Curriculum Vitae

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Interim Chief of Communications

Center for Popular Democracy | New York, NY | November 2022-Present

This interim position oversees the Communications Department, leads big picture narrative work, and serves on the Senior Leadership Team at Center for Popular Democracy, and our c4 sister organization CPD Action.

My responsibilities include:

- Managing communications staff and consultants, directly supervising director-level staff, and managing hiring and orientation process of new staff

- Providing and modeling excellent goal setting, supervision/management, coaching, staff engagement, team coordination and staff development practices through supervision relationships, and holding team to high standards in all of our work, with attention to managing across difference and other ways to ensure diversity, equity, and inclusion

- Leading team-wide project management, coordination and workflow, approving and overseeing of organizational communications, and aligning with leadership on organizational priorities for communications work. Ensuring all project management is moving us towards our long term base-building and narrative goals

- Managing long term narrative development in coordination with the Executive Team and SLT, and with the leads of campaigns and affiliates. Providing strategic partnership and managing tactical communications support for campaigns around storytelling in support of our narrative vision and base-building goals

- Providing and modeling leadership with the Senior Leadership Team (SLT) to build our desired organizational culture, set and meet annual goals, and achieve our strategic vision

Creative Director

Center for Popular Democracy | New York, NY | January 2022-Present

As the Creative Director at Center for Popular Democracy, and our c4 sister organization CPD Action, I work with the Executive Team and the Communications Department to oversee CPD's visual identity across the website, in-person events, merchandise, social media, and all visual materials.

Content Creation Strategies & Implementation
- Overseeing content creation that aligns voice and brand to advance organizational goals and ideological frame, including the development of unique creative concepts and assets for online and off-line events, campaigns, and organizing efforts
- Providing expert guidance and supporting colleagues on branding, design, and storytelling strategies for successful coordination and greater impact
- Identifying opportunities for “non-traditional” communications like visual actions, in collaboration with the Digital and Media Relations Directors
- Developing creative support materials for internal teams & affiliates

Supervise Creative Team & Manage Infrastructure
- Supervising a 3-5 person content creation team, creating a positive, inspiring environment in which team members can learn, grow, receive regular feedback, and thrive in their roles
- Working with creative team to proactively spot opportunities for timely content creation, managing requests for content, and developing systems and infrastructure that support content needs for rapid response moments as well as long-term vision.
- Working with a team on video production, from ideation to post-production

Grassroots Fundraising & Special Projects
- Developing & overseeing creative grassroots fundraising projects, in partnership with the Digital & Development teams, including merchandise, e-commerce, artist collaborations, influencer engagements and other special projects
- Establishing and tracking performance metrics, and providing quarterly reports to the Senior Leadership Team and Executive Team

Digital Director

Center for Popular Democracy | New York, NY | August 2021-Present

As Digital Director at Center for Popular Democracy, and our c4 sister organization CPD Action, I lead on digital communications strategy and oversaw the hiring, supervision and professional development of a 3-5 person digital team and several consultants that manage digital campaigns, conceptualizing the effective deployment of digital tactics.

Direct CPD/A's Digital Strategy and Tactics and Advance CPD/A Goals using Digital Communication

- Developed, approved and managed website, social media content and email content
- Created, collaborated on, and managed digital communications plans and campaigns (including for social, email, and web)
- Coordinated and collaborated with the Development Department on online fundraising campaigns and strategies

Supervise and Hire Digital Team, Manage Contractors, and Supporte Capacity-Building Work Across the Organization and Network

- Supervised 3-5 staff on the digital team and created a positive environment where staff could do their best work and grow
- Managed external digital capacity, including recruiting consultants and vetting agencies
- Provided guidance, coaching and strategic support to digital organizers and communicators across CPD/A staff and network for successful coordination and greater impact

Departmental Project Management, Infrastructure, & Administration

- Supported and built infrastructure needed for successful digital strategy
- Played a leading role in supporting and executing effective project management for the Communication's department
- Participated in key departmental meetings and processes for effective administration of the department (e.g. annual planning, quarterly goal reviews, team meetings and retreats)
- Developed systems to manage and respond to requests for digital communications support, including managing a digital content calendar
- Developed and reviewed metrics to evaluate digital strategies and adjusted tactics accordingly

CO-FOUNDER

Masks For America | New York, NY | March 2020-Present

As a veteran startup founder of several nonprofits and social enterprises, I am ideally suited to build initial financial models, operations, administrative, financial and legal systems, partnerships, communications strategies, digital platforms and key recruitment for a national PPE donation program. In addition, my 15 years of supply chain + procurement experience allowed me to source high quality, FDA-certified masks from reliable sources and get them shipped rapidly to communities.

