Dan Hester Email & Phone Number

Lucerne Valley, California, United States

The River’s Edge Ranch (RER) serves men primarily in San Bernardino County – men who seek to recover from the travails of substance abuse. Using a proven, multi-phase approach that integrates the use of animal-assisted therapy, service to others, faith, and mentoring support, the RER has restored and transformed the lives of many who have successfully completed the program. As the Development Manager for the Ranch I am responsible for preparing grant applications for foundation and corporate support and providing stewardship.

United States

Veteran program director with a demonstrated track record of building and optimizing international programs for world-renowned universities. Exceptional talent for capitalizing on opportunities to expand the university’s reach and overall impact on the student educational experience. Leverages solid business acumen and relationship-building skills to ensure behind the scenes operational and financial success. Extensive background in international education, research, and training initiatives spanning the AMER, APAC, and EMEA regions.

United States

Planned, developed, and managed USC’s international program objectives and content. Placed heavy focus on researching and identifying trends and needs, initiating domestic and international events, and establishing program roadmaps. • Conceptualized and launched the highly successful Global and National Immersion programs in response to USC’s desire to expand global opportunities for students. Held oversight of recruitment, budgets, and overall execution to successfully place 1,200 students and dozens of faculty members in short-term programs in the EMEA, APAC, and AMER regions.• Co-created the U.K. Post-Graduate Certificate Program with the goal of providing MSW graduates overseas work opportunities. Efforts have successfully placed dozens of MSW graduates in U.K.-based social service roles and will be expanding to Australia in 2020.• Played an integral role in the development of the Network of Korean-American Leaders (NetKAL), a leadership training program designed to cultivate strong relations between South Korea and the United States while providing a unique educational platform for 1.5 and 2nd generation Korean-American mid-career professionals.• Helped expand USC’s international presence by planning and facilitating numerous major international conferences, forums, and workshops, including 2011 4th Conference on International Social Work; IASSW Board Meeting and Mini-Conference at USC in Los Angeles; 2013 7th International Conference on Social Work in Health and Mental Health at USC in Los Angeles; 2016 CSWE Global Social Issues Forum on International Post-Disaster Recovery and Relief: Why Social Work Matters at Sri Lanka Mission to the UN in New York City; 2017/2018/2019 Association of Pacific Rim Universities Symposiums and working meetings on Policy and Professional Practice to Enhance the Health and Well-Being of Military Veterans in the Pacific Rim at USC in Los Angeles; etc.

United States

Held two roles with progressing responsibility, first identifying and preparing grant applications for public and private funding of international development initiatives and later managing professional development and affiliation program activities including the Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship program. • Boosted the Center’s international engagement by securing $1M+ in Federal funding to aid in the development and management of international training programs in Russia, Ukraine, Africa (Ghana and Malawi), Chile, and South Korea.• Played a key role in establishing the Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship program at Michigan State University and laying the groundwork for a program that continues to host and train hundreds of professionals from developing countries worldwide. • Built and led MSU’s Semester Study and Internship Program in Washington, D.C., successfully placing hundreds of students in career-launching employment opportunities.• Key projects included Strengthening Local Governance: A Partnership Among Ghana, Malawi and the United States; Ukraine/Michigan Program on Integrating Ethics into Democratic Governance; Reassessing and Reinventing Local Government: A Korea/U.S. Exchange Program; Leadership Training Programs in Hungary and Romania; the Sri Lanka/Michigan Exchange Program on Ethnic Relations; the Siberian Political Leadership Program; the Korea National Housing Corporation and Korea Land Corporation programs; and Korean mayors training programs.

United States

Hired to assist in program design, implementation, and evaluation of organizational initiatives for this non-profit, cultural, and educational organization. • Researched, solicited, and wrote grants that totaled approximately $6M for federally funded projects between the United States, the Newly Independent States of the former Soviet Union, and Central/Eastern Europe. • Managed international exchange projects, including program design, implementation, and evaluation.

Brussels Area, Belgium

Co-founded this first of its kind non-profit association for education, training, and research on European cooperation and integration. • Planned and administered the development of the association’s educational and training programs in Brussels, Belgium; Luxembourg City, Luxembourg; and Strasbourg, France. • Directed the association’s development efforts in securing financial support from the European Union, Council of Europe, businesses, foundations, and other sources. • Established financial management systems for the association, including budget planning, bookkeeping, accountancy, and cost controls.• Successfully connected 1,000+ students, government officials, and other key stakeholders throughout Europe with European institutions and organizations.

United States

Developed and directed the foundation’s international initiatives in Europe, the former Soviet Union, and Pacific Rim. • Established cooperative project ventures between the foundation and numerous international institutions and organizations.• Solicited and secured federal and private financial support for joint United States/European student exchange programs. • Administered the foundation’s international exchange programs and special projects in both the United States and Europe. • Trained and managed personnel of the foundation responsible for the marketing of programs and development of on-site, community-based education projects.• Organized foundation’s national outreach in six states, developing overall strategies, planning for marketing, administration, and program development.• Supervised and monitored state-wide networks of educators, politicians, and businesspersons through on-site visits, extensive telephone contact, and written communications.

Bachelor'S Degree, Political Science And Government

Activities and Societies: Study Abroad Programs - Ghana and South Korea

Graduate Work: Master’S Program In International Management

Activities and Societies: Practicum - Harvard University Graduate School of Education

Degree Work In Sociology And Education

Activities and Societies: Student teaching at Wentworth Castle College of Education, Barnsley, South Yorkshire, England