RESUMÉ

 

QUALIFICATIONS SUMMARY

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  • 25+ years of translation (and interpreting) Russian-English experience

  • Bachelor of Arts in Russian language, minor in Linguistics

  • Past residency in Russia & Ukraine, regular professional travel to Russia, Central Asia

  • Native language - English

  • Areas of specialization - environmental conservation, wildlife biology, fisheries (salmon) science and management, indigenous affairs, non-profit management, grants administration, advocacy, human rights

  • Excellent research, writing, proofreading, and editing skills

  • Superior attention to detail

  • Rapid assimilation of new technology and software

 

SELECTED CLIENTS                                                                                                                                         

Wild Salmon Center (Portland OR) 2013-Present
Translation of articles and reports relating to salmon conservation, fisheries management, and protected areas management.

Tamalpais Trust & Pawanka Fund 2012-2023
Grants consulting, research, and translation for indigenous philanthropy (grant-making and administration) in Russia.

Pacific Environment (San Francisco CA) 2011-2013, 2016-2018
Program oversight, grants administration, translation, and Russian grassroots conservation consulting.

International Funders for Indigenous Peoples (San Francisco CA 2018)
Co-authored the report “Indigenous Defenders Movement in Russia: A Briefing For Funders”.

Pronto Pictures (Sarasota FL) 2010-2014
Audio-video transcription for marketing video production, mainly in technology marketing.

Sacred Land Film Project (Berkeley CA) 2006-2016
Transcription, translation, subtitling of raw Russian film footage into English. Consulting and communications support with Russian field contacts. Translation, transcription, and consulting credit for the film series “Standing on Sacred Ground”.

Center for Support of Indigenous Peoples of the North (2011, Moscow, Russia) 
Complete English translation of a “Encyclopedia of Indigenous Peoples of the North, Siberia, and the Far East of the Russian Federation” 450+ page encyclopedia of Russian indigenous minorities into English.

 

WORK EXPERIENCE

Director, Eurasian Wildlife and Peoples/Earth Island Institute (East Lansing MI) 2024-Present
Lead all aspects of program and campaign planning and implementation, fundraising and grant development, and coalition-building with partners in Altai and worldwide. This organization continues the work of The Altai Project but in a different geography.

Director, The Altai Project/Earth Island Institute (East Lansing MI) 2006-2023
Lead all aspects of TAP’s program and campaign planning and implementation, fundraising and grant development, ecotourism development, translation, and coalition-building with partners in Altai and worldwide. This organization closed in 2023 as a result of being declared undesirable by the Russian government.

Russia Program Director, Pacific Environment (San Francisco CA) 2002-2006
Program management, planning, and results-focused environmental campaigning.  Duties included grant-writing/budgeting, fiscal accountability and funder reporting, networking and coalition-building with Russian and other international partners, substantive campaign work on marine sustainability and resource extraction issues, program planning and implementation, interpreting and translation, staff hiring/oversight. Additional consulting services in 2011-2013 and 2016-2018.

Operations Manager, Heart to Heart Int’l Global Cardiac Care (Oakland CA) 1999-2002
Diverse duties included operations (including warehouse management), medical mission planning and leadership (3 missions), program development and budgeting support, Russian-English medical interpreting and translation, database management (customized an Access database).  Work required close partnership with the board, volunteers, medical facilities, and manufacturers.

Program Coordinator/Employment Specialist, Jewish Vocational Service (San Francisco, CA) 1994-1998  
Managed an intensive employment program for refugees from the former Soviet Union and Bosnia. Marketed programs to Russian and Bosnian refugee communities, increasing participation by 15% annually.  As Employment Specialist, helped (bilingually in Russian and Bosnian) over 450 clients meet their employment goals, including 300 job placements.  Wrote two successful proposals securing over $500,000 in annual funding. Marketed job seekers to Bay Area employers, networking with other community agencies and represented JVS at employer and community events.

Program Assistant/Field Recruiter, American Councils (Washington, DC & Kiev, Ukraine) 1993-1994
As Program Assistant for a high school exchange program, coordinated with youth organizations nationwide, serving as liaison among students, families, and field representatives in the former Soviet republics. Developed and implemented bookkeeping policies for field offices. As Field Recruiter, recruited students for a Ukrainian student exchange program.  Coordinated student travel arrangements and documentation. Personally interviewed 450 students at 30 schools in 16 cities over a 6-week period.  90% of work conducted in Russian.

  

VOLUNTEERING

  • Stewardship Committee Chair, Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Greater Lansing, 2016-2022

  • Bryn Mawr College Alumnae Association Leadership Development Committee, 2013-2015

EDUCATION

  • University of California-Berkeley (Advanced Croatian/Serbian, 8 units)

  • Bryn Mawr College, Bryn Mawr, PA (Arts Baccalaureate in Russian Language, Linguistics minor)

  • Moscow Energy Institute, Moscow, Russia (Advanced Russian language & culture)

LANGUAGES

  • English (native speaker)

  • Russian (fluent)

  • German (conversational)

  • Bosniak/Serbian/Croatian (basic conversational)