PROFILE
Executive development, marketing, communications and special events professional. Depth of experience ranges from corporate sponsor and foundation development, stewardship and fulfillment, operations and event production to brand-building, public relations, fundraising, donor cultivation and strategic planning.
- Responsible for driving all the development, marketing and communications initiatives, branding, public relations activities, design, creation of web environments and maintenance, as well as production, team coordination, event analysis, social media/content development strategies and developing key corporate sponsor, foundation and community partner relationships.
- Produced over 700 programs and special events ranging in size from 40 people to over 40,000.
- Strong community and artistic relationships having collaborated, booked and worked with over 400 musicians, artists and celebrities.
- Published writer who maintains a keen sense of project management and deadline execution, excellent written and communication skills, presenting a combination of strategic thinking and the ability to identify new possibilities for the future with good tactical and implementation skills.
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Founder, Executive Director sf|noir • 2001 - Present
- In response to a diminishing African American population, created organization to develop events to maintain a vibrant and dynamic presentation of Black arts and culture in the City of San Francisco. Provide leadership for strategic direction, initiate and develop key community relationships and institutional development plans to maintain fiscal health of organization.
Director of Communications and Community Relations Intersection for the Arts 2010 – 2012
- Develop and execute annual strategic public relations plans including the conception and implementation of social media strategies. Manage and cultivate media relationships. Write and edit all marketing content, overseeing development, production and dissemination of marketing and promotional campaigns for all programs. Lead, establish and steward strategic partnerships to continue enhancing the organization’s presence as a leader in the national arts landscape.
Director of Marketing & Communications First Graduate • 2005 - 2009
- Led all marketing, communications, brand-building and public relations efforts. Oversaw a complete organizational re-branding and repositioning of brand in marketplace. Research, identify and cultivate institutional grantmakers and corporate sponsors as well as individual donors. Strategic development of fundraising initiative led to increasing revenue by 40% in my first completed fiscal year. Created new annual fundraiser which, in its first year, raised more money than the previous 4 annual agency fundraisers combined. Assumed Director of Development role for close to 2 years as we searched for a new candidate while maintaining my duties as Director of Marketing.
Director of Development & Marketing San Francisco Conservation Corps • 2003 - 2005
- Led all strategic development and marketing efforts, including the research, identification and cultivation of institutional grantmakers, individual donors and corporate sponsors. Procured multi-year, 6-figure media sponsorship to promote agency via cross-channel distribution on Bay Area cable stations. Supervised the Development Associate for Private Funds, Development Associate for Public Funds and the Executive Assistant. Created and produced 3 promotional short films that are used for fundraising and donor cultivation and include appearances and interviews with Mayors Willie Brown and Gavin Newsom.
Co-Founder, Dir. of Marketing, Development & Communications North Beach Jazz Festival • 1994 - 2002
- Responsible for the management of all facets of marketing, development, corporate sponsor acquisition and public relations for this nationally recognized jazz festival, called "Arguably, San Francisco's Best Jazz Festival" by America OnLine during my tenure. Created, developed, and delivered highly effective grant and sponsorship proposals, increasing total volume of public and private foundation grants by 600% and corporate sponsorship by 800%. Wrote business plan to secure funding for retail operation – the North Beach Jazz Festival Store & Gallery – funded by the City of San Francisco. Supervised all store operations and responsible for all branding, collateral, merchandising, purchasing, accounting, reporting and production. Managed all aspects of personnel including recruiting, hiring and training of festival and store employees and volunteers.
EDUCATION
Ramapo College, Mahwah, New Jersey • 1987 - 1990
Majored in International Business with a concentration in Marketing.
ACTIVITIES & AWARDS
- Featured in numerous publications including the Business, Datebook and Style sections of the San Francisco Chronicle, San Francisco Examiner, the Bay Guardian, SF Weekly, San Jose Mercury News, America On Line, SF Gate, San Francisco Business Times, Where Magazine, San Francisco Downtown, San Francisco Magazine, Arts Monthly… Radio stations KBLX, KPOO, KCSM, KKSF… TV stations NBC11, KRON, Mornings On 2, Evening Magazine, CNN Headline News, Comcast Local Edition, Inside City Limits…and others.
- Received an Official City Proclamation by Mayor Willie Brown and Supervisor Alicia Becerril in recognition of outstanding achievement for both the North Beach Jazz Festival and SF Spring Break (another project I had spearheaded in the City).
- Received Certificates of Honor from 3 sitting Board of Supervisors Presidents - Tom Ammiano, Aaron Peskin and David Chiu.
- Maintains solid relationships with City officials and community leaders throughout the Bay Area.
- Featured writer/columnist of “The New Beat” for the monthly North Beach Journal.
- Nominated to “’Who's Who’ of American Colleges and Universities” for the creation of Campus Video.
SPECIAL SKILLS
- Salesforce, Blackbaud/Raiser’s Edge, Adobe CS/Photoshop, InDesign, QuarkXpress, WordPress/CMS, Power Point, Excel, Word, Constant Contact, multiple Online Ticketing Software and more.