Engage Arkansas is an initiative to inspire and advance civic engagement to help combat social inequities and strengthen local communities. As the primary coordinating entity supporting the Governor’s Commission on National Service and Volunteerism, we are responsible for sustaining civic engagement by supporting local civic services and community education and promoting partner program opportunities. As Interim Director, I've been instrumental in rebuilding an efficient and highly skilled team with greater coverage and reach for national service and volunteerism in Arkansas.Here are some of the tasks and contributions I have made:• Recruit, train, and manage talent, overseeing a $3M grant program with ten sub-grantees through a leadership transition.• Conducted focus groups, which increased engagement and applications for the annual municipal award by over 100%.• Instrumental in adding programs working toward new impact areas in our state, including conservation and rural health initiatives focused on improving environmental and health outcomes.• Cross-trained to assist in grantmaking and budget management, sub-grantee monitoring, and reporting for federal funding and state and local programming, ensuring responsible stewardship of federal dollars.

This position combines previous Outreach & Events Officer efforts with a focused initiative supporting partnerships with community-based organizations, media, and government agencies. I have remained in the Civic Engagement Manager position throughout my tenure as the office's Interim Director.Some tasks and contributions include:• Envisioned and developed a statewide project to address food insecurity through a Little Free Pantry Project initiative, which included over 75 community partners • Developed the statewide "Civic Challenge" to promote direct volunteering, advocacy, and philanthropy through digital campaigns, amplifying the visibility of statewide nonprofits.• Created a yearly internship program that teaches digital media skills, such as conducting feature interviews, researching, and creating digital videos, informative graphics, and articles. This program contributed to interns' professional development and enabled them to secure national fellowship positions after their internship.• Amplified the office's work through television appearances, conference presentations, and statewide media outreach.• Promoted to Interim Director due to my knowledge, passion, leadership, and diplomacy skills.

Though promoted to a higher position, I remain responsible for the tasks outlined in the Outreach & Events Officer position. Key contributions include:• Design and execute outreach and media strategies to promote civic engagement & AmeriCorps recruitment for 300+ state national service positions.• Oversee $50K+ in annual media advertising projects streamed to over 1M homes, including talent recruitment and scriptwriting for commercials, as well as negotiating media contracts.• Develop and maintain 10K+ contact lists in Constant Contact to disseminate impact reports, press releases, newsletters, and toolkits to promote $3M+ in federal funding statewide. • Initiate youth development opportunities through skill-building workshops and ongoing engagement regarding local, state, and national leadership opportunities. • Manage Days of Service projects by developing and implementing project focus and toolkits, identifying partners, and coordinating statewide efforts and media promotion.

Ropeswing is a hospitality company based in Bentonville, Arkansas, dedicated to creating and managing unique culinary, entertainment, and cultural events. It uses hospitality events as a transformative force in a community, bringing neighbors together intentionally to improve the community's development, engagement, and well-being. This role included supervising the space and staff and working directly with wedding and event planners to ensure visions came to life by accommodating needs with party prep, decor, and A/V assistance.

Assisted in planning events and developing a color story and theme for the Thaden School fundraiser and a private birthday party. This included purchasing supplies, designing and building decor, and installing pieces to achieve the lead party planner's vision.

AmeriCorps is the federal agency for national service and volunteerism. AmeriCorps provides opportunities for Americans of all backgrounds to serve their country, address the nation’s most pressing challenges, and improve lives and communities.This AmeriCorps service opportunity included placements with Heifer International, the Arkansas Hunger Relief Alliance, and the City of North Little Rock's Community Garden Program, emphasizing three pillars: farm, outreach, and teach. • Supplied 20+ urban and community gardens with materials for a successful gardening season and supported large-scale farming efforts with the Alliance. • Wrote articles for a print publication delivered to 60K+ homes and organized community events and volunteer service workdays. • Taught a 6-week cooking course to primary students at a local community center.• Invested time in building connections with community members to ensure their needs were met and their communities and neighborhoods had access to healthy foods.

Taught English education to university students and adults at a private school in Vietnam. The full-time contract included lesson planning, curriculum building, grading, and reporting.

Taught English education to primary students and adults at a private school in South Korea. The one-year, full-time contract included lesson planning, curriculum building, grading, and reporting.

Assisted in public relations media communication to the Central Arkansas region by researching, organizing, and developing library events and campaigns, including guest speakers, book readings, and family-friendly programming.

Created fashion content around local street fashion, trend forecasting, and feature stories. This included writing, photographing, and editing articles and corresponding images.

• Developed, wrote, edited, photographed, and researched for a freelance lifestyle blog. • Collaborated with large brands on fashion campaigns. • Generated a following of over 100K users per month and was featured on numerous blogs and magazines, including Teen Vogue, ModCloth, and The Today Show.