I am a queer artist, fundraiser, and Southern Californian,
living in Brooklyn, NY.
I am grounded in the belief that there is immense richness in the ordinary—and that we have every reason to be a little extra about it.
How did I get here? The tension between my creative passions and my drive for social advocacy has shaped every step of my life and career. I started studying art, determined to attend design school in New York and pursue socially conscious design or social enterprise work. But a job supporting a caseworker for homeless veterans in San Diego changed everything. The urgency and importance of the work shifted my focus, and I pivoted fully into the nonprofit world.
By day, I worked for the organization; by night, I took classes to transfer into a four-year university. I eventually enrolled at UCLA as a Sociology major and began working with runaway and homeless youth in Hollywood. Later, I moved to a role closer to campus with Cambodian Children’s Fund—where my fundraising career truly began. I threw myself into both my work and my studies, and I loved it. It was the most demanding and fulfilling time of my life.
After graduation, my creative side started knocking again. I became obsessed with hand lettering, and when the pandemic hit, I found comfort in making silly, fast doodles and illustrations to process the strangeness and magnitude of the moment.
The dream of New York never fully faded, and in 2022, I moved to NYC for a position in prospecting at the Michael J. Fox Foundation. I grew immensely in that role and took pride in the strategy and challenges it offered. On weekends, I began face painting—unexpectedly finding deep joy in that playful creativity. I continued digital illustration, and began photo embroidering and quickly fell in love with this new medium.
As my career progressed, my creative life started slipping into the background, and the tension grew. Eventually, I made the difficult but necessary decision to restructure my life—to intentionally balance both sides of who I am. I now prioritize space for creativity in my career while continuing to support mission-driven organizations through strategic fundraising.
A favorite musician of mine, Jon Foreman, once said “Tension is a good thing. To be pulled tight: that’s the only way you can make a proper noise on a guitar.”
I am both strategic and creative—and I’ve never been happier now that I’m fully embracing both.
You can find me on long strolls throughout Brooklyn, embroidering/drawing/reading on a local park bench, face painting across the city, people watching while sipping an icedoatmilklatte, wishing I was at a Rainforest Cafe, watching trash TV with my partner, and enjoying her delicious cooking.
You can find me on my next global adventure, visiting home in San Diego, writing, dining at the fine dining establishment of Rainforest Cafe, being social, and only on the most extraordinary occasion, cooking.
ORDINARILY
EXTRAORDINARILY
CV
The Michael J. Fox Foundation
2022- 2025
Senior Prospecting Manager
July 2024-May 2025
Spearheaded the strategic development of prospecting initiatives, positioning the Foundation for a critical role in the quiet phase of a five-year comprehensive campaign to raise $2.5 billion.
Lead extensive efforts to design and implement systems to identify, prioritize, and cultivate high-potential major gift prospects, contributing to the campaign's early momentum and long-term fundraising success.
Analyzed donor and prospect data to inform the development of strategies that support ambitious fundraising goals exceeding $140 million annually.
Oversaw research initiatives, including responding to requests, developing prospect profiles, and tracking major donor and event attendees' data.
Collaborated with the development and fundraising operations teams to establish efficient prospect management processes, portfolio review practices, and dashboards.
Managed prospect engagement strategy, driving a significant increase in major gift pipeline activity.
Developed expertise in wealth screening and CRM tools, optimizing the use of data analytics for donor cultivation and prospect identification.
Prospecting Officer
April 2022 - February 2024
Developed strategies and workflows for the Foundation's prospecting department, identifying promising major funding prospects and supporting the advancement team in surpassing ambitious fundraising targets.
Conducted in-depth research of new and existing donors, identifying capacity and informing stewardship strategies for major gift asks of up to $10 million.
Established stewardship processes for a portfolio of 1,000+ prospects and 60+ top prospects, resulting in a 180% increase in prospect engagement within three months.
Conducted data analysis on CRM systems to extract key donor insights, informing development strategies.
Cambodian Children’s Fund
2017 – 2022
Marketing and Development Associate
Oct 2021-April 2022
Collaborated with international marketing and development teams to write and develop giving appeal strategy, letters of inquiry, grant proposals, follow-up reports, and funding requests.
Wrote copy for various marketing projects and maintained and increased the organization’s presence.
Managed and stewarded portfolio of mid to high-level individual/foundation supporters.
Researched individual, private, and foundation giving prospects and developed stewardship strategies.
Supported grassroots/P2P fundraisers and oversaw P2P technology and strategy.
Conducted regular data entry via Salesforce and performed various administrative tasks.
Development and Operations Associate
Dec 2019-Sept 2021
Assisted in donor stewardship practices and managed a small portfolio of small to mid-level donors.
Researched individual, private, and foundation giving prospects.
Collaborated with marketing and development teams to write letters of inquiry, grant proposals, and follow-up
reports
Supported grassroots/P2P fundraisers.
Performed regular data entry in Salesforce and assisted in various administrative and operational tasks.
Development and Operations Assistant
Mar 2017-Nov 2019Directly interacted with donors and supporters and responded to inquiries via phone and email.
Managed gift processing and acknowledgment letter process, and entered donations and data into Salesforce.
Provided general administrative and operational support to US Donor Relations and Office Manager and international teams across various development and donor-relations projects.
Assisted in special event planning and coordination.
Los Angeles Youth Network
(now named “Youth Emerging Stronger”)
2016-2017
Youth Engagement Specialist
Established relationships and fostered engagement with runaway/homeless youth encouraging positive development within and beyond the program.
Provided crisis counseling, support, and resources to youth.
Maintained and updated accurate case records, tracking youth progress, and maintaining confidentiality.
Veterans Community Services
2015-2016
Veteran Specialist
Worked alongside Case Manager to provide direct services to veterans and their families to prevent or end homelessness and achieve stability.
Utilized Servicepoint for data entry.
Screened and completed intakes with program participants to determine eligibility into SSVF program.
Provided referrals to resources in order to meet individual needs.
Maintained all progress, recertification, and documentation of clients in participant files accurately, maintaining confidentiality.
Education
UCLA
2016- 2018
Bachelor’s, Sociology
Palomar College
2011- 2016
Associates of Arts in Social and Behavioral Sciences