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About Me

I have over three years of experience working in international education and youth development. At IREX, I managed a portfolio of 76 fellows and 36 host universities participating in the US Department of State's Edmund S. Muskie Graduate Fellowship program, spanning three grants totaling $25.5M, and I also developed the Virtual Exchange Project for the program. Additionally, I developed training curriculum on positive youth development for youth workers in Russia and also created content for policy roundtables for the Youth Development Competencies Program (USAID).

Prior to joining IREX, I planned and managed large-scale youth development and leadership conferences with budgets of $500,000 to $1.2M and supervised 30 staff members at Envision EMI. While there, I also developed trainings, curriculum and programming for the conferences in the areas of American and global governance, civic engagement, law, and public health.

I was a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant at a secondary technical college in Eisenstadt, Austria, and I am currently pursuing my MS.Ed in International Educational Development from the University of Pennsylvania. I hold a BA in Political Science and German from Belmont University and am fluent in German.

Work History

IREX (International Research & Exchanges Board)
Program Associate
July 2010 to August 2011
Youth Development Competencies Program (USAID)
•Designed training sessions for 30 positive youth development (PYD) workers in Russia, including lesson plans, PowerPoint presentations and training materials
•Created content for youth policy round tables and panel discussions

Edmund S. Muskie Graduate Fellowship Program (US Dept. of State)
•Managed a portfolio of 76 fellows from 12 former Soviet Union countries and 36 host universities; coordinated travel, J-visas, DS-2019 forms, university placement; provided legal and communications support
•Developed and oversaw the implementation of the Virtual Exchange Project to enhance the exchange experience
•Planned and managed program events and workshops
•Managed with team the participant and host university recruitment and selection process

Envision EMI
Program Coordinator
May 2009 to July 2010
•Managed projects with budgets of $500,000-$1.2 million
•Developed programming for youth development and youth leadership conferences of 200-500 participants each
•Hired, trained and managed a staff of 30 people; responsible for professional development of staff
•Coordinated residential and meeting facilities and served as liaison for vendors and speakers across government agencies and NGO’s
•Conceptualized, designed and published student journals on medicine, law and national security – circulation 10,000+
•Acted as peer mentor for company on-boarding program and facilitated training sessions (Train the Trainer)
•Disseminated information to all staff and key stakeholders and ensured stakeholders’ experiences met or exceeded expectations

Fulbright/Austrian-American Education Commission
English Teaching Assistant
September 2008 to May 2009
•Prepared and facilitated lesson plans on American and English-speaking cultures to multiple classes at a secondary technical college
•Participated in cultural diplomacy efforts in conjunction with Public Affairs section of the U.S. Embassy in Vienna