Experience

• 

  National poetry slam

  Jan 2003 - Jan 2012

  Mind-blower

  Blew Minds

• 

  Illinois state university

  Sept 2003 - May 2006

  Speech coach

  I coached many students to national final rounds and national championships.

• 

  College of lake county

  Sept 2006 - Jun 2007

  English instructor

  I taught one section of creative writing, 2 sections of composition I, and 5 sections of composition II my year with CLC. I've also been a coach with the CLC speech team the last three years.

• 

  Young chicago authors

  Jun 2007 - Mar 2013

  I organize the participation of 100 groups of youth for the Louder Than A Bomb youth poetry festival, the largest youth poetry festival in the world. Organized Louder Than A Bomb, the world's largest teen poetry festival.

  • Education Director of Louder Than A Bomb

    Aug 2012 - Mar 2013

  • Director of Performing Arts

    Jun 2007 - Aug 2012
• 

  Encyclopedia show

  Dec 2008 - Nov 2023

  Co-founder, co-curator

  I started this live variety show with Shanny Jean Maney in December 2008 as a place where performance literature can come together around oddly specific topics. It's now happening in 9 cities regularly, with many more cities as a one-off performances, and in four different countries around the world.

• 

  The poetry center

  Dec 2013 - May 2015

  Poet-in-residence

  Teaching poetry at TEAM Englewood, Moos Elementary and Taft High School with the Hands on Stanzas program.

• 

  Leo burnett interactive

  Dec 2013 - Jul 2014

  Freelance copywriter

  Write ad copy.

• 

  Habitat 2030

  Jan 2014 - Apr 2022

  Volunteer advisory board member
• 

  Project voice

  Mar 2015 - Dec 2018

  Teaching poet

  Spoken word poetry performer and educator in schools across the world. http://www.projectvoice.co

• 

  The field museum

  May 2015 - Aug 2018

  Calumet outreach coordinator

  Organizing communities around habitat restoration and environmental engagement in the bi-state Calumet region of Chicagoland.

• 

  The morton arboretum

  Sept 2018 - Nov 2023

  Adult learning programs assistant
• 

  Friends of illinois nature preserves

  Mar 2022 - Mar 2025

  Leading programming to deepen Illinois' relationship to its most unique natural areas and organisms.

  • Program Director

    Mar 2024 - Mar 2025

  • Advocacy and Communication Manager

    Jul 2023 - Mar 2024

  • Bell Bowl Prairie Campaign Manager

    Mar 2022 - Nov 2023
• 

  Illinois humanities

  Jan 2024 - Dec 2024

  Program manager for learning cohorts

  Coordinating professional development for arts nonprofits who received Covid-relief grants from the city of Chicago.