Jessica M. Castillo Email & Phone Number

Miami, Fl, Us

Global

Professional creative services including writing, editing, photography, and content creation and management. Engage with diverse clients and industries to provide writing, editing, photography, and design services.Clients and projects include:• Jackrabbit Studios, an artist residency retreat space near Joshua Tree, California—provide creative nonfiction writing and editing services, including website copy and social media content, and photography, photo editing, and design services for the web and marketing materials; advise and collaborate with founder/owner.• Andana Consulting, a marketing and proposal support services firm based in Baltimore—provide technical writing, editing, and quality control reviews for complex proposals and marketing materials for a broad range of clients and contracts: from large, multimillion-dollar IDIQ federal government contracts to municipal proposals, and for a multitude of industries: from construction, engineering, and design to water and environmental resource planning.• Individuals seeking portrait and event photography services, including environmental and studio portraits, weddings, and graduations.• Writing specialities: technical writing, content writing, copywriting, copy editing, creative nonfiction, and journalistic reported stories.• Photography specialties: portraits, lifestyle, street, events.

Washington, District Of Columbia, United States

• Supported disaster response and recovery through bilingual writing, editing, technical assistance, strategy, planning, and data and project management for federal government clients including the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA).• Select projects: supported SBA’s COVID-19 disaster response and recovery efforts in Washington, DC, and remotely; supported HHS’ disaster recovery efforts in California and Puerto Rico, managing over 30 staff.

Washington D.C. Metro Area

Supported environmental protection, climate change action, and social justice through technical writing and editing, strategy, planning, research, data analysis, evaluation, bilingual strategic communications, translation, transcription, and data and project management for federal climate change, environmental, and democracy assistance programs of the U.S. Department of State (DOS), USAID, the U.S. Department of Energy, and NASA. Select assignments:• Evaluation of Global Climate Change Initiative (GCCI) Projects—DOS Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs (OES), Office of Global Change (EGC): Conducted Data Quality Assessments and provided Monitoring & Evaluation (M&E) technical assistance to grantees and implementers, including training on GCCI Indicators; Created surveys, evaluations, and an MS Access database of project data on implementers' compliance with GCCI Indicators and overall M&E systems.• Regional Risk Assessments and a Gender Study in East and West Africa—USAID Africa Bureau: Provided technical editing for the final report of a study of gender roles and violent extremism in East and West Africa, focusing on research in Mali, Niger, and Uganda.• Performance Evaluation of the Municipal Development through Infrastructure Financing Activity—USAID E3 Analytics and Evaluation Program: Provided technical writing and editing for the evaluation’s final report, which assessed the effectiveness of the 16-year USAID Global Development Alliance collaboration between USAID Mexico and Evensen Dodge International, Inc. to increase Mexican private sector investment in essential municipal infrastructure.• Technical Assistance and Evaluation of USAID Mexico’s Communities and Renewable Energy (CER) Project —USAID E3 Analytics and Evaluation Program: Provided bilingual translation and technical writing and editing of CER community workshops, strategic meetings, surveys, and outreach materials on renewable energy activities across Mexico.

Miami/Fort Lauderdale Area

• Helped tell the story of the university community by serving as content manager, producer, writer, editor, and photographer for interactive multimedia UM News Special Reports and Special Features.• Engaged readers with the university through adaptable storytelling—writing, editing, photography, and digital asset management of web, social media, and print content—for UM News stories on science, environment, technology, arts, and humanities research and events, reporting on stories globally, from South Florida and the Everglades to the Atlantic Ocean and Cuba.

Washington D.C. And Amman, Jordan

• Graduate student practicum capstone project led by Amb. Sally Shelton-Colby, coordinated through American University’s School of International Service. • Supported social equity initiatives in developing communities in Jordan by evaluating NDI’s role and effectiveness in implementing democracy assistance programs in the country, including projects supporting civic and political engagement and youth and women's empowerment, through research and interviews with experts and stakeholders. • Conducted qualitative research and interviewed experts and stakeholders in Washington, DC, and Amman, Jordan.• Co-authored, designed, and produced the project’s final report, detailing best practices and providing constructive recommendations for NDI’s Jordan programming.

Washington D.C. Metro Area

Project supporting the USAID Bureau for Democracy, Conflict, and Humanitarian Assistance (DCHA) Office of Transition Initiatives (OTI) Yemen Program• Helped ensure government integrity by analyzing M&E documents and captivatingly telling each story of 188 USAID humanitarian assistance projects in conflict communities in Yemen, including projects supporting youth and women’s civic and political engagement and of strengthened roads, schools, and water and energy infrastructure.• Captured project outputs and outcomes, best practices, lessons learned, and recommendations in an MS Access database for all 188 projects.• Liaised with various IOM and OTI stakeholders, enhancing a strong symbiotic working relationship.• Created an internal M&E reference guide to improve data quality and report writing.

Washington D.C.

• Increased awareness of international affairs issues in the local community by researching and producing marketing content for international affairs panel discussions and events, and coordinating and managing dozens of International Affairs, Global Education, and Young Professionals events.• Helped raise $1 million for WAC-DC's Annual Global Education Gala, hosting diplomats and other high-level officials.

Washington D.C.

• Strengthened a foundation of family, health, and education for DC’s most vulnerable children and families by supporting grant proposals, management, strategy, and assessment through research, analysis, writing, and program evaluation.• Collected, analyzed, and reported on bilingual qualitative and quantitative program data for internal decision-making and reporting to local foundations and municipal governments.

Fairfax, Va

• Helped ensure government integrity and accountability by reviewing travel and expense reimbursement reports against the Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR), the Federal Travel Regulation (FTR), and internal compliance standards and procedures for more than 6,000 employees working on a variety of federal government contracts.• Performed data reconciliation and analysis of vendor and executive corporate credit card accounts.• Streamlined A/P processes by creating desktop user guides.

Gainesville, Fl

• Helped strengthen family bonds by demonstrating positive role modeling for parents and guardians, while ensuring children’s safety.• Observed and documented court-ordered supervised family visits.

Vienna, Va

Project supporting the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Office of Public and Indian Housing• Helped families and individuals in need of affordable housing by performing market research and analyses of various municipal housing authorities, including in rural Pennsylvania and the U.S. Virgin Islands, and serving as a call center representative, for the HUD Office of Public and Indian Housing.

Miami, Fl

• Disseminated county information to constituents, routed calls as appropriate and handled county agency service requests.

Certificate In Editing

Poynter ACES Certificate in Editing

Writers' Program Certificate, Creative Writing

Certificate, Street Photography

M.A., International Relations And Affairs

Specialty: International Organizations, International Development Research Focus: Global and institutional governance of the environment.

Non-Degree Program, Summer Program On The Wto, International Trade And Development

Lectures, specialized workshops, trade negotiation simulations, and site visits that provided a solid understanding of the effects.

B.S., Psychology

Minor: International Studies

Uf Summer Study Abroad Program

Coursework and excursions exploring French history, language and culture.