As a community organizer, I am trained to increase membership and volunteer numbers. I have organized volunteers in Florida to promote racial justice and bring about policy changes. In order to communicate with our members, we used digital tools such as email and social media. My passion is building your organization’s digital team. To win campaigns, we need to engage more people online and impact decision-makers.

Previously, in my Development Support Specialist role at the Center for Independent Living of Northwest Florida (2020), I exercised an innovative and methodical approach to problem-solving. In six months, I raised over $26,000 in cash donations for the organization I worked with – the previous years had yielded about $2,500 in cash and in-kind contributions. We did this through sharing TikTok videos from our staff members and donors, information on people with disabilities who have made a difference, interactive contests, etc. We kept people engaged during the pandemic and raised money in the process.

As a Co-Organizer for the 2018 Pensacola Women’s March, I designed and implemented fundraising approaches that raised over $8,000 in 5 days, in addition to vendor selection, staging, community partner involvement, and engaging with political candidates.

With my expertise in training, grassroots organizing, and political campaigns, I can help your organization achieve success. During 2018, I handled Andrew Gillium’s local field operations every day – including his visits to Pensacola, running a phone / text bank for Andrew and Amendment 4, and traditional door-to-door canvassing.  I was Andrew Gillum’s Field Director for Florida Governor, which allowed me to reach more people than ever before. The use of text messaging and other digital communication tools allowed us to increase engagement with followers, donors, and voters. During the run-up to election day, my volunteers were also able to identify new supporters interested in supporting our campaign or becoming volunteers. 

I worked for People’s Action during the 2020 election cycle. I worked under the leadership of Adam Kruggel, Director of Strategic Initiatives, People’s Action. Social justice and grassroots organizing have always been an essential part of my life. People’s Action is an organization that pioneered deep canvassing and advocacy techniques that have become a standard in political organizing and movement building.

My passion is helping individuals learn new skills and feel more confident to take action. As a former Executive Director for Stronger Together (2017-2020), I know how to empower volunteers to make a positive difference. I led small groups of volunteers through leadership and digital training that created real results. Through these workshops, people came together to strategize how they could use social media and digital tools to drive change locally.

I owned a wedding planning business for over 15 years. I have worked with a diverse range of clients, from high-end families to young professionals. I’ve learned a lot about managing employees and getting the most out of them during this time.

I made sure to hire only the best employees—people who were not only qualified but also kind and trustworthy. Many times, these are qualities that are overlooked by other companies looking for employees; they prioritize other things like experience or skill level, or appearance over personality or attitude. But for me, it was always about finding the right fit: someone who could come into work every day with a positive outlook and take care of our clients with warmth and compassion.

The best way to do this is by asking questions that show you are interested in who the person is and what they bring to the table. Ask about their experience working in a similar role, their favorite part of a work environment, and what motivates them at work. You’ll also want to make sure they understand what your company stands for—what it values most—and if they’re on board with those values. After all, if they don’t fit with your vision and mission statement, they probably will not be happy working there long-term.

I have provided leadership development training and grassroots organizing support to numerous nonprofit organizations both locally and nationally, including Dream Defenders, NAACP, Women’s March, Movement for Change, Indivisible, local Democratic Party, Florida Rights Restoration Coalition, our local prison bookstore, Workers World Party, etc. As a result of these partnerships, my work has been strengthened and I have been able to spread the word about events to like-minded community members. I am effective at leveraging these partnerships because I truly care and we share the same values and goals. When reaching out to new potential partners, I look at what we both stand for to make sure it is a good fit on values and mission which makes it easier to grow our network.

I thrive in high-pressure and fast-paced situations, striving for positive results by applying my community meeting coordination and mobilization management abilities. I have skillfully balanced organizational objectives and productive relationships, and my innovation and planning talents have supported my professional growth. Further, I possess expertise in data analysis and acumen for maximizing performance and inspiring others. I can visualize success and identify unconventional strategies for achieving it.

As my business grew over the years, so did my team! We were thrilled to have such an amazing group of people working alongside us and expanding our offerings beyond just wedding planning services.

In my role as a fellow with Dream Defenders (2019), I researched our local State Attorney to hold him accountable and choose a new State Attorney who believed our system was broken. State Attorneys are the most influential actors in the criminal justice system, and they decide who gets locked up, for what, and for how long.