Experience

Academy of American Poets

• United States
• Museums, Historical Sites, and Zoos
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Poetry Coalition Fellow at Zoeglossia

  • Sep 2021 - Present

  • Guide strategic development and operations for an emerging literary nonprofit organization created in 2019 to provide community, professional development, resources, and an annual workshop/retreat for poets with disabilities • Co-direct 4-day Annual Fellows Retreat (virtual since the pandemic) for approximately 30 participants, 4 faculty, multiple workshop leaders, and a keynote speaker • Co-manage public programming, off-site readings, and marketplace/bookfair presence at the annual AWP Conference • Provide year-round support to Zoeglossia Fellows who have attended Annual Retreats by planning and facilitating Second Sunday Salons, a quarterly gathering for social support, mutual-aid/resource sharing, and workshopping. Show less



Crayons on the Back Porch

• "Rural Hip Hop Blues" Artist

  • Jun 2001 - Present

  The central tenets of my rural hip-hop blues aesthetic are concerned with world-building and re- presentation. I center my aesthetic in Rural, as my writing is informed by multigenerational experiences in South Carolina’s Lowcountry region, especially of sharecropping and segregation, but also religiosity and self-determination. A child of the 1980’s, I found my voice during the golden age of Hip-Hop; my aesthetic owes much to the innovation, resistance, and solidarity needed to sustain music, and movements, alike. As a genre and worldview, Blues completes the circle, comforting and challenging my aesthetic with its public expressions of struggle and sadness—vulnerabilities rarely afforded us Black, disabled people. For example, a rural hip-hop blues perspective on nature poetry requires a reckoning with sharecropping, chain gangs, convict leasing, and other oppressive, state-sanctioned systems that complicate Black folks’ relationship with the land. A reductionist pastoral poetic, whitewashed and bucolic, is simply not an option within the world-building I engage in. Re-presentation involves showing more expansive, inclusive versions/visions of the literary arts landscape. To this end, I am seeking to embrace an integrated poetics, rather than feeling situated *between* Black Poetics and Disability Poetics and Ecopoetics. Show less



ConTextos

• Portugal
• Civic and Social Organizations
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Volunteer Salon Speaker and Author Circle Mentor

  • Nov 2017 - Present

  As a Volunteer Salon Speaker and Author Circle mentor with ConTextos Chicago Project, I engage with published Alumni Authors at Cook County Jail Division 10 to discuss not only poetry and poetics, but also fatherhood and child development. As a Volunteer Salon Speaker and Author Circle mentor with ConTextos Chicago Project, I engage with published Alumni Authors at Cook County Jail Division 10 to discuss not only poetry and poetics, but also fatherhood and child development.



Experimental Station

• Civic and Social Organizations
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Volunteer Market Box Collaborator

  • Mar 2020 - Present

  Early in the COVID19 pandemic, I produced and released the rural hip-hop blues album You Just (Try to) Keep On: Songs of Solidarity + Self-Care, as a fundraiser (netting over $3,000) for Market Box, a mutual aid food distribution collaborative of Experimental Station, Star Farm, and 35 other local farms. I also published The People’s Grab-n-Go Coloring Book, included in (over 700) kid-friendly “snack packs” distributed at weekly food distribution pickups. Early in the COVID19 pandemic, I produced and released the rural hip-hop blues album You Just (Try to) Keep On: Songs of Solidarity + Self-Care, as a fundraiser (netting over $3,000) for Market Box, a mutual aid food distribution collaborative of Experimental Station, Star Farm, and 35 other local farms. I also published The People’s Grab-n-Go Coloring Book, included in (over 700) kid-friendly “snack packs” distributed at weekly food distribution pickups.



