Inspiring Young Changemakers through Media ArtsAs the Executive Director of Outside the Lens, I'm dedicated to cultivating confidence, creativity, and connection in the next generation of changemakers. Our mission is to ignite confidence in young people to pursue creative pathways and drive social change through the transformative power of media arts.Key Impact Areas:• Advancing Organizational Excellence: Strengthening our organization's capacity, funding, and staff expertise to support long-term growth and resilience.• Innovating and Enhancing Programs: Developing and delivering high-quality media arts programs that empower young people to express themselves, build confidence, and drive social change.• Cultivating Community Engagement and Trust: Building collaborative relationships and trusted partnerships to expand our impact, reach, and inclusivity.• Elevating Youth Voice and Leadership: Creating pathways for young people to lead, shape our organization's direction, and develop their creative potential.My Approach:• Collaborative leadership that amplifies diverse perspectives and fosters a culture of belonging• Innovative problem-solving that leverages creativity, expertise, and youth voice• Authentic storytelling that showcases our mission, impact, and the power of creative expression• Data-driven learning and adaptation to emerging needs and challenges

Strategic Leadership & Crisis Management• Contributed as a key member of the senior management team, collaborating with the CEO, trustees, and staff to provide strategic guidance, ensure stability, and advance the organization for the greater good.• Served as part of the interim leadership team in the absence of a CEO during the pandemic (2020-2022), managing the team through an organizational merger. • Developed and executed crisis communication plans ensuring timely and effective communication with staff, trustees, and stakeholders.Institutional Advancement & Fundraising• Successfully rebranded and positioned Forever Balboa Park (twice) as the City of San Diego's key partner for Balboa Park, elevating the organization's visibility and impact.• Spearheaded a comprehensive fundraising effort, creating and launching an individual giving program from scratch, growing the donor base from 30 to over 600, and securing critical funding for the $20M+ capital campaign for the Botanical Building.• Created and launched the annual "sPARK Awards," celebrating innovation and collaboration in Balboa Park and recognizing outstanding achievements.• Developed the "Love Balboa Park" inclusive membership program.• Secured a prestigious place in the Central Park Conservancy's Institute for Urban Parks Partnerships Lab, an eight-month organizational mentorship program and national cohort designed to enhance leadership and collaboration in parks and public spaces.• Presented at the 2019 Project for Public Spaces International Placemaking Week, sharing expertise and best practices in urban parks and placemaking.Personal Reflections:• Thrived in a role that allowed for direct impact and decision-making, driving change and advancement within the organization.• Successfully navigated the complex political environment of Balboa Park, leveraging strategic thinking and empathic skills to build relationships and drive progress.

Help organizations effectively and authentically tell their stories for bottom-line results.Think Big: Pitched and achieved a Guinness World Records® for a client, creatively leveraging an idea for broad, multi-channel impact. Consistently provide clients with creative solutions that exceed expectations and show ROI. Leverage data with creativity to develop authentic brand strategy and messaging for organizations of all sizes, ensuring brand alignment on all internal and external communication platforms. Oversee creative team to generate big ideas, with purpose and results.Work Smarter: Coach clients on internal brand execution and facilitate stakeholder engagement to maximize agency value and cultivate lasting relationships. Forget the zero sum game—identify opportunities to utilize assets and resources for the win-win. Ensure that marketing and communication efforts are well integrated within the organization, to maximize the brand impact and secure buy-in from stakeholders as well as customers. Coach clients and team to develop best practices for strategic planning and brand integration.Lead With Passion: Inspire team members to take risks and ownership of their work. Promote a culture of daring and excellence, where failure is feedback and accountability is valued. Approach client relationships as a strategic consultant and longtime partner. Utilize diverse background and expertise to provide critical insight into business processes and infrastructure to help clients meet both short and long-term institutional goals.

Communicate complex content to non-scientific audiences. Create and implement a new model of fundraising designed to secure major gifts ($100K+), increase brand awareness, and build collaborative campus and community relationships.Actions + Accomplishments• Developed communication strategy using giving trends and donor profiles to increase awareness of the QI/Calit2 brand and secure funding for award-winning researchers. Created unique events to cultivate and steward individual and corporate prospects.• Built a database of 600+ affiliates to create a robust pipeline of gift prospects. • Promoted success of individual research scientists to enhance the institute’s reputation and funding opportunities. Wrote nominations and secured award wins for UC San Diego Alumni Emerging Leader 2012 and Athena Pinnacle Award-Educator of the Year 2013.

Oversee development staff to secure major gifts ($10K - $1M) in support of capital campaign and annual revenue objectives.• Managed annual gala and volunteer committee to increase revenue and community awareness. Created and launched strategic plan for pos-campaign giving program.

Provided leadership in all fundraising endeavors, including individual giving, corporate support, special events, grants and membership to achieve a $4M annual revenue stream. Promoted from Development Officer to Senior Development Manager in 2005, named Associate Director of Development in 2008.• Increased net revenue by 20% through initial revitalization and oversight of Art Alive, the Museum’s signature fundraising event. Served as Museum spokesperson at events, radio and broadcast media appearances.• Created Culture & Cocktails, an audience development event series that exceeded expectations for new member acquisition, community collaboration, PR and revenue.• Managed department revenue and expense budgets; generated and edited content for the Museum’s Quarterly publication.

Consistently exceeded sales goals selling print advertising for one of the country’s largest, award-winning weekly newspapers. Developed new business and cultivated client relationships for sustained revenue stream; Analyzed market research to create unique promotional packages

Managed flagship café expansion from start-up to multiple retail locations. Hired and trained store managers and assistants; managed budgets and supply needs; developed and implemented comprehensive marketing and public relations strategies.

Helped create and pitch concepts and strategy to major clients. Composed and edited news releases, print ads, marketing plans, and all correspondence.