About Hannah

Hi there! Thanks for stopping by.

My varied professional history includes public health research, feminist oral history projects, climate change, and women’s empowerment. Though these seem to be quite different, they are all connected by a commitment to justice, equality, and empowerment. Meaning and progress are the most important things for me when I’m thinking about what I’d like to do and the direction I’d like my life to take.

I have an MA in Ethics, Peace and Global Affairs from the School of International Service at American University. This program is very human-rights heavy and my personal research throughout the program regularly focused on the intersection of social issues and religion.

I am available for freelance content creation, writing, website, and social media strategy work. Please contact me for more information, rates, references, and samples.

In my free time, I enjoy training for half marathons, marathons, and triathlons. I’ve previously been a group exercise instructor and love pushing people and helping them achieve goals. My commitment to fitness is tied to my interest in public health and empowerment. I’ve volunteered with Girls on the Run to teach young girls about the benefits of running for personal worth, self-esteem, and empowerment. My commitment to empowering girls and women shows through my professional, academic and volunteer experience.

Below I’ve listed some of the specific issues, causes, and topics that interest me:

peace, women’s rights, gender, climate, race, violence, economic inequality, reproductive rights, food systems and safety, conflict resolution, progressive faith-based work, education, development, international relations, immigration, violence prevention, civil rights, children’s rights, public health, health education

So, what am I looking for in a career?

meaning, autonomy, potential for growth, opportunities for professional development, committed coworkers, flexibility, accountability, outside-the-box thinking, positive leadership, opportunities to write

Community Engagement & Volunteering

Being engaged in my community and the world is very important to me. As often as I can, I try to get out and volunteer with organizations I believe in. Below are a few of the more meaningful volunteer experiences I’ve had.

Salvadoran Enterprises for Women (SEW) October 2013 – present
I started volunteering with SEW in 2013 and joined the board the following year. I have guided SEW’s digital work and expanded our outreach to donors.

Girls on the Run February – June 2012 and March – May 2014
I worked through the Girls on the Run curriculum with a group of 3rd-5th grade girls. The curriculum covers everything from positivity to media literacy all while getting 8 – 10 year olds ready to run a 5k.

Washtenaw Interfaith Coalition for Immigrant Rights (WICIR-Washtenaw County, Michigan) November 2011 – February 2012
I edited translations of emails and interpreted during a community meeting.

Johnson County Public Health May 2010 – June 2011
I translated documents, edited translations, and interpreted for WIC appointments; this included linguistic as well as cultural translation and making the mothers comfortable in an unfamiliar situation.

Wesley Foundation Delegation to El Salvador March 2008 and March 2011
I helped to prepare the delegations by providing background reading, leading discussions, and helping with fundraising. While in El Salvador, I was the primary interpreter for the group.

Professional Development & Strengths

One of the things I find most rewarding is mentoring. For at least ten years, people have sought me out for advice on personal and professional challenges. I have helped students navigate college, young women advocate for themselves at work, and colleagues recognize strengths to be more effective at their jobs. I have almost always had a supervisory position and I really enjoy working with the staff I manage to enhance their stronger skills and develop others.

Professional Development is very important to me. I’m constantly seeking new ways to improve my skills or gain new skills. A few of the courses I’ve done are below. If you know of any upcoming professional development opportunities I may be interested in, please let me know!

HTML course, Code Academy – January 2013
Citizen Muscle Boot Camp, The Story of Stuff – October 2014
Proposal Writing Basics, the Foundation Center – November 2014
Introduction to Finding Funders, the Foundation Center – December 2014
How to Approach a Foundation, the Foundation Center – December 2014
Your Board and Fundraising, the Foundation Center – February 2015
Introduction to Fundraising Planning – February 2015
Introduction to Graphic Design Software, Montgomery College – Fall 2015

Some of my strengths are listed below.

