CV

ERIKA OMAN

Mobile Phone: +41 078 801 81 70

E-mail: [email protected] | Skype: live:eoman37

Nationality: U.S.

KEY QUALIFICATIONS:

  • Communications manager with more than 15 years of experience optimizing awareness for non-profits and private-sector companies in humanitarian relief, arts, and culture. Obtained prominent coverage of clients in major media including MSNBC, The New York Times, USA Today, Wall Street Journal, Vogue magazine, W magazine, National Public Radio, and Public Radio International by nurturing relationships and pitching innovatively. Generates social media presence cost-effectively. As External Affairs Director for a hunger relief organization, developed and implemented a holistic communications strategy incorporating public relations, marketing, advocacy, donor communications, digital engagement, innovative events, and joint activities with corporate and non-profit partners. Media strategist for diverse clients including eBay, international cultural institutions and festivals, the hospitality industry, and health care.
  • Dynamic fundraising manager who has increased organizational income through successful grant proposals and appeals to individuals and institutions. Won grants from Mutual of America, NBC Universal Foundation, and Walmart Foundation. Experienced in online fundraising platforms including Global Giving. Manages an annual USD 1 million auction. Improved individual fundraising capacity for the charity race. Has collaborated on a fundraising strategy with international organizations, major companies, non-profits. Designed an internship in social media fundraising.
  • Strategic thinker and problem-solver adept at analyzing organizations at a high level and identifying areas for improvement. Co-led reorganization of a non-profit that streamlined management and increased productivity. Overcomes resource limitations by funding innovation solutions.
  • Project manager who has successfully organized and overseen events, conferences, and activities in multiple countries. Achieves smooth implementation through intensive research, strong organization, support of team members, and focused troubleshooting. Strategized and executed Istanbul Arts & Cultural Festival, supervising travel, logistics, and schedule, including a palace dinner with more than 300 guests.
  • Capacity-builder who has trained and mentored staff, interns, and volunteers on teams of more than 25. Created internship programs in non-profit management and new media communications.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE:

 

Move For Hunger, Asbury Park, New Jersey, U.S.                                                     May 2015 – January 2017

Director of External Affairs and Development

Developed and implemented communications and development strategies to enable the organization to meet its operational goals and position itself as a leader in hunger relief and combating food waste.

  • Developed a multi-faceted communications strategy, incorporating traditional media pitches, social media engagement and campaigns, advocacy, and alliances with other organizations.
    • Significantly increased website traffic by organizing the schedule for social media postings.
      • Results: Site visitors referred from Facebook increased 92% from 2015 to 2016; from Twitter, a 244% increase; from LinkedIn, 207%; from Instagram, 680%.
    • Created content for the website and social media to increase public engagement and position the organization as a dynamic thought leader, as envisioned in the communication strategy:
      • With developer, updated site with calls to action to drive traffic, events calendar, resource guide, interactive map, statistics, newsfeed, and advocacy page explaining how to take action.
      • Wrote blog posts and organized a regular posting schedule. Maintained consistent social media presence by leveraging interns. Posted relevant news stories and distributed top five stories of the week by email and social media. Set schedule for shareable infographics.
      • Promoted community initiatives such as volunteer food rescues at farmers’ markets by sharing simple instructions and success stories. Leveraged mainstream media opportunities such as “Take a Bite Out of Hunger” campaign during “Shark Week”; and asking users to share peanut butter and jelly sandwich recipes while encouraging peanut butter donations.
    • Contacted journalists to develop long-term relationships and propose coverage.
      • Results: Obtained national-level coverage in Forbes, USA Today, and MSNBC.
    • Designed, created content for, and oversaw distribution of newsletters.
    • Arranged events such as film screenings, TEDx conferences, and staff speaking engagements.
      • Result: Enhanced visibility for partners and sponsors through media coverage of events.
    • Led public relations (P.R.) to promote food drives and events. Supervised media outreach by staff.
      • Result: Obtained coverage in broadcast and print media across U.S./Canada.
    • Designed and implemented a development strategy:
      • Led development and fundraising initiatives. Wrote grant proposals.
        • Won USD 150,000 grant from Walmart Foundation and USD 50,000 grant from NBC Universal Foundation.
      • Cultivated alliances and coalitions with like-minded NGOs.
      • Obtained corporate sponsorships through new business initiatives:
        • Co-organized “Move Out For Hunger” to collect food items from students moving out of residences at year-end. Obtained sponsorship from housing website Doorsteps.
      • Wrote messages for key audiences including donors, sponsors, and food drive organizers.
      • Co-developed strategy to improve fundraising capacity of charity race participants through newsletters with tips and best practices, templates for appeals, and online support network.
    • Led food drive program across U.S. and Canada:
      • Recruited and trained up to 25 volunteers and interns each season to assist food drive organizers.
      • Provided best practices, regional statistics, marketing and collection materials, and media outreach.
      • Created a widget on the website allowing visitors to host a food drive.
        • Result: Number of food drives increased 43% from 2015 to 2016.
      • Designed and oversaw internships programs:
        • Recruited, interviewed, trained, and supervised groups of up to 25 interns and volunteers.
        • Created internship curricula: fundraising, food drives, advocacy, and P.R.; and web and social media content creation and engagement for on-site and remote interns.
        • Hosted and organized a two-day orientation session for each internship program.
        • Held weekly meetings to review progress in implementing their digital media strategies, brainstorm campaign ideas, offer advice and feedback, and hear a guest speaker.
          • Result: Columbia University presented curriculum as a model internship structure.
        • Managed human resource duties:
          • Managed four full-time employees and more than 25 interns on-site and remotely. Posted vacancies on job boards. Interviewed candidates. Hired and fired staff.
          • Standardized salaries. Negotiated budget for annual raises. Wrote employee handbook and harassment policy. Standardized job descriptions/key performance indicators, orientation and performance review processes.
        • Contributed to the organization’s 10-year strategy and vision.
        • Helped restructure the organization into internal and external-facing departments.
          • Result: Management was streamlined. Productivity increased.