Open Heart Magic

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

• Volunteer Hospital Magician

  • Jan 2013 - Present

  As a Volunteer Hospital Magician with Open Heart Magic, I help bring engaging, therapeutic one-on-one performances to children and adolescents in isolation rooms at Comer Children's Hospital on Chicago's Southside. 2013 Children's Impact Award Winner "Most Time Spent per Child" As a Volunteer Hospital Magician with Open Heart Magic, I help bring engaging, therapeutic one-on-one performances to children and adolescents in isolation rooms at Comer Children's Hospital on Chicago's Southside. 2013 Children's Impact Award Winner "Most Time Spent per Child"



Chicago Children's Museum

• United States
• Museums, Historical Sites, and Zoos
• 1 - 100 Employee

• VP Community & Educational Partnerships

  • Oct 2015 - Apr 2021

  • Lead the museum’s relationship-based efforts with municipal agencies, community-based organizations, and social service providers to reduce barriers and expand opportunities to access high-quality, culturally-rich museum experiences • Responsible for identifying new museum audiences, establishing vision and action plans for community engagement activities, particularly for children with disabilities, LGBTQ families, foster families, teen parent-headed families, and families affected by incarceration • Select Partnership initiatives include: o Co-creating Beyond Incarceration visitation pilot with Cook County Sheriff’s Office o Reconfiguring the Field Trip Scholarship program with an explicit equity framework o Expanding "Museums for All" discount program to welcome low-income fathers o Creating WePlay Young Parent Playgroup for mothers (age 16-24) in state care o Launching annual National Adoption Day celebration with Illinois DCFS o Co-developing PapaPalooza Play Day + Resource Fair for low-income fathers o Increasing “Play for All” arts and cultural programming for visitors with disabilities • Collaborate on culturally-responsive evaluations, including survey development, focus group facilitation, and convening parents, caregivers, and educators • Co-chair museum’s Diversity, Equity, Access, and Inclusion (DEAI) teams and support professional museum organizations as thought leader at national trainings and conferences Show less



The BUILD Initiative

• United States
• Public Policy Offices
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Equity Leaders Action Network Fellow

  • Dec 2015 - May 2016

  Equity Leaders Action Network (ELAN) leaders will work together over three years to identify, address and take action on inequities based on race, ethnicity, language and culture in our early childhood state systems. Equity Leaders Action Network (ELAN) leaders will work together over three years to identify, address and take action on inequities based on race, ethnicity, language and culture in our early childhood state systems.



Illinois Action for Children

• United States
• Individual and Family Services
• 200 - 300 Employee

• Program Development Manager, Oral Health and Families

  • Jul 2013 - Sep 2015

  Develop and manage a multi-year, statewide oral health education and outreach pilot targeting young children (birth-to-five) enrolled in child care programs, and their parents (funded by Illinois Children’s Healthcare Foundation). Illinois Action for Children's SMILE Oral Health Project relies on child care providers serving as intermediaries to educating young children and their families on oral health best practices, and linking them to a dental home.

• Illinois Early Childhood Fellow

  • Jun 2011 - Jul 2013

  • Develop community outreach and messaging for parents and childcare centers as part of Federal Race to the Top—Early Learning Challenge Grant• Plan and facilitate a Teen Parent Symposium for local and state leaders on education, childcare, and housing policies• Pilot grassroots leadership/advocacy curriculum for teen parents• Expand community partnerships for Teen Parent Project’s childcare referral service



Illinois DCFS Office of the Inspector General

• Teen Parent Mediator, Community Trainer

  • May 2010 - Dec 2013

  • Co-lead ‘Mediation for New Parents’ pilot project on co-parenting for wards of the state • Develop and facilitate infant mortality reduction trainings for DCFS staff, Teen Parenting Service Network partner agencies, and wards of the state • Design and administer statewide caseworker survey of education outcomes and wellness indicators of pregnant/parenting wards; contribute data to DCFS Child Death Report • Co-lead ‘Mediation for New Parents’ pilot project on co-parenting for wards of the state • Develop and facilitate infant mortality reduction trainings for DCFS staff, Teen Parenting Service Network partner agencies, and wards of the state • Design and administer statewide caseworker survey of education outcomes and wellness indicators of pregnant/parenting wards; contribute data to DCFS Child Death Report



Brighton Park Neighborhood Council

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

• John C. Burroughs Community Schools Program Assistant

  • Aug 2010 - Jun 2011

  • Conducted community needs assessments, parent surveys, and student focus groups to design and coordinate programs at Burroughs Elementary School •Participated in Brighton Park Neighborhood Council’s education advocacy campaigns for full-service community school funding, neighborhood safety, and school-based health care •Designed and taught 7th - 8th grade creative arts curriculum at Shields Elementary School • Conducted community needs assessments, parent surveys, and student focus groups to design and coordinate programs at Burroughs Elementary School •Participated in Brighton Park Neighborhood Council’s education advocacy campaigns for full-service community school funding, neighborhood safety, and school-based health care •Designed and taught 7th - 8th grade creative arts curriculum at Shields Elementary School



