Curricula Vitae

Work Experience:
March 2013 – Currently UW-Milwaukee Milwaukee, WI, Finance & Operations Manager, Electa Quinney Institute for American Indian Education

  • Administrative and management support
    • Budget and fiscal: establish and review budgets, prepare planning documents, budget requests and analyses; allocate, manage, and control expenditures of various grants, contracts and state funding sources.
    • Liaison with purchasing department; coordinate all travel and travel related expenses
    • Human Resources and Payroll: serve as liaison with HR and payroll departments, serving as expert and consult; analyze staffing needs making recommendations to director; manage all payroll and leave for all institute staff.
  • Institute-Wide Planning
    • Asses needs and opportunities within UWM system that support strategic plan
    • Assist in development of research, service, professional development opportunities
    • Research background information, write reports, develop proposals, and seek grant-funding opportunities.
  • Website development and maintenance
    • Utilizing WordPress
    • Develop, update, maintain all site content and building of data center
  • Community outreach and support
    • Establish and maintain relationships with community partner organizations via formal Memos of Partnership as well via informal relationships within the Indigenous didactic framework
    • From 2015 through 2018, developed, built, organized and chaperoned STEAM day camp for Milwaukee area youth grades 8th through 12th
      • Daily instruction included: App Development and coding instruction, Native language instruction, art projects, college application strategies, and campus tour
    • Plan, organize, implement and chaperone 10-day residential summer camp for regional Native high school youth focused on bio and medical careers.
      • Includes visits to area campuses of Carrol University, Concordia University, Marquette University and the Medical College of Wisconsin; cultural and language focused events in the Milwaukee area.

June 2019 – December 2022 UW-Milwaukee Milwaukee, WI, Finance & Operations Manager, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

    • Administrative and management support
      • Budget and fiscal: establish and review budgets, prepare planning documents, budget requests and analyses; allocate, manage, and control expenditures of various grants, contracts and state funding sources.
      • Liaison with purchasing department; coordinate all travel and travel related expenses
      • Human Resources and Payroll: serve as liaison with HR and payroll departments, serving as expert and consult; analyze staffing needs making recommendations to director; manage all payroll and leave for all institute staff.
    • Institute-Wide Planning
      • Asses needs and opportunities within UWM system that support strategic plan
      • Assist in development of research, service, professional development opportunities
      • Research background information, write reports, develop proposals, and seek grant-funding opportunities.
    • Website development and maintenance
      • Utilizing WordPress build out and maintain central office website along with separate site for each of the four offices
    • Multicultural Network (MCN) Member
      • Co-Chair lead of Events sub-committee
    • Racial Justice & Equity Training Facilitator
      • Voluntarily lead three separate cohort groups of UWM employees (all categories) through 6 (six) module required training
    • Community outreach and support
      • Partnering with leads of each of the identity offices in unit developed robust directory of community partners

January 2016 – May 2019 UW-Milwaukee Milwaukee, WI, Instructor, American Indian Studies

  • AIS 1010: Introduction to American Indian Studies
  • Taught undergraduate-level broad topic course introducing students to interdisciplinary field of American Indian Studies
  • Develop and modify curriculum; reassess each semester to ensure aligned with pedagogical goals
  • Plan and execute assignments, preparing materials for each lesson, finding ways to motivate students, and monitoring student performance
  • Predominately positive course evaluations each semester (at least 80%+ positive)
  • Collaborated with on and off campus experts as guest speakers including
    • State Poet Laureate, Kimberly Blaser; known tribal land claims and preservation activist, Winona LaDuke; Professor of Anthropology and of Global Health and Social Medicine Faculty Director, Harvard University Native American Program Joseph Gone; and many authors, artists, community elders and more

September 2010 – December 2012 Colorado Department of Agriculture Denver, CO, Program Assistant, Conservation Services Division

  • Appointed as Chair of Technology Taskforce by Commissioner John Salazar
    • Tasked with addressing issues with website CMS capabilities and poor customer service from the hosting company; after 6 months of periodical meetings with many key players the taskforce was ended with the task completed
  • Co-chair of Colorado State SharePoint Power Users group
    • The group is comprised of SharePoint Site Administrators and End Users from various State and Local agencies. The group was started to develop opportunities for fostering knowledge share since all agencies face similar challenges of limited resources.
  • Division OIT Liaison
    • First point of contact for technology related issues. If I was not able to troubleshoot and solve the issue it would then be escalated to the help desk or beyond as appropriate.
  • Build fillable forms using either Acrobat ProX for PDF forms or InfoPath 2010 for SharePoint forms or JotForm for online web-based forms
  • Desktop publishing; layout and design of materials such as brochures and conference displays
  • Use Adobe Creative Suite 5.5 (InDesign, Illustrator, Photoshop, Bridge, Acrobat ProX, and LiveCycle ES2
  • Design and rebuild of database (Access 2010)
    • Complete re-building of infrastructure of existing database that failed to fulfill program needs
    • Utilized InfoPath 2010 to simplify data entry, data gleaning and report functions
  • Administrative duties include grant management, budgeting tracking, budget forecasting and timely misc. form submission

