We are working to promote culture and diversity in our community, and healing around the table.

As an AmeriCorps VISTA, I have worked a one-year term with the refugee community in Waterloo, Iowa laying the foundation for a cross-cultural community garden. I worked specifically with the Myanmar population. I found new land for the garden, coordinated the lease with the city government, secured equipment, created a website and PR materials, and installed a water source. I organized processes and volunteers to help build capacity for subsequent years. As part of the capacity building, I also mentored a refugee leader in the garden to coordinate volunteers from her community and plan for the season. We regularly practiced basic professional skills and communication in the garden. As her confidence built, I assisted her in setting up a booth in the local farmer's market, where she invited her community to patronize her stand. The market allowed us to practice more skills such as accounting for market proceeds, outreach (social media), and assessing our progress with measurable metrics.

Coordination of all project marketing including branding, brochures, social media, client relationship manager (email marketing), sales goals & budget.

Photography, video, & graphics for small businesses. Strategy and marketing consulting to help small businesses go further with their advertising budget.

Manage accounts payable and receivable, take phone calls, assist with meeting notes and light marketing duties as well as daily office paperwork. Assist with event planning and coordination including volunteers.

Instruct second year photography students in Advanced Portrait Image Editing including skills in Lightroom, Photoshop, and Bridge.

Annual meetings to discuss the direction of the photography program and make changes to reflect the industry in order to more properly prepare the students. I also guest speak each year to a group of students to help them get their portfolios ready.

I worked to create materials promoting the company and its products including magazine ads, social graphics, product photography, and trade show graphics. I collaborated with our speaker team on incorporating their photography into current and new product samples.

Owned, managed and operated a full-service photography studio including managing employees, accounting work, marketing, and strategy planning, new product creation and photographing clients.