Core Qualifications and Skills

Overall Highlights: Current Executive Assistant looking for new opportunities that are better aligned with interests and career goals. Former Deputy Director and Government Affairs Manager with a demonstrated knowledge of public policy and community issues from both a nonprofit and governmental perspective. A two-time graduate of the University of Arizona with a BA in Political Science focused in Foreign Affairs and an MA in International Security Studies, coupled with international travel and/or short-term living experience in 30 countries. A highly effective verbal and written communicator able to work under pressure and manage various tasks simultaneously, with meticulous attention to detail.

Management and Leadership:

  • Experience managing and overseeing company projects, programs, and committees
  • Experience in training interns and those with administrative-level positions
  • Effective management of a small office during the absence of senior leadership
  • Ability to quickly schedule and host meetings, create agendas, and prepare written reports
  • Proficient at communicating the mission and positions of an organization

Adaptability and Flexibility:

  • Capable of adapting to constantly changing environments and situations
  • Effective at planning ahead, but also able to react quickly in response to change
  • Strong ability to take on new tasks on short notice

Public Policy & Government Affairs:

  • Strong verbal and written communication with high-level elected officials and staff
  • Experience providing support for high-level government officials at local, state, and binational meetings and events
  • Enthusiastic to work in diverse, cross-cultural settings and environments
  • Demonstrated knowledge of various security topics including counterterrorism, global health, armed conflict, and human rights
  • Proven ability to write succinct and thorough background documents, policy briefs and memorandums, and policy papers

Educational Background

The University of Arizona – Tucson, AZ: September 2019 – May 2022
Master’s Degree – International Security Studies

The University of Arizona – Tucson, AZ: August 2012 – May 2016
Bachelor’s Degree – Political Science, Foreign Affairs emphasis
Minors: Classics, Classic Civilizations emphasis; Spanish

Study Abroad – Prague, Czechia: Summer 2014
Coursework: East Central European Politics, Holocaust & Jewish Cultural Destruction

Study Abroad – Rome, Italy: Summer 2015
Coursework: Roman Art & Archaeology

Professional Experience

Executive Assistant to the CEO, Health Catalysts Group – Tucson, AZ: January 2020 – Present
Responsibilities of Executive Assistant include scheduling all calls, meetings, and speaking engagements for the CEO and managing several calendars, creating slide decks and talking points, tracking expenses and processing business-related travel invoices, keeping an organized database of all business-related files, and handling some light event planning for personal events. Additional duties include gathering data and fact-checking for Health Catalysts Year in Review – an annual publication related to biomedical diagnostics, designing and editing Sensitive and Specific: The Testing Newsletter and maintaining the distribution list of over two thousand recipients, and supporting the National Testing Action Plan (NTAP) lead team by guiding potential vendors through the process for consideration and attending the monthly virtual meetings.

Deputy Directory, Southern Arizona Office of the Arizona Governor– Tucson, AZ: April 2018 – June 2019
Responsibilities and duties of the Deputy Director included overseeing the day-to-day operations of the Southern Arizona staff and interns, supervising constituent services, and carrying out internal projects while providing support for external events in which the Governor is in attendance. Specific examples of responsibilities are maintaining awareness of the Governor’s administration’s top initiatives and priorities, researching key issues, and creating briefing documents for office-related events and meetings.

Government Affairs Manager, Tucson Metro Chamber – Tucson, AZ: July 2019 – April 2018
Duties of Government Affairs Manager included assisting the Vice President in developing and executing government relations priorities on the local level, as well as tracking and advocating for legislation and policies that are business-friendly and promote economic development. Other duties involved active participation on City, County, and regional committees, in addition to managing the Chamber’s own government affairs programs and projects.

Government Affairs Coordinator, Tucson Metro Chamber – Tucson, AZ: July 2016 – July 2017
Duties included policy research of local political developments and emerging issues, advocating for pro-business regulations and legislation, and serving as a liaison between the Tucson Metro Chamber and local government officials and organizations. Other responsibilities included establishing and maintaining relationships with stakeholders and Chamber members, as well as local government officials and their staff.

Personal Interests

Published Author, Amazon KDP – Worldwide: July 2020
Publication of an award winning debut poetry collection, The Way She Blooms, as both a paperback and e-book through Amazon, which has since been listed on the websites of large book distributors such as Barnes & Noble and is on the shelves of indie bookstores in cities around the world.

Volunteer, AMOIXQUIC and A.D.S.Q – Quetzaltenango, Guatemala: July 2019
One-month long homestay and volunteer experience in Quetzaltenango working with the Director of AMOIXQUIC – an organization that promotes women’s rights and supports Mayan women in the highlands of Guatemala through education and empowerment programs, and a secondary volunteer project at A.D.S.Q. – the Association for Deaf Development in Quetzaltenango. Duties with the former included multiple 2-hour presentations entirely in Spanish to groups of rural, indigenous women on sexual and reproductive rights, domestic violence and healthy relationships, and equality. With A.D.S.Q., duties included providing support to the leadership team of a school for Deaf youth, including writing bylaws for their pending Board of Directors, assisting them in researching laws and rights of Deaf people, and drafting a letter to their Congress advocating for a bill pertaining to these rights – which was later signed into law.