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Erica Mason
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Educator
, Training and Education
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Yangon, Myanmar,
United States
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A specialist in designing curricula and training others, utilizing local capacity to help people create tools to achieve objectives. An effective communicator with a range of stakeholders across internal and external networks, including business partners, public officials and non-governmental organizations. Can relocate immediately and is happy to work in any location. |
 Contact Erica Mason
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Area of Expertise: |
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Capacity Building, Training, Advocacy, Political
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Monitoring, Evaluation, Policy, Research, Analysis
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Social, Education, Gender, Youth, Child
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Professional Experience: |
I have a record of success defining and achieving objectives for global and domestic organizations that work with vulnerable populations. My current position at the American Center, US Embassy Rangoon, is a contract position with World Learning and in it, I have enhanced my professional skills working with governmental and non-governmental funding streams to fulfill short-term project objectives and long-term mission goals. This required a fundamental ability to communicate clearly, work as part of a team and forge cross-cultural relationships. In addition, in my first month in the position, I planned and implemented 360 Women's Month at the American Center, and designed and implemented a new course curriculum for TOEFL test preparation which is still in use and has had a to-date enrollment of 100 students interested in American exchange programs.
Early in my career, I worked as a director of two successful After School programs in Boston and as a classroom teacher. My leadership, organizational and budget experience were applicable in my next job as a Peace Corps Volunteer in rural Zambia, facilitating change and building capacity. As a program specialist and education volunteer, I taught teachers, community members and government officials to increase community members’, orphans’ and vulnerable children’s (OVC's) access to education. I was asked to participate on a committee that evaluated and redesigned the program and volunteer roles in order to make both more effective, resulting in a redefinition of program goals and more specific training for volunteers. I was also asked to stay beyond my original contract for a third year as a training and outreach specialist for a program that was in the initial stages of USAID and PEPFAR funding.
As a consultant in Colorado in the United States, I used many of the same skills I developed as a Peace Corps volunteer, working on a variety of needs assessments and primary research projects in local communities using targeted funding on short-term projects. I worked directly with rural health providers to improve service delivery and trained staff to improve data analysis.
Over the course of my career, I have developed communication skills and an ability to work with people from diverse cultures and backgrounds toward a common goal. Both have served me well as a Head Foreign Teacher andtrainer in the Republic of Korea, where I was asked to facilitate nationwide teaching methods and curricula training to teachers from many countries. I coordinated a staff of 6, while teaching and working closely with both school administration and the parents of my students.
I have balanced multiple responsibilities and roles and have taught others to do so as well. I have learned to quickly evaluate a situation and to focus limited resources on efforts that will maximize the most effective and widespread outcomes and I take pride in working as part of a team to strengthen communities.
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Education: |
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I have a Bachelor's degree in History from Boston University and a background in education as a certified secondary school teacher in the American state of Massachusetts. My Master's coursework at the University of Colorado at Denver in Public Administration strengthened my knowledge of, and experience with, education and health policy. My final project required working with stakeholders on organizational management guidelines for an accelerated nursing education program- experience I later used both as a consultant and as a trainer working with local populations to identify needs, formulate objectives, train stakeholders and successfully implement, monitor and evaluate programs.
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Affiliations and Achievements: |
In 2016, I worked as a technical trainer for the first group of Peace Corps Myanmar volunteers in English Language Teacher Training techniques.
For two years, I have served as a moderator for the Busan Socrates Cafe, an once-weekly philosophy discussion group of which I have been a member since 2009.
For five years I have worked as an ad hoc curriculum developer and editor for Full Passage, a college admissions counseling company based in Denver, Colorado. I have developed two writing courses for high school students, as well as revised and specifically edited approximately 100 college application essays a year.
I created a gender empowerment group for ten members at the high school level, for which the members created material and researched gender disparity in the Korean culture.
I have published an article on gender empowerment in the Korean classroom and will happily provide the link upon request.
I am proficient in a variety of technologies, including, but not limited to, Microsoft Office (Word, Power Point, Excel, Access), Google Drive/Docs, Dropbox, Jimdo and Wordpress, Prezi and other online presentation platforms.
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Available for: |
- Consulting assignments
- Job opportunities
- Being headhunted – make me an offer
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