Work History

Founder and Teacher; Missoula’s Whole Student Learning Center  

Taught classes to a small group of teens. These included; art, meditation, public speaking, group healing, introduction to ethics, and life skills. Students used online accredited curriculum to design and accomplish their math and science goals.

Owner; Creative Evolution Consulting 

Coaching clients to set and achieve goals through innovative public outreach. This includes: coaching sessions; marketing technique evaluations; social networking education; review of current business publications and mission statement; evaluation of working staff; maintaining business website with WordPress; and coordinate outreach events for CEC.

Public Relations Consulting; Creative Evolution Consulting

Assisted with public outreach methods; created events; created website; wrote press release; updated Missoula event boards; created postcard using Adobe InDesign; researched bulk mailing marketing options; helped develop mission statement; assisted in editing outgoing mailings; and sent correspondence to media outlets concerning events.

Life Coach; North West Home Care and Express Personnel

Helped clients set and reach goals that maintain their independence. 

Neighborhood Specialist; Office of Neighborhoods, City of Missoula              

Supervised groups of volunteers to execute fundraising and marketing for events; wrote and edited the Neighborhood Connections Newsletter through Constant Contact;developed publication for Neighborhood Council System; drafted all correspondence to donors, volunteers, and neighborhood councils; maintained contact information on all members of neighborhood councils; coordinated the processing of contributions for events; attended neighborhood council, community forum and event committee meetings; updated and managed website; and prepared and distributed agendas for the Community Forum.

Mortgage Modification Counselor

Worked as a liaison (during the 2008 housing crisis) between clients, with more than one mortgage in foreclosure, and their lenders to help them navigate the requirements needed to keep their homes.

Financial Aid Specialist; Financial Aid Office, The University of Montana             

Evaluated and verified financial aid for students; authorized and dispersed federal aid scholarships, and private loans; counseled students and parents on financial aid policies and procedures; processed grant reconciliations; assisted with student academic progress appeals; maintained the calendar of the events that affect the student registration and aid disbursement; researched, interpreted and applied knowledge of regulations to unique and complex student situations.

Loan Specialist; Financial Aid Office, The University of Montana                            

Interpreted information from lenders through electronic and verbal communication; certified and tracked loans; calculated percentages on uneven disbursement loans; tracked and changed grade levels; processed loan increases and reductions; worked directly with the front customer service counter to help resolve loan issues; translated Banner processes to the lenders and guarantors; handled private loan checks including resolving issues that may be holding up the funds; assisted in processing presidential and short term loans; sent out work study earnings reports and entered hire cards, rated general scholarship applications; researched and created an information document to help students taking out private loans know what to ask lenders; developed and presented a workshop to educate students with information they must know to fund their education.

Administrative Assistant; Financial Aid Office, The University of Montana                          

Interpreted information from lenders through electronic and verbal communication; certified and tracked loans; calculated percentages on uneven disbursement loans; tracked and changed grade levels; processed loan increases and reductions; worked directly with the front customer service counter to help resolve loan issues; translated Banner processes to the lenders and guarantors; handled private loan checks including resolving issues that may be holding up the funds; assisted in processing presidential and short term loans; sent out work study earnings reports and entered hire cards, rated general scholarship applications; researched and created an information document to help students taking out private loans know what to ask lenders; developed and presented a workshop to educate students with information they must know to fund their education.

Education

M.S. Management and Leadership        

B.S. Organizational Communications Bachelors  

Associate of Arts

Accomplishments

National Coalition Building Institute Conflict Resolution Training Certification May 2006

Serve on “Sunday Streets” planning committee             December 2010 – July 2011

President and co-founder of The University of Montana Multicultural Toastmaster Group  2007- 2009

Honor Society member of National Society of Leadership and Success

Published Work

The Journey Within

Other Public Works

NonProfit 101: Free course held within Missoula Public Library. The goal of the course  is to educate the general public about how to create a nonprofit and what it takes to keep it running.

Neighborhood Block Party: Planned and executed neighborhood block party on a $180 budget, in three weeks. This included writing press releases that got coverage from two local news stations, distributing flyers to the neighbors, renting and setting up street closure equipment, spaghetti for 150 people, and coordinating three speakers (Missoula Police Department detective, therapist, and self defense instructor). There was even a children’s play area with chalk, art supplies, cornhole, and playhouse. This event included a secondary trauma group therapy session two days later, with the therapist who works with local law enforcement, for the neighbors that were affected by the double homicide that happened within our neighborhood.

Art Classes at Missoula Public Library: Taught weekly art classes for kids at the library for one year.

Designed Student Loan Questionnaire: After walking a large group of students through loan exit counseling I found that they never received proper education on taking private loans. As a government employee I could not counsel students on the ramifications of taking private loans. The questionnaire was designed for students that taught how the private and federal student loans they borrowed would affect their budget after they finish school. The questionnaire was available on the Financial Aid website at the University of Montana for a decade.

Funding your Education Course: Designed and executed course, through student services, to help students find ways to fund their education and understand how to budget when taking debt to pay living expenses.