Kelly Achenbach

Experience

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  First Global Community College (FGCC)

  Jun 2001 - Mar 2003

  Volunteer Coordinator

  On the Thai-Lao border along the Mekong river in northeastern Thailand buzzes an ambitious and alternative college (FGCC - First Global Community College) established by a forward thinking retired politician, Dr. Promote Nakornthab. Youth who cannot afford to attend a university take classes there taught by international volunteer professors. As the volunteer coordinator, I arranged for the volunteers' accommodations, provided orientations, and worked on a team to create opportunities that matched volunteer talents and strengths to teaching assignments that served the students' needs. Show less

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  Odyssey

  Oct 2003 - Oct 2004

  Program Assistant, Americorps VISTA

  In much of California, depending on public transportation to get around is not only difficult but also stigmatizing. At Odyssey, I assisted with developing and implementing social marketing compaigns - with the aim to improve public transportation for disadvantaged populations.

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  Voices for Children, Inc.

  Mar 2005 - Aug 2006

  Program Supervisor

  The life path of a youth in Foster Care is at the mercy of decisions made by overworked judges, attorneys and social workers. At VFC, I guided volunteers to become experts in the foster care system to be able to navigate their way as they worked one-on-one with especially at-risk youth to advocate (in court, in schools, at meetings with social workers and family members) for their individual emotional, social and educational needs.

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  San Diego City College

  Aug 2006 - Sept 2008

  Independent Living Program Coordinator

  Once a child in Foster Care turns 18, they "emancipate" from the system and are often on their own with little to no support. As part of the ILS program, I met one-on-one and in groups with ambitious youth who strived to achieve more than society expected of them. Through establishing trust, I provided personalized coaching to support them in creating a self-determined future.

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  San Diego County Office of Education

  Oct 2008 - Jun 2009

  Educational Liaison

  Youth in the Foster Care system frequently move and change schools, resulting in gaps in their education. Because their basic needs are at risk, social workers and attorneys are often consumed with the details of other issues. As the Educational Liaison for East County, I was responsible for communicating to relevant professionals about special resources available for as well as the rights of students with a foster care background.

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  Sweet Peace Playgarten

  Jan 2013 - Jun 2015

  Owner & Director

  A child's first experiences with care providers outside of the home set the stage for developing their personal identity - how they connect and relate to other people and their environment. Sweet Peace Playgarten provided a small-group, calm, nature-based, creative play experience with professional educators committed to tending to the tender nuances of young children's (age 2-4) needs.

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  A Great Day for Music

  May 2017 - Dec 2017

  Music Teacher (Music Together method)

  Bringing musical experiences into the lives of young families nurtures personal connections, provides parenting resources, and develops an enjoyable life-long skill. At A Great Day for Music, I prepared and led engaging music experiences for families with children ages 0-5.

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  Max Weber Stiftung

  Mar 2021 - Feb 2024

  The COESO ( Collaborative Engagement on Societal Issues) project (coeso.hypotheses.org) aimed to expand citizen science research within Social Sciences and Humanities disciplines. My role in the project was to collaboratively communicate within and beyond the research community and other stakeholders about COESO's activities and results - through the project blog/website, social media, conferences, and events. Open Science means the free flow of diverse and high-quality scholarly communication means - so that existing knowledge can serve society. In this role at MWS, I created social media content and supported program reporting needs for several projects (TRIPLE, COESO, and the OPERAS Research Infrastructure) related to Open Science in the social sciences and humanities.

  • Referentin Europäische Forschungsinfrastruktur OPERAS – Communication Officer, COESO Project

    Jan 2022 - Feb 2024

  • Communication Assistant, COESO Project

    Mar 2021 - Dec 2021
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  Max Weber Stiftung

  Jan 2025 - now

  Referentin Europäisch Forschungsinfrastrukur OPERAS - Communication Officer, CRAFT-OA Project

  I support the CRAFT-OA (Creating a Robust Accessible Federated Technology for Open Access) project to build a stronger community for Diamond Open Access scholarly publishing - through communicating about the project work on the website, on social media, in newsletters, in reports, and beyond.