I am an activist and non-profit professional who has spent the past 13 years focused on community solutions to poverty. I have extensive experience in the non-profit sector, doing everything from research and communications, to fundraising and project development. I was lucky to start my development career at a funders’ affinity group, which meant that I was interacting with foundation program officers every day. I got to learn about their challenges and concerns, and got into the habit of thinking of funders as partners in my work. Because of that mindset, I have been able to consistently bring in major funding to my organizations, plan events and communications that suit their needs, and leverage their expertise when the organization really needs that extra help. I was able to be successful in all of these situations because I am able to listen well and listen analytically, meaning that I am able to read between the lines to figure out what donors and stakeholders want, even when they might have been contradicting themselves. I received my BA from New School for Social Research and my MA from Hunter College. My academic work focused on the intersection between art/culture and progressive politics from early modern England to post-war U.S.