Director of Support Programs at the Brain Injury Alliance of Washington (BIAWA)
Four years after earning my MA in Sociology from the University of New Orleans, I am the Director of Support Programs at the Brain Injury Alliance of Washington (BIAWA) in Seattle, WA. At BIAWA, I supervise the provision of direct support services that ensure individuals affected by Brain Injury throughout Washington State live the quality of life they deserve.
At BIAWA, it is my responsibility to tell the story of how our services impact the Brain Injury community. With the qualitative and quantitative skills I learned at UNO, I have completely revamped our online database to create standardized measures, instilled processes and procedures by which my staff accurately enters data gathered, created dashboards for various funding agencies and presented at a combination of national and statewide conferences. The education I received through the UNO Masters in Sociology Program clearly sets me apart from others in my field. In addition to our regular work, BIAWA creates working relationships with academics to further research in Brain Injury. We are able to do this successfully, because I have knowledge of the inner-workings of academia and the processes of creating valid research. I have translated my grad school skills into a management style that has transformed a scarcely known toll free number serving a couple hundred annually into a nationally respected Resource Center providing over-the-phone and in-person support to thousands each year.
I never imagined while working on my thesis that the skills I honed on a daily basis in grad school would translate so clearly into necessary skills for successful nonprofit management. I am incredibly grateful for the time I spend at UNO and the foundation it gave me to succeed in the great big world beyond.