Financial & Nonprofit Strategy

·  Created the initial financial model for Masks For America, leveraging existing relationships with high net-worth donors, celebrities, politicians and national organizations to successfully launch on GoFundMe

· Negotiate financial & legal relationship with 501c3 fiscal sponsor to administer the project at a competitive rate with full administrative support

· Consistently fundraise through grassroots & institutional donors

Digital Platforms & Design

·  Recruit world renowned comic book artist to create custom artwork, font and logo for Masks For America, provide ongoing feedback on brand development and all new artwork

· Personally design, develop and launch Masks For America on Squarespace platform with custom CSS

Logistics & Supply Chain Management

· Contact and vet domestic & international PPE sources, verify authenticity, ensure hospitals & clinics have necessary documentation

· Negotiate grants and below market pricing for shipping, customs and insurance for a wide range of masks, hand sanitizer, safety goggles, and face shields

·  Maintain distribution and shipping database for over 500K pieces shipped to 250 locations

Volunteer Coordination

·  Recruit and support volunteer regional and departmental leads, conduct weekly Zoom meetings and daily check-ins, organize grants for volunteers

Communications

·  Work with PR professionals to write op-eds, conduct radio, TV and livestream interviews

Partnerships

· Work with our Medical Advisory Board to recruit healthcare, social justice, nonprofit, media and other types of advantageous partnerships

CHIEF MISSION OFFICER

Melissa & Doug LLC | Wilton, CT | 2019-2020

Reporting directly to the founders, Melissa & Doug, and President, my role was a completely new experiment in their continuing commitment to bring their mission to life for parents, and children and help to lead the conversation to evangelize the value of play worldwide. Much more than building brands and campaigns, my role was about changing the lives of children by promoting equitable childhoods filled with open-ended play, creativity, and fun.

The position required boundless creativity and curiosity combined with an entrepreneurial mindset, given that their desire was to disrupt and awaken thought leaders and policy makers, they required a leader with tremendous presence and communication skills. The position involved unparalleled grit and resourcefulness to bring the company’s ideas to life in new and innovative ways. They asked me to not just think outside the box; but to have no box at all.

·       Position Melissa & Doug at the heart of the movement to make creativity and play central to childhood. This means more than traditional brand building and PR: this means leading the
brand as a crusader

·       Lead all marketing channels and disciplines with an emphasis on partnerships, brand, community, and PR. Also lead social, digital, mobile and retail efforts

·       Build, lead, and mentor a high-performing, inspiring, creative, and world- class marketing organization (currently 12 team members and growing)

·       Partner with Chief Creative Officer Melissa Bernstein to challenge educators and institutions to champion free play

·       Build impactful and lasting win/win partnerships with leading children's advocacy organizations (e.g. American Academy of Pediatrics)

·       Lead by example: act as the visionary chief advocate, while rolling up her sleeves with the team

·        Lead the creation of mission-related artwork and visual assets

·       Partner with the merchant and product development teams to influence packaging that will communicate and illustrate the Melissa & Doug mission

CO-PRESIDENT and NATIONAL CO-CHAIR

Women’s March National  | New York, NY | 2016-2019 

As Co-President and a Board Member of Women's March, a 501(c)4 nonprofit social and political advocacy organization, my role was to bring together all of the stakeholder groups that made Women's March the birthplace of an intersectional, women-led resistance and facilitate the co-creation of the strategic vision and action plan for a lasting movement. My role also includes a wide range of duties from media engagement to public speaking to fundraising and development.  

The continuing mission of Women's March is to harness the political power of diverse women and their communities to create transformative social change. Women’s March is a movement of nonviolent resistance, and we are committed to dismantling systems of oppression and building inclusive structures guided by self-determination, dignity and respect.  

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER + FOUNDER

Manufacture New York  | Brooklyn, NY | 2012-2016

This project was based around my practical experience over 10 years as an NYC designer, and desire to help create social good within the fashion industry at large, especially here in New York City. If something like Manufacture New York already existed, I would be a member & producing my fashion label there.

With the current infrastructure of domestic apparel manufacturing dwindling, we simply had to create a new model. There were old factories sitting empty, and industrial space in the Garment District is being rezoned as residential/commercial. There were excellent, hard-working production managers and sewers who are now working out of their homes, have had to change industries, or are simply unemployed. And there were a generation of talented fashion entrepreneurs who have built loyal followings around their brands' stylistic brilliance and forward-thinking innovation, but had woefully limited options when it comes to making their product available to a larger audience.

Right now, the only way you can realistically produce and distribute your fashion designs is either by yourself or with a small studio on Etsy, or by outsourcing to foreign manufacturers whose minimum order requirements are almost always too large for even well-established emerging designers. That is why almost every new collection the public hears about today is fronted either by a celebrity or a big brand with pre-existing factory relationships. There was an "A"...and a "C"...but no "B".

Manufacture New York existed to connect the dots-to mentor, train and supply independent designers with affordable, consistent production resources so that their brands could grow.