Gaining Experience Daily
Arts Program Manager - Dogwood Arts - Knoxville, TN
• Designed & managed aspects of the year-round planning and production of art & culture events in Knoxville, Tennessee in collaboration with a small team. Our events & exhibitions include the Dogwood Arts Festival serving thousands of artists since 1961, an art festival created for hundreds of school-aged children with disabilities, Knoxville's largest public mural & sculpture programs, art kits for youth artists without educational supplies during the pandemic, creative placemaking initiatives that have transformed the heart of the city while empowering artists and small businesses.
Co-Founder - Tomorrow Today (A Design Practice) - Cincinnati, OH
• Designed People’s Liberty, a philanthropic lab that brings together civic-minded talent to address challenges and uncover opportunities to accelerate the positive transformation of Greater Cincinnati.
Program Director - People’s Liberty (A Philanthropic Lab) - Cincinnati, OH
• Designed grantmaking tools and systems for awarding over $500,000 annually for five years to individuals living within Greater Cincinnati for innovative community development and civic engagement projects. Hosted training sessions, workshops, and events for over 400 local creatives and entrepreneurs.
Senior Project Manager - Little Things Labs - Detroit, MI
• Designed Neideas Competition awarding $500,000 annually to entrepreneurs in Detroit with the New Economy Initiative
• Managed Placemarket an online platform for creative placemaking initiatives for the Michigan Municipal League
• Curated the place track for Ashoka Future Forum, an event for 400+ leading social entrepreneurs
• Implemented City Swap, a three-day leadership exchange for foundations, nonprofits, and city partners
• Created Start Empathy, a national educational toolkit for K-5 teachers, in partnership with Ashoka
• Coordinated the Van Dusen Urban Leadership Forum, a national speaker series hosted by Wayne State University
MakeWork Director & Administrator - Chattanooga, TN
• Created program toolkit for individual art grants
• Coordinated artist roundtables addressing small business challenges for creatives
• Designed exhibitions highlighting the CreateHere model emphasizing art, culture, and economy
• Administered grants to creatives for projects, studio assistance, and career advancement
• Produced multimedia development package for sustaining MakeWork for an additional 3 years raising $400,000+