Education and Non-profit Management

2012 - present

My graduate assistantship at the Council for European Studies (CES) became a full-time job after I helped raise funds for programs and consequently, my position. During my time at CES, I managed a grant program funded by the  Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, negotiated strategic partnerships with universities around the world, developed membership revenue programs, and helped organize international conferences in Amsterdam, Washington, Paris, Philadelphia, and Glasgow securing funding and sponsorship for these events. In the meantime, I'd also completed projects for Orpheus Chamber Orchestra - cleaning and restructuring financial data reporting, developing strategy and operational plans for a young donors' program, organizing a fundraiser gala with a digital silent auction and a series of small VIP soirees. 

Simultaneously, I further developed my skill-set through graduate coursework in policy, finance, fundraising, and international strategic planning at Columbia University. Electives in arts management and non-profit finance helped me hone my grant writing and financial analysis skills, while a psychology class in Intercultural Communications allowed me to contextualize and understand my multicultural, immigrant background.

Collaborating with classmates, I consulted for UNICEF's Education in Emergencies Strategy, identifying market gaps, partnership opportunities, tech infrastructure improvements, evaluating and designing processes to encompass local perspectives. Individually, I also researched the effectiveness of education policy implementation in the US, Poland, Moldova, and other EMEA countries, and studied children's attitudes towards attending college around the world. In addition to international development theory, I learned how to develop strategy for international programs, measure progress, and consciously and symbiotically hear and include local voices. 

Currently, I have the privilege of putting my experience to practice at the Harriman Institute at Columbia University. Alongside a team of wonderful faculty and colleagues, I coordinate communications activities, web development, and strategic projects for this robust institute focused on Russian, Eurasian, and East European Studies.

Customer and User Experience

2017 - 2019

I was enamored with Squarespace after building a site for a friend's publishing business in the summer of 2016.  Later that year, when my partner and I moved to Ireland, I applied for a job at the Dublin office. For two years, I helped Squarespace customers with site setup via email and live chat while staying atop new product releases and improvements. Troubleshooting, identifying, and communicating system issues was part of my routine, as was leading innovative projects to improve internal processes for the fast growing company. My job required a combination of creativity, tech savvy, patience, and endurance to help others achieve personal or business success using Squarespace products. I worked in English and German.

Teaching, Editing, and Translation

2004 - 2012

In college I tutored high school math through Lawrence's buddy program for underserved youth and worked the crisis line at a women's shelter, shelved books at the library, ran around managing the stage at university recitals and concerts, assisted the dean's office staff in their daily work, and served as a Research Assistant in the Psychology department.  While studying abroad, I completed ESL pedagogy coursework, and a semester of student teaching in a Viennese public school. I also fell in love with Austria and the German language, so I spent the following three years learning German, playing lots of viola, and freelancing as an English instructor, editor, and translator in Graz, Austria. I planned, designed, and taught adult English courses, translated projects from German to English (i.e. web and ad copy), and copy edited writing for Masters and PhD candidates from local universities. Did I mention I also made a lot of noise with my viola during this time? Alone, in collaboration with various chamber groups, and as part of large orchestras I played music and learned German. 

Languages:
Fluent native proficiency in English & Polish
Professional working proficiency in German

Content Management Systems (CMS):
Drupal, Joomla, Squarespace, WordPress

Donor Databases & CRMs:
Raiser’s Edge, Salesforce Patron Manager, CiviCRM, iContact, MailChimp, Zendesk

General Office Technology:
Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook
Google Mail, Docs, Sheets, Slides
Adobe Photoshop & InDesign

Hobbies:
I enjoy traveling, skiing, biking, hiking, cooking, and sometimes viola noise making. I'm learning to play the ukulele.