Administrative: organizationally minded, strategic planning, supervisory experience, project management and coordination, staff motivation and goal setting
Language/Communication: fluent in Spanish, basic reading knowledge of Portuguese, talented writer, fitness/wellness blogger, confident public speaker, course/presentation development
Web/Computer: social media, basic html, WordPress, Drupal, several CRMs, Microsoft Office, Hootsuite, Apple and Windows operating systems

Let’s Connect!

I’m available for free-lance projects, consulting, training, and communications planning.

I’d love to hear from you about work opportunities or simply to connect if you have similar interests.

Connect with me on Twitter, LinkedIn, by following my running blog, or using the form below to email me.

FAQs

Also known as all those questions that take up time at the beginning of interviews.

So are you working now? Yes! I’m doing communications at the National WIC Association (NWA). At NWA, I manage all of the organization’s communications activities, including managing a several million dollar, multi-year advertising campaign, and creating and leading social media training workshops across the country.

Why are you in DC? When I was 13 years old my dad brought me on a trip to Washington, DC. I decided that week that I would move here. As I wanted to study international studies in some way in grad school, DC was the obvious choice for me. One day, on a long lonely car trip, I decided that there was no reason to wait for grad school to move to DC. Five weeks later, I packed up my car and moved. I’ve now been in DC for nearly six years and I’m ready to move on.

How did you learn Spanish? When I was 16 years old I decided that I was going to be an exchange student. Somehow, my mom knew this before I even told her (are moms actually psychic?). About a year later, I packed my bags and headed to Peru. Being a super bright 17 year old, I assumed I knew Spanish. After all, I’d done the equivalent of four years of high school Spanish. How foolish I was. Within a couple months of living in a small town on the southern coast of Peru, I was mostly up to speed. Nothing like being thrown into the deep end with a life jacket! In college I studied Latin American literature, so the majority of my classes were in Spanish and I actively sought out opportunities to speak Spanish as often as I could.

What do you like to do when you’re not working? The most obvious answer here is running. I’ve completed 2 marathons, 8 half marathons, a sprint and 3 olympic triathlon. I also enjoy cooking and baking, have an obsession with thinking about my next house renovation, I have an adorable and annoying puppy I love playing with and I am always thinking about my next book or writing project. Have book suggestions for me?

Writing Samples

I really enjoy writing. It’s something I’m hoping to do more of in my next position. I am often asked for writing samples so I’ve provided a few below. I purposely have included several samples of different tones and styles to provide an idea of my ability to communicate for different audiences.

The National WIC Association announced a dissolution of relationships with infant formula manufacturers in September 2016. I wrote the press release and an additional response about what the announcement means.

Four Ways to Fit in Exercise, Even if You’re Insanely Busy on Verily

Let’s Exercise Because We Love our Bodies, Not Because We Hate Them on Verily

I’m Ready for Hillary published by Bustle

What Should You Say to Someone Who’s Grieving? on Bustle, this is an honest, somewhat funny telling of my experience following my dad’s sudden death.

It’s Been Quite a Year! This is the first email blast Salvadoran Enterprises for Women (SEW) sent to our full list.

Women’s Sexual Autonomy as a Foundation for Other Rights – This is an excerpt from a paper I wrote as a grad student about why reproductive autonomy is absolutely essential for equality and progress. It was written with a partner but this excerpt is completely my work. 

Theological Responses to Climate Change – This is fairly long for a writing sample, but combines two things that really interest me: religion and climate. This was written for my last graduate class at American University’s School of International Service in the spring of 2014.

Christian Forgiveness in the Context of Post-Apartheid South Africa – This is a very brief excerpt from a longer paper I wrote in a class on a peace and religion. Again, this combines two of my biggest interests: peace and religion. I initially went to grad school with the goal of studying the role religion plays in conflict, and conflict reconciliation and peace building. This paper focuses quite heavily on the work of Desmond Tutu, one of the many figures that has influenced my thinking on the topic.

I also write a blog about Fitness, Food, and Feminism called Hannah in DC. A few of my favorite posts are Why I Started, 100 Things I’ve Learned Running, Strong is the new skinny: just another form of body shaming?, and Run for SEW.