I am writing to express my interest in the Community Engagement Manager position advertised on Truckee Jobs Collective.
I have been involved with community engagement and management since 2012. During graduate school, I organized a yearly symposium and a week-long workshop series on the topic of Big Data in Biology at The University of Texas in Austin. My role involved coordinating speakers and caterers, reserving rooms, and conducting assessments. I wrote grants and received a funding for event planning and scientific research. I joined Twitter during this time to live-tweet events and disseminate fliers and blog posts to a large audience.
In 2018, I started a remote post-doctoral position at the University of California, Davis focused on communication, training, and outreach. I organize meetings and events to facilitate collaboration between scientists, engineers, and clinicians to build infrastructure for data-driven biomedical research. I have the technical skills to test software, analyze data, and build websites. Additionally, I am fluent in Spanish and have worked with numerous volunteers around the world to translate training materials to support non-English speakers in science. Due to a lack of funding, I took a short break from this position in 2019 and pursued other endeavors, but I returned in 2021.
Since moving to the Tahoe area in 2019, I have held seasonal positions at Rock & Rose Landscaping & Nursery, Palisades Tahoe, and the River Ranch Lodge & Restaurant. These jobs have helped me connect with nature and integrate into the local community.
I am excited by the prospect of having a local, full-time job that capitalizes on my interests and expertise. I look forward to learning more about the mission and vision of the Sierra State Parks Foundation and how I can contribute to the team of staff and volunteers that work to preserve and restore parks in the area and educate others about the importance of our natural resources.
Thank you for your consideration,
Rayna M. Harris, PhD