Dara L.

Experience

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  U By Kotex

  Apr 2012 - Jan 2013

  Ambassador
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  Haitian Partners Leading in Christian Development

  Jun 2013 - Jul 2013

  Intern

  - Facilitated teaching English to Haitian entrepreneurs- Organized two events for entrepreneurs to market their products- Taught basic computer skills to entrepreneurs

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  The Law Offices of Patrick Henry LLP

  Jul 2013 - Aug 2014

  Intern

  • Analyzed, researched and wrote legal memoranda• Organized and filed fifteen years of client information • Directly assisted attorneys in the courtroom

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  Carver Terrace Tenants Association

  Jul 2014 - Aug 2014

  Summer Intern
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  Commando Drift Nature Reserve

  Feb 2015 - Feb 2015

  Ecological Field Assistant

  • Participated/managed ecological surveys • Built traps/assessed camera traps to enter into databases • Worked along side leading herpetologist, Werner Conradie

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  Alliance for Education, Science, Engineering, and Development in Africa

  Mar 2015 - May 2015

  Teaching Assistant

  • Taught five groups of students the importance of precipitation in their environment • Created lesson plans for groups of children of various ages• Used theatre and interactive learning modules due to language barrier

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  Carbon Sequestration Research

  May 2015 - Jun 2015

  Field Research Assistant

  • Participated in the first full scale methane emissions study of a Bofedales wetland• Analyzed and extracted soil core samples to measure age and decomposition

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  Riparia Penn State

  Jun 2015 - Jul 2015

  Research Assistant

  • Collected insects from a major river in a Peruvian community• Inspected health of various wetlands • Worked with team members on an official write up of results

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  Environment America

  Jul 2015 - Aug 2015

  Advocacy Intern

  • Raised public awareness on issues pertaining to the Chesapeake Bay• Door to door fundraising efforts, learned grassroots campaigning

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  The Pennsylvania Literacy Corps

  Aug 2015 - May 2016

  Certified PA Literacy Corps Tutor

  • Tutor adult learners in english, math, and science• Helped to socially integrate international adult learners to American culture• Created a beginners guide to english cookbook

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  The Paul Robeson Cultural Center

  Aug 2015 - May 2016

  Program Marketing Student Worker

  • Creates posters for educational and cultural events using the newest edition of Photoshop• Monitors and post on blogs, forums, and social networks• Online outreach and promotion using Facebook, Twitter, Hootsuite, and Instagram

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  Militarization and Feminism Research

  Mar 2016 - Aug 2016

  Research Assistant

  • Assisting in developing a dynamic set of resources to create a database • Responsible for keeping track of all research materials and maintaining a log for Dr. Dowler

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  BUILD

  Sept 2016 - Dec 2016

  Development and Communications Intern
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  Worwick Franklin Institute

  Feb 2017 - Mar 2018

  TEFL Teacher, South Korea
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  Peace Corps

  Jun 2018 - Jan 2020

  Secondary Education Volunteer
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  Calvary Women's Services

  Apr 2020 - Mar 2023

  Resident Assistant
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  USDA

  Aug 2020 - now

  Ethics Specialist

  -Serve as a primary point of contact and official representative of USDA on contractual matters for employees who are in positions of public trust; provide comprehensive ethics advice to over 1,000 USDA staff annually, ensuring legal adherence and safeguarding the Agency’s mission integrity-Train senior Agency leaders and mid-level employees in USDA Ethics rules and regulations and lead new compliance initiatives such as the development of training contract-specific tools, guidance, and policies-Maintains an in-depth understanding of 5 C.F.R. regulations, ensuring compliance with federal guidelines and ethical standards in all professional activities. Stays abreast of regulatory updates -Navigate compliance issues between technical, contractual, finance, and management personnel; effectively translate concepts to programmatic and technical colleagues-Manage and certify over 1,000 employees’ financial disclosure reports annually, identifying and resolving conflicts of interest to maintain compliance-Coordinate efforts across CIOs, divisions, and USG entities, organizing over 15 high-level meetings and logistics for seamless collaboration and alignment of objectives-Engage regularly with implementing partners, providing technical assistance and guidance to ensure compliance with federal (HHS and CDC) award regulations, and supervising staff to improve cooperative agreement activities and outcomes-Developed and drafted over 50 advisory letters and educational documents, enhancing employee understanding of ethics obligations and new developments-Facilitates and conducts more than 20 ethics training sessions, improving inter-federal agency compliance and policy awareness annually-Advises on processing extramural funding documents and post-award actions, resolving issues, and providing status reports to enhance policy compliance-Conducts in-office training sessions to ensure colleagues are compliant with Ethics standards Show less

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  MOTHER Lab

  Sept 2020 - Aug 2021

  Research Assistant
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  Mary's Center

  Oct 2021 - Mar 2024

  Part of a DC Health Department grant-funded doula program serving Healthy Start patients in the greater Washington, D.C. area.

  • Mary’s Center Birth Doula Program Fellow

    Mar 2022 - Mar 2024

  • GW Maternal and Child Health Practice Fellow

    Oct 2021 - Mar 2024