 

Fitz & Co., New York City, New York, U.S.                                                              February 2014 – May 2015

Assistant Director

Led teams in executing media relations campaigns for international institutions such as the world’s leading art fair, Art Basel; corporations such as eBay and Kickstarter; and luxury companies such as Rolls Royce.

  • Fostered relationships with media and influencers. Organized media trips and events. Developed story angles.
    • Result: Gained coverage in prominent media such as The New York Times, Telegraph (UK), Departures magazine, and “The Charlie Rose Show.”
  • Liaised in the arts and cultural community to gather information and identify and cultivate potential clients.
  • Supervised, mentored, and trained six junior staff members.

Nadine Johnson & Associates, New York City                                                   March 2012 – October 2013

Senior Account Executive

Led teams that developed and implemented communications strategies for clients in arts, culture, and design including the International Istanbul Arts & Culture Festival, Faena, Commune Design, Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit, elite hotels, the Brant Foundation, and NetJets.

  • Landed major coverage in regional, national, and international journalists by pitching effectively and fostering long-term relationships with media outlets. For example:
    • Persuaded W Magazine to cover a hotel before it had opened by emphasizing the colorful history of the site and the significance of its redevelopment, and arranging a visit.
  • Organized international trips for journalists from newspapers the Financial Times, New York Post, New York Times, Telegraph, Wall Street Journal; Vogue, W, and Vanity Fair magazines; National Public Radio (U.S.); and Associated Press and Bloomberg news services; and cultural influencers such as musicians Courtney Love and Michael Stipe, artists Dan Colen and Sophie Calle, fashion designer Haider Ackermann, actors Tilda Swinton and Kirsten Dunst, directors Terry Gilliam and Sam Taylor-Wood, and photographers Thomas Dozol and Ryan McGinley.
  • Created social media strategies to complement traditional media strategies and reach targeted audiences for each client’s needs.
  • Organized and managed teams to staff high-stress red-carpet events, private concerts, intimate dinners, and multi-day international culture festivals for top-tier cultural influencers. For example:
    • Researched, organized, and executed Istanbul Arts & Cultural Festival, overcoming cultural and language differences. Recruited 25 speakers and honorees for multi-day lecture series. Led team organizing travel, programming, and entertainment. Rapidly organized formal dinner in a palace for over 300 including seating chart, calligraphy, photographers, and performers.
    • Co-organized multi-day cultural event in Detroit including concerts, studio visits, dinners, and city tour for the board of trustees of London-based nonprofit Artangel.
  • Supervised, trained, and mentored six junior staff members to develop efficient time-management skills and build capacity for high-impact workload of multiple demanding clients.

 

Johnson Trading Gallery, New York City                                                             June 2009 – February 2012

Gallery Director

Developed contemporary art and design exhibitions of work by emerging and established architects, designers, and artists.

  • Developed and managed events at the gallery and other venues, creating marketing materials, sending announcements and invitations, managing press requests, overseeing set-up and guest lists.
  • Helped plan exhibition schedules and budgets.
  • Negotiated purchases, sales, and rentals of gallery inventory.
  • Hired and supervised staff and contractors, including interns, assistants, conservators, art handlers, photographers, P.R. agencies, and exhibition designers.
  • Liaised with artists to develop and track projects for commissioned works and exhibitions.
  • Developed and maintained a cataloguing and registration system to manage the gallery’s inventory across multiple spaces in New York, London, and Los Angeles.
  • Managed the gallery budget, maintained bank records, processed payments, and issued invoices.

Represented gallery to promote sales and growth:

  • Represented gallery at fairs and events in London, Seoul, Basel, Los Angeles, Miami, and New York.
  • Identified, cultivated, and maintained relationships with high-net-worth individuals
  • Organized complicated shipping of valuable items on time such as boulders from rural China to Switzerland or and delicately enameled furniture from Seoul to a penthouse in Manhattan.
  • Maintained website including artist biographies, upcoming exhibitions, media coverage, and inventory.

