Samuel "Richard" Simon Email & Phone Number

Morristown, New Jersey, United States

Consultant to CORE on program management and for “Theatre of Light,” a major community engagement event for the Mayo Performing Arts Center in Morristown that drew over 1,000 attendees, and other ongoing assignments.

Princeton, New Jersey, United States

Review proposals and recommend grants for the Fund which has awarded $6.7M to 192 arts and cultural organizations facing ongoing disruption or loss from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Morristown, New Jersey, United States

Led philanthropic strategies and programs to enhance culturally relevant arts education and ensure that every child in New Jersey receives a sequential and varied arts education, with a priority focus on serving students and teachers in historically under-resourced school districts. Collaborated with all Dodge Foundation program teams on building grantmaking across different streams of work, including designing and implementing the Foundation’s COVID-19 response. • Led and set goals for the Education Program through a major organizational change and transition year, ensuring alignment of grants to new Foundation priorities addressing root cause and repair of systemic racism, including identifying new partnerships and prospective grantees to strengthen programmatic impact, leading to $600,000 in new funding.• Evaluated grant proposals, set timelines and coordinated deliverables for Education Program, and conducted new and current grantee site visits for a docket of 47 grantees receiving $1.9 million in giving.• Maintained communications with Dodge board members and wrote updates and justification for grants for inclusion in quarterly board books.• Co-designed the Foundation’s Equity Framework and program staff accountability rubrics to aid in decision-making, facilitate learning, frame conversations, and measure progress toward strategic goals. Presented an Equity Framework overview to 300 Foundation grantees and partners.• Collaborated on the first full year of a statewide initiative to train staff and personnel in a first cohort of 26 NJ K-12 schools in Healing-Centered Engagement to address ACEs (adverse childhood experiences) and trauma.

Morristown, New Jersey, United States

Senior Program Associate, Arts and Education | 2015 to 2020Program Associate, Arts and Environment | 2011 to 2015Evaluated and managed a high volume of grant proposals, ensured program deliverables. and facilitated, led, or co-led grantee site visits across three major Dodge Foundation programs. Wrote and/or edited funding justifications for proposals and edited final versions of material for inclusion in quarterly board books.• Contributed to the distribution of $5 million in grantmaking per year by overseeing the grantmaking process from Letters of Inquiry to issuance of grant awards contracts across all three major dockets serving 100 + grantees over nine years, including maintaining board communications/relationships.• Oversaw the Prudential Loan Fund, from concept to execution, providing essential bridge-loans to Dodge grantees, including project management of workshops, loan request reviews, awards, and tracking of loan funds resulting in $1.24 million in effective and successfully repaid loans over six years.• Member of the leadership team of the Dodge Arts Integration Initiative in partnership with the New Jersey State Council on the Arts culminating in the creation of an arts integration manual widely used by teaching artists.• Orchestrated the Arts Program Director’s 10-year Arts Portfolio Review, programming five days of focus groups and interviews with almost 90 grantees and assisted in the creation of final report. • Managed the first Dodge Foundation Emerging Leaders group from the first meeting to graduation, providing young leaders with training that led to key new leadership positions. • Hand-picked review panelist for the New Jersey Arts and Cultural Relief Fund in 2020-2021, contributing to the impactful delivery of $3.9 million for arts and cultural organizations facing loss from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Managed the office of the CEO, providing administrative and strategic support to ensure the execution of the CEO’s and foundation’s priorities. Organized, scheduled, and managed CEO & board meeting logistics. Monitored CEO’s calendar and communications. Provided front-line customer service to and advocacy for Dodge Foundation grantees, and maintained and strengthened CEO’s board and internal and external connections and relationships.Selected accomplishments:• Onboarded and transitioned two new Program Directors and a new Program Associate, providing seamless service to grantees and necessary institutional knowledge to the new hires. • Scheduled, planned and executed quarterly board meetings.• Served on integrated teams collaborating with staff from across the foundation that evaluated and chose a website developer, a new telephone system, new grants management software and new software for recording and tracking expenses, as well as serving as an early adopter and evaluator of all new programs.

New York, New York, United States

• Managed external relationships and implemented external communications on behalf of clients for media placement, including composition and editing of articles and position statements.• Oversaw company branding material and speeches. • Provided key support for sensitive client crises responses and client public relations events.

Drama And Dramatics/Theatre Arts, General

Certificate, Professional Theatre Programme

Certificate, Acting