GRISEL OLIVO
735 W. 183rd St., Apt. 2A, New York, NY 10033
Cell: (646) 912-2928 E-Mail: Grisel.Olivo@gmail.com
WORK EXPERIENCE
New York City Department for the Aging (DFTA) New York, NY 2/2008 - Current
Development Associate – Development Unit
Collaborate closely with the Director of Development in order to:
- Prepare grant proposals for Federal, State, and Local government as well as private and corporate foundations.
- Conduct comprehensive literature reviews on social, healthcare and aging services needs of older adults and compile demographic profile of target communities for interventions.
- Coordinate with relevant DFTA units and outside partners to formulate project ideas and gather supporting materials (e.g. letters of support from non-DFTA funded agencies).
- Draft clear goals, objectives, work plan, and evaluation plan for proposed projects.
- Identify new program and funding opportunities for DFTA.
- Routinely review web and print notices of funding opportunities.
- Acquire understanding and knowledge of new model interventions for possible adaptations.
- Provide Project Directors assistance with start-up implementation of grant-funded projects.
- Recruit, interview and supervise new project staff during start-up phase of new projects.
- Provide initial project management of start-up activities.
- Sustain communication with funder and assist with writing and review of reports to funder.
- Write and edit agency web postings, public reports, and correspondence with major funders and agencies and agency heads.
- Foster Collaborations and partnerships within DFTA and with community partners.
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs New York, NY 11/2006 – 12/2007
Social Science Program Specialist / Research Coordinator
Research Coordinator for the New York City project site of The Culture and Communication in Hypertension Management Research Study – the one year project focused on how physicians and patients communicate about hypertension. Key responsibilities included:
- Project Management – