About

Tara Cloud Clark is hard-working, organized, and enthusiastic to tackle new challenges. Her background includes project management, grant management, event management, corporate communications, grant writing, and web content development. She has worked in multiple sectors including design, manufacturing, nonprofit, and education. Her goal is to improve efficiencies and complete the task in order to make her clients/employers successful. Continue reading below for details, or let's just skip to the part where we get started.

Overview

  • Ten years project management including program, department, grant, and event management
  • Skilled in analyzing processes for efficiency and effectiveness and finding creative solutions that serve all parties
  • Independent and collaborative
  • Analytical, curious, organized, reliable

General Skills

Technology​
  • ​Critical thinking and Creative Problem Solving
  • Data Analysis and Aggregation
  • Written and Oral Communications
  • Excellent Organizational Skills
  • Quick to Understand and Adapt
  • Macintosh, PC
  • Microsoft Office, Google Drive
  • Custom and off-the-shelf project management systems 
  • Screensharing, SmartBoard, Webinar
  • Quick to learn new systems and software

Capacities

  • Develop, maintain, and optimize timelines, communications, and management resources for multiple projects at various stages
  • Ensure quality, efficiency, and positive morale by developing interdepartmental processes, reconfiguring individual contribution based on ability and professional goals, and increasing team collaboration
  • Ensure departmental alignment and efficiency by leading grade-level changes in assessment, tracking/reporting, and disaggregation of data
  • Increase program impact, influence, and visibility to gain administrative support and departmental budget by collaborating interdepartmentally and externally, developing promotional resources, and opportunities, and creating new participation opportunities  
  • Develop audience, increase network, and make sales by initiating one-year goals for trade show and directing team in trade show booth presentation and sales
  • Effectively allocate resources and ensure the most impact for the community by managing community-wide disaster relief committee and designing cloud-based volunteer coordination process and system for collecting shared data
  • Foster connections between university and community, provide service to community, increase program participation, and increase visibility to administration by producing community-wide service event in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

Work Experience

Executive Director The Writers' Colony
Independent Project Management, Content Design, and Virtual Assistance (portfolio pending)
Account Manager/Color Management  Sun Branding Solutions
Communication Arts Teacher- 8th Grade Monett Schools
Lead Educator Art Feeds
Client Services Manager Rebuild Joplin
Worksite Coordinator Workforce Investment Board
USAID Program Manager MSSU
Service-Learning Coordinator/Program Development Missouri Campus Compact/AmeriCorps

Community Service

  • Developed branding/identity for new local arts nonprofit with scope for global impact
  • Researched and wrote grants for local arts/education nonprofit
  • Created educational and web materials for temporary exhibits at local art museum
  • Preserved and exhibited collection for local historical museum
  • Directed and performed in various community and university theater
  • Provided professional level business consulting and editing services to creators
  • Nominated by my professors as the Outstanding English Major for performance and involvement in scholarly and artistic community
  • Acted as Secretary and Vice President of the Joplin Writer’s Guild
  • Founded and coordinated monthly Wine Club

Education

Masters of Art in Teaching-Secondary and Middle School English (pending)
Missouri State University 

BA English- General Writing (Professional/Technical/Business Writing, Creative Writing-Poetry, Writing and Research)
BA English- Literature Major (Early to Victorian British Literature, Modern American Poetry)
Missouri Southern State University

Passion Project

My truest passion is to provide educational and community opportunities for marginalized peoples. My goal is to develop programming connecting community organizations (civic, nonprofit, private) to educational systems to develop standards-based curriculum, experiences, and relationships that increase the success of marginalized children and their families without burdening educators. Ultimately, I want to be a part of educational reform that releases the one-room schoolhouse methodology of teaching, empowering children to grow at their own pace and honor the abilities, passions, and lives of teachers and staff. 

On a Personal Note

I love living. Really living. I love nature and art and board games and literature and travel. And obvs I love my family.