Enservio, Easthampton, Massachusetts, U.S.                                                            January 2010 – August 2010

Senior Fine and Decorative Arts Appraiser

  • Conducted and managed on-site insurance property claim high-value art inventory assignments, in post-loss conditions pursuant to the field inventory processes, often in post-flood or post-fire conditions.
  • Researched market comparisons to establish and create a report explaining current appraisal values for fine and decorative arts, in keeping with the U.S. Congressional Regulations governing the Uniform Standards of Professional Appraisal Practice.

International Perfume Bottle Association, various locations                                              May 2008 – Present

Auction Consultant

  • Organizes and oversees a million-dollar annual auction for this collectors’ association.
  • Recruits and trains more than 15 volunteers to bid for remote buyers, create invoices, and record results.
  • Oversees audiovisual and telecommunication setup and troubleshoots issues.
  • Prepares reports of results, losses and gains, buyer information, and comparative statistics.

 

Demon Angel Productions, Sydney, Australia                                                             May 2008 – May 2009

Television Host

  • Hosted television program “Designer People” television program about collaborative design. Interviewees included Nicholas Negroponte and Yves Behar discussing their “One-Laptop-Per-Child” program.

Cristina Grajales Gallery, New York City                                                                January 2009 – June 2009

  • Helped plan exhibitions for contemporary designers Sheila Hicks, Christophe Côme, and Sebastian Errazuriz.

 

Mastro Auctions, Chicago, Illinois, U.S.                                                                     July 2008 – January 2009

Department Head, Fine Art + Photography, Director of Live Auction Operations

  • Organized and managed three-day live multi-million dollar auction events, training and supervising over 20 staff members, developing event timelines, monitoring milestones, adhering to municipal codes, and administering protocols in preparation for the public exhibition, live bidding, and post-auction procedures.
  • Led marketing strategies including identifying target audiences, writing press releases, and liaising with media.

Rago Arts and Auction Center, Lambertville, New Jersey, U.S.                                        April 2003 – June 2008

Executive Assistant, Coordinator of Client Services, Manager of Marketing, Auction Consultant

  • Managed auction administration, including event management, public relations, media requests, accounting, receivables, database management, bulk mailings, email correspondence, and visitor reception.
  • Launched and managed satellite office 1,500 miles from HQ, successfully marketing the company to the new region through innovative and cost-efficient methods to reach the target audience.
  • Developed and managed electronic promotional mailings soliciting buyers and sellers.
  • Enabled customers to purchase auction catalogues from the website, boosting sales and circulation.
  • Liaised with high-net-worth clients, maintaining relationships and providing auction services.
  • Organized and marketed events to organizations and clients, increasing brand recognition.
  • Developed and supervised internship program. Trained and supervised staff on internet bidding platform.
  • Researched market data and organized personal property appraisals for clients.
  • Represented the company at national art fairs and trade shows.

INTERNSHIPS:

  • Christie’s Auction House, New York City, June 2001 – September 2001
  • Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S., June 2000 – September 2000
  • University of Pennsylvania Arthur Ross Gallery, Philadelphia, June 2000 – September 2000

 

EDUCATION:

M.A.S. Humanitarian Action                                                                        September 2018 – June 2019             

Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies/University of Geneva, Switzerland

Certificate of Advanced Studies                                                                               April 2018 – May 2018

Communication, Advocacy, and Negotiation in Humanitarian Settings                                             

Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies/University of Geneva, Switzerland

M.A., Art Business                                                                                         September 2006 – April 2008

With Honors

University of Manchester, UK/Sotheby’s Institute of Art, New York City

M.A., History of Art                                                                                        September 1998 – June 2002

With Honors

University of St. Andrews, St. Andrews, Scotland

 

TRAININGS:

  • “Humanitarian Communication: Addressing Key Challenges,” Geneva Centre for Education and Research in Humanitarian Action, University of Geneva, Switzerland, January–February 2018
  • “International Migration: A Global Issue,” Sciences Po, Paris, France, July–September 2018
  • “Children’s Human Rights – An Interdisciplinary Introduction,” University of Geneva, February–March 2018
  • “The Sustainable Development Goals – A global, transdisciplinary vision for the future,” University of Copenhagen, Denmark, February 2018
  • “Transmedia Storytelling: Narrative Worlds, Emerging Technologies, and Global Audiences,” University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia, December 2017–February 2018

NONPROFIT LEADERSHIP:

  • Advisory Committee, Alliance to End Hunger, May 2015 – January 2017

PRESENTATIONS:

  • “The Importance of Team Dynamics in the Creative Economy,” Parsons School of Design, New York, March 2010
  • “Marketing Techniques for the Non-Profit Sector,” Parsons School of Design, New York, February 2009
  • “The American Studio Craft Movement,” Sotheby’s Institute, New York, October 2006

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

Computer Skills: Microsoft Office Suite including Publisher. QuickBooks. HTML. WordPress. Adobe Creative Suite: Photoshop, InDesign, Illustrator, Acrobat. Email/newsletter marketing software: MailChimp, Constant Contact. Google Analytics, Google AdWords. Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software. Social media.

 

Languages: English (native), Spanish (intermediate), French (advanced/intermediate)

Countries of Work Experience: Australia, India, Panama, U.K., U.S., Vietnam, Switzerland, Turkey