Resume

Education

Master of Arts, Major in Social Entrepreneurship & Change • 2012 • Pepperdine University

Bachelor of Arts, Major in English Creative Writing • 2005 • University of Southern California

Experience

Los Angeles Food Policy Council, Los Angeles, California • April 2024 – present

Development and Grants Manager

• Responsibilities include identifying and cultivating mission-aligned grant opportunities, crafting compelling grant proposals, and managing the lifecycle of private and government contracts and grants through submission, pre-award, and compliance;

• Working closely with the Executive Director developing and fostering relationships with new and existing funders, aligning all grant-related activities with the organization’s strategic goals; organizing deliverable expectations for recent awards to ensure compliance with funder contracts; co-lead the development of the annual impact report alongside the leadership team.

• Accomplishments include: secured 5- and 6-figure grant awards from two new funding sources; increased the total of awarded private grants funds by 160% within first nine months of FY25; and the establishment of strong project management systems supporting the grants life cycle.

Japanese American National Museum, Los Angeles, California • October 2020 – April 2024

Grants Manager (August 2022 – April 2024)

• Responsible for writing clear, persuasive, and well-structured grant proposals that align with the organization's needs and the grantor's objectives. Each proposal included a compelling case for funding, highlighting the Museum’s mission, goals, and impact. Led the development and submission of grant proposals by assembling and organizing application materials in accordance with funder specifications. Managed the creation and submission of multiple proposals simultaneously, and monitored each opportunity’s unique lifecycle, from identification of opportunities to successful submission. Established relationships with new or lapsed prospective funders and sustained relationships with legacy supporting institutions; 

• Developed new approaches to institutional grant processes, including the application of the Project Management Institute’s best practices in professional project management to increase the portfolio of qualified prospects, government contracts, foundations, and corporations. Created a streamlined and usable database of boilerplate information and historical grants, data, and records to aid in efficient proposal writing; Supervised the workflow of the Assistant Grants Manager and freelance grant writers to manage the grant submission process, meeting all reporting deadlines; 

• Led a cross-functional, cross-departmental team of colleagues to develop a Corporate Giving Strategy that resulted in the creation of a cultivation road map that gave corporate supporters more opportunities to engage with the Museum and increased venues to acknowledge their support;

• Provided leadership as a co-chair of a cross-functional, cross-departmental team of colleagues tasked with researching best practices, creating action plans, identifying resources, and developing a set of goals for a Museum-wide Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility initiative;

• Accomplishments include: cultivation and stewardship of an 8-figure, multi-year gift from an individual donor, and two 7-figure gifts from two corporate foundations; secured $5,653,042 in FY23 from private foundations and government contracts; working with a team, increased contributions and grants revenue from $11,620,180 in FY22 to $18,688,295 in FY23.

Grants Administrator & Accounts Payable (February 2022 – July 2022)

• Responsible for foundation identification, cultivation, solicitation, and ongoing engagement, including personal engagement with prospective grantors, and working closely with Museum CEO, CFO, contractors and program staff to create grant proposals that required immediate attention for quickly approaching deadlines.

Community Literature Initiative, Los Angeles, California • February 2021 – June 2021

Consulting Grants Manager

• Responsible for the development of work scope, budget, schedule and resources for all grant writing initiatives;

• Directed, controlled, monitored and assisted team members in the completion of their work;

• Raised $53,000 in grant funds from private and governmental funding sources to support the Initiative’s programs. 