February 2008 – August 2010 Fairfield and Woods, P.C. Denver, CO, Marketing and Client Relations

  • Internal and external communications
    • Key point person for all media relations and press releases
    • Created and maintained content for website using CMS DotNetNuke
  • Organization and sponsorship management
    • Attorneys were involved in over 20 various organizations (primarily industry focused and economic development organizations)
    • Oversaw membership relations and investigated for maximum return on investment in membership dues, sponsorships, etc…
  • Event planning and execution of various sizes and complexity
    • Quarterly associate attorney social event (25+ people)
    • Yearly Golf Tournament (100 +/- attendees)
    • Quarterly HR presentation/ learning sessions (15+ guests)
    • Quarterly Small Business Legal Series in partnership with the Denver Metro Small Business Development Center (SBDC) (15+ guests)
  • Layout and graphic design
    • Developed, designed, and layout for all marketing materials using Adobe Creative Suite 3
    • Worked with graphic design artist whenever limits on time or talent required doing so
  • Established and enforcing new design standards
    • Training and coaching of lawyers of best marketing practices
    • Implementing marketing plan

June 2007 – February 2008 Fairfield and Woods, P.C. Denver, CO, Administrative Assistant and Legal Secretary (floating)

  • Assistance to Firm Administrator
  • Provided coverage to legal assistants in corporate and litigation department
  • E-filed civil and litigation cases with various courts

8/2006 – 12/2006 School of Journalism, Indiana University Bloomington, IN, Associate Instructor: Visual Communications

  • Course topics include
  • Principals of design
  • Communications across print and web
  • Design and photojournalism
  • Video
  • Software taught during labs InDesign (CS3), iMovie and Photoshop (CS3) on Macintosh platform

July 2005 – July 2006 Colorado Veterinary Medical Association Denver, CO, Finance & Communications Associate

  • A/P & A/R account management
  • Budget setting
  • Streamlined office processes
  • Design membership brochures and letters
  • Plan layout and edits of a large membership directory
  • Act as an assistant designer of promotional materials for all programs
  • Photograph material for future publications and promotional materials

May 2005 – July 2005 Forest Succession Research Bloomington, IN, Field Assistant

  • Worked with a PhD candidate whose research was examining seed dispersal and second growth succession in forests.
  • Activities include setting up field plots, tree identification (from seedlings to mature trees), estimating percent coverage, and other field measurements.

May 2004 – January 2005 Indiana Daily Student (IDS) Bloomington, IN. Staff Writer
• Primarily for the arts desk at the IDS, but have wrote for the science section. A number of stories were Page One, or front of section.

January 2004 – June 2004 Girls Incorporated of Monroe County Bloomington, IN, Homework Helper
• Assisted in the subjects of Math and English. Worked with girls from age 7 to 16, from a variety of social, ethnic, racial, and economic backgrounds.

August 2003 – December 2003 School of Public & Environmental Affairs Bloomington, IN, Teaching Assistant (TA)
• TA for a class of 112 students in the subject of “Urban Problems & Solutions”
• Held weekly office hours to assist students with understanding of reading and lecture materials.
• Assisted the instructor with grading of quizzes, exams and papers as well as helping with study habits, writing styles and grades.

August 2002 – January 2003 Center for Survey Research, Indiana University Bloomington, IN, Production staff member
• Conducted telephone surveys following strict guidelines to ensure scientific validity of information gathered.
• Surveys conducted include National Election Study 2002, and Congress Study 2002 (funded by the National Science Foundation).

September 2001 – December 2001 The Wilderness Society Washington, DC, Washington Leadership Program Intern
• Intern to the Director of National Parks, policy department.
• Created database of National Parks (Access 1998)
o Researched current environmental issues pertaining to National Parks
o Complied information on litigation pending and occurring regarding various National Parks.

August 1999 – July 2001 Indiana University South Bend and Bloomington, IN, Work-Study Program
• Maintained various positions at different organizations and facilities of the University. Clerking; materials preparation; ticket sales.

December 1997 – May 1999 Turning Point South Bend, IN, Support Staff
• General support staff functions, such as typing, answering 9 line phone, updating and creating document templates, and handling of confidential material in charts.

August 1997 – June 1998 Barrett &Stokely, Inc. Turtle Creek Apartments South Bend, IN, Assistant Manager
• Daily office functions, daily reports, personal relations with current and incoming residents.
• Received “Extra Step” award in the 1st Quarter of 1998 for creating a lease and mailing database saving the office staff many hours and a lot of typing

September 1996 – August 1997 Kelly Services South Bend, and Fort Wayne, IN, Various Positions
• Shipping/ receiving; data entry, document editing, medical chart handling; office duties for Turtle Creek Apartments
• From 11/96 to 7/97 was at Bosch Braking Systems with the following duties: development of databases for use in the engineering community, preparing documents to conform to ISO QS 9000 guidelines.

