Michael Kocinski

Experience

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  Self-employed

  Jun 2002 - now

  Illustrator/Creative Writing Tutor

  Since 2002, when I began teaching Ekphrasric Poetry at the Toledo Museum of Art, I've been busy as a tutor primarily in Toledo, OH, and primarily to home-schooled students, who supplemented their education with weekly, private creative writing workshops I hosted. Some of my students have earned Gold and Silver Portfolio Awards at the Scholastic Arts and Writing Program. I also assisted in the development of The Glasshouse Writing Project, a grant funded writing workshop supported by Toledo area schools. Students participated in weekly writing workshops creating their own poetry and fiction. Students also learned how to peer edit, host a workshop, read their poetry to an audience, writing terms, grammar and style, and how to submit writing for publication. Show less

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  Calvino's Foods of the World

  Aug 2007 - Aug 2017

  Co-Owner/Prep Manager/Head Cook

  As an employee, and later owner, I was responsible for ordering, checking in, and managing/maintaining inventory. I worked closely with vendors from Sysco, Sofo, and their affiliates to provide the best quality products for my customers. My other daily tasks included organizing prep lists based on scheduled and same day catering orders, special events, and the regular needs of the restaurant. I trained new staff on kitchen duties, prep, front of house, cooking, and health code requirements. My colleagues and I organized monthly wine and beer tastings, which included gourmet appetizers made in our kitchen. We also hosted a monthly poetry reading, and participated with local charities to organize fund raisers and donations for auctions. Some of the agencies we worked with included The Library Legacy Foundation, The Promise House Toledo, The Kidney Foundation, and The Imagination Station, and The Ronald McDonald House, to name a few. I have a Level 2 ServSafe Certification. Some of my other duties included menu planning, promotional writing for the restaurant, and hiring new staff. As working owner, I also ran the back of the house as head cook for most lunches and on a rotating dinner schedule with the other owners. Show less

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  Snacktime Arts

  Sept 2015 - now

  Co-Founder

  I draw a daily illustration for my son Henry's school lunch. I most often draw one of our favorite animals but sometimes I draw one of his favorite licensed characters. My friend, and co-founder, Jake Hammond and I started making plans 2016 to organize the drawings into sets to reproduce and distribute as a collection of lunch bags parents can buy for their children. Final product and start date still pending.

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  Barnes & Noble Education, Inc.

  Aug 2018 - Oct 2020

  Operations Manager
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  Hotel Indigo

  Aug 2019 - Oct 2019

  Food And Beverage Supervisor
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  Mighty Crow Media, LLC

  Oct 2020 - now

  Assistant Grant Writer and Program Evaluator
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  Fair Play

  Oct 2022 - now

  Fair Play Facilitator

  Fair Play is an intensive, 8 hour Sexual Violence Prevention course geared toward student (college) athletes. Our goal is to share data about sexual assault, rape culture, and gender roles on campus to empower male and female athletes to work together to prevent sexual violence. We also discuss healthy sex and gender roles/identity, bystander intervention, and rape myths that support a culture of violence against women and ways to address sexual violence in sports culture.