Kona Historical Society, Kealakekua, Hawaii • March 2016 – October 2020

Interim Executive Director (March 2019 – October 2020)

• Oversaw all operations of a small museum, including preparation and review of organizational budget and schedule, management of up to 23 employees, administration of all operational, IT systems, communication systems, and a donor database, and strengthened the organization through fundraising and sound financial and safety practices; 

• Communicated with legal and financial consultants in order to restore the organization’s 501(c)3 status within three months of starting the position. Once reinstated, immediately raised $92,000 in awarded grant funds, and managed the funds using the PastPerfect Donor Database, QuickBooks and the Fluxx.io Grantseeker Platform;

• Read and reviewed architectural plans and blueprints and land development documents in the planning of and fundraising for the construction of a future gallery building on the Museum’s historic site;

• Responsible for developing contracts and contract revisions for building contractors, consultants and vendors on multiple projects simultaneously, including land resource management projects, cultural heritage projects, and public programs. Additionally, negotiated contract changes and approved invoices for release of funds for these projects;

• In March, 2020, retained and led a team of team of museum professionals through the economic shutdown related to the coronavirus pandemic, continuing to maintain two historic sites on the Hawaii State and National Registers of Historic Places, a living collection of plants and animals, and a rare collection of archival objects and photos.

Development Director (February 2018 – March 2019)

• Raised $32,000 by successfully planning and executing an Online Auction fundraiser, requiring interdepartmental collaboration as well as fast-paced independent work in order to meet deadlines and project milestones;

• Led the planning and execution of website migration from an Expression Engine platform to a Squarespace platform.

Development Associate (March 2017 – March 2018)

• Significantly increased publicity coverage of Kona Historical Society’s programs and events by building relationships with media professionals, composing press releases, accepting public speaking engagements at outreach events;

• Managed a constituent database using the PastPerfect software, provided reports and analysis, and interpreted information provided by these reports to set fundraising priorities based on constituent behavior and preferences.

Executive Assistant (March 2016 - February 2017)

• Coordinated registration processes and logistics for tours, Membership Meetings, as well as community workshops and lectures with a team of program leaders, lecturers, cultural practitioners, and community stakeholders;

• Provided customer service to patrons, prioritizing their needs and concerns, and accommodated requests.

• Facilitated administrative and office assistance to the organization’s Executive Director, preparing informational packets and presentation materials for meetings with the Board of Directors, major donors, and elected officials.

Pacific Daily News, Hagatna, Guam • December 2012 – February 2016

Reporter

• Researched articles, scheduled photo shoots, maintained a network of sources and conducted interviews to meet publication deadlines.

• Analyzed financial data extracted from public documents and federal grants to illustrate the impact of decisions being made by political and community leaders.

Relevant Coursework and Service

• Grant Writing Training Foundation, Los Angeles Public Library Online Course, A to Z Grant Writing, March 2025 to present;

• Membership in the Asana Ambassador Program, November 2024 to present;

• California State University, Los Angeles, College of Professional and Global Education, Certificate of Completion in Project Management, August 2023 - December 2023;

• Aloha Theater, Vice Chairperson of the Board of Directors, August 2017 – 2021;

• Association of Fundraising Professionals 2017 Philanthropy Day Conference, Participant, November 2017;

• West Hawaii Co-Chairperson of Volunteer Action Team for Planned Parenthood, December 2016 – December 2017;

• Guam Animals In Need, Chairperson of Public Relations and Media Committee, August 2015 – February 2016;

• Managing a Philanthropic Enterprise, Completed Spring Semester, 2012;

• Marketing and PR for Change, Completed Fall Semester, 2011;

• Social Entrepreneurship, Completed Spring Semester, 2011;

Skills

Project Management; Grant Cycle Management; Grant Writing; Persuasive Writing; Proposal Deck Creation; Budget Preparation; Knowledge of the philanthropic landscape in Southern California; Proficiency in GrantStation; Fluxx, Foundation Directory Online, SmartApply, True Impact Reporting, Grants.gov, GrantSolution, eGMSReach, Cybergrants, Submittable, SmartSimple, Benevity; SMApply; and others; Proficiency in constituent relationship management software such as Blackbaud Altru, PastPerfect, and Salesforce; Utilized project management technologies including Asana, Notion, Slack, and Google Workspaces; Dedicated to life-long learning, especially in the areas of wildlife conservation, Southern California ethnobotany, and botanical watercolor painting;  Engaged in ongoing learning experiences in the field of Diversity, Equity, Accessibility, Inclusion, Belonging, Justice and more.