Designed to keep strong leaders in Newark, the Victoria Emerging Leaders Program provides rigorous and high quality professional development for nonprofit leaders to help them become more effective in their goals as leaders.

As Program Director, I oversaw 8 year-long programs for over 2500 youth and adults in the Greater Newark area, and manage a teaching staff of 8 artists and teachers. Education programming includes STEAM, literacy, business and 21st Century skills.

Manage teaching artists, site directors and administrative staff, teach professional development workshops in various disciplines such as Creative Writing, Storytelling, Literacy and Theater for NYCDOE teachers and teaching artists, oversee budgeting, grant and curriculum writing, marketing and public relations, maintain relationships with cultural partner, government organizations and NYC schools, excellent public speaking and writing skills.

Manage, create and collaborate with arts education directors in all aspects of theater programming for New York City students and teachers (K-12) including, writing professional development materials aligned with the Common Core and Arts Blueprint, Theater Exit Exams, musical theater and Shakespeare training for theater teachers, and managing the Broadway JR program and American Voices pilot program.

As Director of YTI, taught 12-week acting/writing program in which NYC teens acted, wrote and directed their own original ensemble theater piece created from their own lives. Program intended to promote self-expression, a love of writing and development of social and literacy skills for underserved high school students. Program resulted in self-sustainability for DOE teachers to run after three year period. As Teaching Artist introduced inner-city middle and high school students and… Show more As Director of YTI, taught 12-week acting/writing program in which NYC teens acted, wrote and directed their own original ensemble theater piece created from their own lives. Program intended to promote self-expression, a love of writing and development of social and literacy skills for underserved high school students. Program resulted in self-sustainability for DOE teachers to run after three year period. As Teaching Artist introduced inner-city middle and high school students and community groups to Broadway theater, through improvisation, acting and writing. Design lessons that teach theater as communicative art form, collaborate planning/writing of lesson plans with NYC DOE teachers and other artists. Includes field trip to Broadway show with students/groups and follow up in-depth discussions and journal writing of their observations. Show less

Managed projects for this public relations and marketing communications firm, including such clients as Baldwin Hardware, Waterford Crystal; and several international tourism boards. Wrote and edited press releases, pitch letters, proposals, speeches and status reportsPitched story ideas relating to clients' products and services to a wide array of journalists and editors including those in trade and general interest pressPlanned and managed press eventsTrained and supervised… Show more Managed projects for this public relations and marketing communications firm, including such clients as Baldwin Hardware, Waterford Crystal; and several international tourism boards. Wrote and edited press releases, pitch letters, proposals, speeches and status reportsPitched story ideas relating to clients' products and services to a wide array of journalists and editors including those in trade and general interest pressPlanned and managed press eventsTrained and supervised administrative staff in office procedures 1999 to 2008 Show less

KLEPTO, 2006: A young-adult, hard-cover novel about best friends, first love and shoplifting. Published by VIKING CHILDREN’S BOOKS, a division of Penguin Publishing, New York, NY. Received excellent reviews in leading trade journals such as, PW, Kirkus and School Library Journal, resulting in publication of special edition “splash-proof beach-read” paperback, released in May, 2007. General paperback release: February 2008. Named a NYPL Book for the Teen Age in 2007; a “Cool New… Show more KLEPTO, 2006: A young-adult, hard-cover novel about best friends, first love and shoplifting. Published by VIKING CHILDREN’S BOOKS, a division of Penguin Publishing, New York, NY. Received excellent reviews in leading trade journals such as, PW, Kirkus and School Library Journal, resulting in publication of special edition “splash-proof beach-read” paperback, released in May, 2007. General paperback release: February 2008. Named a NYPL Book for the Teen Age in 2007; a “Cool New Read” of 2006 on Teenreads.com. Show less

Playmaking & Homework Help ProgramsIn Playmaking: teach inner-city children, ages 9-12, how to write a short play and the basic elements of theater. In Homework Help: assist inner-city children, ages 9-14, with homework in all subjects.