Woodlawn Children's Promise Community

• Philanthropic Fundraising Services

• Health and Wellness Research Assistant

  • Sep 2009 - Jun 2010

  • Supported diverse group of stakeholders working to replicate and expand Harlem Children’s Zone model for Chicago’s Woodlawn neighborhood • Conducted best practices research for community violence prevention, youth mentoring programs, school-based health centers, and family work-support initiatives • Supported diverse group of stakeholders working to replicate and expand Harlem Children’s Zone model for Chicago’s Woodlawn neighborhood • Conducted best practices research for community violence prevention, youth mentoring programs, school-based health centers, and family work-support initiatives



Youth Outreach Services

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

• Social Work Counselor

  • Sep 2009 - Jun 2010

  • Managed diverse caseload of teenage youth diagnosed with substance use disorders • Conducted individual therapy sessions with at-risk male students at Maple Park Academy alternative high school • Managed diverse caseload of teenage youth diagnosed with substance use disorders • Conducted individual therapy sessions with at-risk male students at Maple Park Academy alternative high school



M.O.M.I.E's TLC

• Youth Educator, Program Developer/Consultant

  • Aug 2001 - Jul 2009

  •Designed and administered school programs in environmental education, health/wellness, and Black history •Led civic leadership development workshops in high schools •Designed and administered school programs in environmental education, health/wellness, and Black history •Led civic leadership development workshops in high schools



Michigan State University, Department of Psychology

• Young Men’s Health Study Research Assistant

  • May 2009 - Jun 2009

  • As part of an HIV-prevention project, recruited young African American men who have sex with men in five communities• Conducted in-depth interviews focusing on a range of sensitive topics including sexual behavior, cultural identity, substance use, and trauma history

• Mother Infant Research Study

  • Aug 2007 - May 2009

  Researched effects of domestic violence and community crime on maternal mental health and parenting.



Community Connections, Inc.

• United States
• Mental Health Care
• 100 - 200 Employee

• Men’s Trauma Recovery Empowerment Model & Options-Plus Jail Diversion Project

  • May 2006 - Aug 2007

  Conducted assessments for a trauma intervention project Screened participants for a mental health jail diversion program Conducted assessments for a trauma intervention project Screened participants for a mental health jail diversion program



The Catholic University of America

• Higher Education
• 700 & Above Employee

• DC READS Program Coordinator

  • Aug 2005 - Mar 2007

  Managed a tutoring/literacy program of 150 undergraduate tutors for at-risk students Directed student leadership development, supervision, and team-building activities Managed a tutoring/literacy program of 150 undergraduate tutors for at-risk students Directed student leadership development, supervision, and team-building activities



CooperRiis

• United States
• Mental Health Care
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Senior Residential Advisor

  • Jul 2003 - Aug 2005

  Live-in manager for 12 adults with persistent mental illnesses and personality disorders Delivered traditional therapeutic services in individual and group therapy sessions, as well as life skills training Designed therapeutic activities in the creative and performing arts Live-in manager for 12 adults with persistent mental illnesses and personality disorders Delivered traditional therapeutic services in individual and group therapy sessions, as well as life skills training Designed therapeutic activities in the creative and performing arts



Congressional Hunger Center

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

• Emerson National Hunger Fellow

  • Jul 2002 - Aug 2003

  • Hunger Task Force of Milwaukee: Designed a school-based leadership and job-training program for Fondy Farmer’s Market, later funded by USDA • NETWORK – A National Catholic Social Justice Lobby: Advocated for DREAM Act with faith-based leaders and nonprofit agencies, coordinated Washington, DC neighborhood outreach • Hunger Task Force of Milwaukee: Designed a school-based leadership and job-training program for Fondy Farmer’s Market, later funded by USDA • NETWORK – A National Catholic Social Justice Lobby: Advocated for DREAM Act with faith-based leaders and nonprofit agencies, coordinated Washington, DC neighborhood outreach