May 2024 - PRESENT

As Director of Development at Harmony Project — a nationally recognized nonprofit providing tuition-free music education and holistic support to over 4,000 youth annually across Los Angeles County — I led the organization’s fundraising, donor engagement, and institutional partnership strategy with a focus on sustainability, equity, and impact.

I managed all aspects of individual and foundation giving, campaign design, and cross-sector relationship building, helping drive significant philanthropic investment into programs that integrate music instruction with wraparound services like academic support, college readiness, mental health care, and workforce development.

Key accomplishments:

Raised $1.5M from foundations, corporate partners, and individual donors through multi-channel campaigns, strategic cultivation, and grant acquisition.
Secured and stewarded relationships with funders such as the Hearst Foundation, Ella Fitzgerald Foundation, California Community Foundation and EveryChild Foundation.
Designed and implemented the Back to Music and Year-End Giving campaigns, blending digital storytelling, donor segmentation, and community voice to drive engagement.
Created pitch decks, stewardship reports, and funder collateral to support initiatives across education, mental health, workforce readiness, and community engagement.
Helped rebuild and diversify the foundation pipeline post-major gift cycle, focusing on family foundations and equity-aligned funders.

Strategic Partnerships & Workforce Development:

Launched and led workforce development field trips in collaboration with AGBO Studios (behind Everything Everywhere All At Once and Avengers: Endgame) and SoundCloud, providing 25+ students direct access to music technology, film scoring, and audio engineering professionals.
Built strategic pipelines for future internships and career pathways for students through these industry collaborations.
Worked with Amazon Music on music education initiatives and resource-sharing partnerships.
Co-led Harmony Project’s first large-scale Black Music Month & Juneteenth celebration, in partnership with Warner Music Group and Google’s Black Googler LA Network, spotlighting student performers and strengthening industry relationships across LA’s entertainment ecosystem.

Leadership & Internal Strategy:

Collaborated cross-functionally with program, finance, and communications teams to ensure funder alignment, accurate reporting, and programmatic growth.
Guided strategic donor site visits and curated experiential moments that centered student voice and community impact.
Supported development team structure by helping onboard assistants, lead grants calendar planning, and refine Salesforce workflows for streamlined operations.
Participated in high-level board engagement and strategic planning, contributing to the long-term vision for Harmony Project’s next chapter.

My approach to development was rooted in relationship-centered fundraising — focused on equity, transparency, and deep community alignment. Every campaign and partnership was designed not just to raise money, but to amplify the cultural, creative, and educational power of the students we serve.

Learn more about Harmony Project: https://www.harmony-project.org