formation, education, including in-field (ethnographic research) Show less



Center for Women Development

• Mitrovica, Kosovo

• Program Consultant

  • Oct 2014 - Jan 2016

  • Lobbyist for civilian advocacy on economic opportunities access to equal decision-making in government as the primary foreigner with language proficiency to engage members of the international community, such as UNMIK, OSCE; co-wrote/submission of grant proposal Training & Certification for Child Caretakers in Mitrovica, resulting in funding via USAID Empower Private Sector Program (coalesced vocational training and job placement in childcare sector in Mitrovica, Kosovo) • Performed community outreach and advocacy on gender equality and women’s rights in Mitrovica / Zvecan / Leposevic (Kosovo), resulting in inter-ethnic (Albanian, Serbs) coalition of locals / municipal government reps • Liaise / engage civilians in Albanian, Serbian and Romani to promote peace / reconciliation by focusing on universal issues (e.g., gender), collaborating strategic plan with Kosovo Women’s Network (Prishtina), with focus on: gender-inequality, women’s economic empowerment / heath, gender-based violence Show less



Center for Civil Society Developement

• International Program Consultant

  • Jun 2007 - Mar 2008

  Provided Subject Matter Expertise (SME) on collaboration / establishing Youth Councils, and Activities with two Strategic Objectives: youth are connected across ethnic lines and inter-ethnic tolerance support to Youth Councils election processes in schools in coordination with Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, UNICEF and OSCE Liaised with donors for “Youth Securing the Future Project (2006-2009), jointly-funded by Catholic Relief Services & USAID for the two-year, $995K project, targeting 7 Kosovo municipalities, focused on advocacy, local media participation, and diversity mainstreaming for youth economic empowerment for pro-active participation in society; connected reps of different ethnicities in a City-Wide Youth Council (CWYC) of Mitrovica, a model for youth to work together to address shared problems with commonly developed solutions, and implement the ideas despite ethnic divisions, targeting 26 schools in North and North-West Kosovo, ~390 youth council members, targeting ~15,000 students; implement mini-grant project,/Performed community outreach/advocacy with municipal/central authorities for Roma IDPs in Kosovo with goal of ethnic-reconciliation and integration of the Roma; promote YSF youth project, and raise awareness on the situation of non-Serb communities in North Kosovo; efforts resulted in: a) increased mobilization / engagement of youth b) increased capacity in K-Albanian communities resulting in Youth Councils (YCs) / most City-wide Youth Councils (CWYCs) operating independently; c) Creation of Principal’s Coalition Initiative incentive for administrators to engage in common issues, and d) Principals Coalition initiative, supported by Swiss Government, a direct spin-off of the project; e) creation of Youth Councils / City-wide Councils promoting youth engagement, ethnic reconciliation, job opportunities Performed as Regional Coordinator to monitor election, collect / report election results Show less



Balkan Sunflowers

• United States
• Civic and Social Organizations
• 1 - 100 Employee

• EVS Program Assistant

  • May 2007 - Feb 2008



Center for International Policy

• United States
• Think Tanks
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Undergraduate Researcher

  • Jan 2003 - Jun 2003

  Research, conference/workshop organization, Capital Hill lobbying, administrative duties related to: US-CUBA Travel Program Research, conference/workshop organization, Capital Hill lobbying, administrative duties related to: US-CUBA Travel Program