Software Skills
Adobe Creative Cloud: Illustrator, InDesign, Photoshop, Acrobat Pro, Premiere Rush, Spark
HTML coding and website content management (Fatwire, DotNetNuke, WordPress)
Microsoft Office: Word, Excel, Access, PowerPoint, Outlook, Publisher
Contact and General database management (Westlaw ProLaw, Microsoft SharePoint, Microsoft Access)

Education:

8/2002 – 12/2006 M.P.A., Environmental Policy, Natural Resource Management, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN
8/2003 – 12/2006, M.A., Journalism (Professional Degree), Indiana University, Bloomington, IN
5/1999 – 5/2002 B.S., Public Affairs: Legal Studies, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN
Awards and Honors:
Spring 2023: 10 years of service
Fall 2017: University Staff Outstanding Service Award, Academic Affairs Division
March 1998: Extra Step Award, Barrett & Stokely, Inc.
Certificates:
Sustainable Systems at Work, Northwest Earth Institute
Activities & Organizations
August 2004 – May 2005: Environmental Management Association (EMA) (Bloomington, IN) Student Member; EMA is the IU student chapter of the National Association of Environmental Professionals.

Fall 2003, Spring 2005: Lotus Festivals (Bloomington, IN) Volunteer; at various times of the year, volunteered at the Lotus Music Festival and the annual benefit, Edible Lotus. The Lotus Education & Arts Foundation has music and arts events to create opportunities to experience and celebrate the diversity of the world’s cultures.

January 2005 – May 2005: SPEAK: SPEA Graduate Student Newsletter (Bloomington, IN) Layout Editor; Worked with fellow graduate students to revive a student run newsletter for SPEA’s graduate students.

Summer 2004: Girls Incorporated of Monroe County (Bloomington, IN) Volunteer; Taught girls in younger age groups about various aspects of Hawaiian culture, including dance, language and food.

August 2000 – May 2001: Eigenman Residents Association (Bloomington, IN) Director of Environmental Affairs; As part of a student government organization, assisted in revitalizing the resident hall recycling program, as well as resident recycling education and awareness curriculum.

Graduate Research Work (non-peer reviewed):

January 2004 – June 2005
Climate Change in the News: Who is talking and what are they saying?
MA thesis,* content analysis of two major newspapers (New York Times, and Wall Street Journal) from January of 1995 to December of 2004, analyzing the reporting of climate change (also called global warming and/or greenhouse effect). The content analysis will focus on what sources are being used (political, special interest, scientist, etc…) and what type of message (a real problem caused by human activity or not caused by humans/ part of the planets natural cycles) those sources are using to portray this complex environmental issue.
*After a conversation with the school’s dean of long-term goals and my research situation, the Dean advised me to switch my concentration to a professional degree.

Fall 2004
An IPM Toolbox For Schools: Furthering School Integrated Pest Management Through Development Of A User Toolbox
SPEA Capstone Project sponsored by and presented to the USEPA. This project evaluated Integrated Pest Management (IPM) programs (or lack thereof) in K-12 schools across the United States. As one of thirteen students participating in the capstone, we utilized the research and analytical skills developed throughout our graduate coursework ultimately delivering a functional product to policy makers at the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The resulting document included the key components common in successful IPM programs.

Spring 2004
Sustainable Forestry: Utilization of Acacia Koa for Revitalization of Hawaii’s Ecological and Economical Resources
This paper (completed in partnership with a classmate for a Sustainable Development course) was an examination of the economic and social feasibility of utilizing abandoned sugar cane fields to start forest farming. The center of the cost-benefit analysis was the use of Acacia koa, an endemic hardwood. Due to its high market value, wood assets and fast growing properties, it was determined with the unique situation in Hawai’i it is economically, socially, and ecologically beneficial to begin forest farming of Acacia koa.

Spring 2004
Biodiversity and Ecosystem Functions: An examination of the role of biodiversity in sustaining ecosystem nutrient cycling.
An analysis of peer-reviewed studies, examining the definition of biodiversity, the role of ecosystem functions (focusing specifically on nutrient cycling) to determine what role (if any) biodiversity plays on nutrient cycling. The results found that while biodiversity is important, it was not found to be essential to the continuation of nutrient cycling within defined ecosystems.

Spring 2003
The Fear of Crime: Regressional Analysis of the relationship between criminal reports on the news media and fear
Along with two other graduate student colleagues conducted an ANOVA (analysis of variance) of the hypothesis that increased level of fear is caused by a consistent highlighting of crime stories in the media, as well as consistently high level of other fear inducing stories in the media. The relationship between crime and fear reporting and perception of fear was found to be statistically significant (albeit barely).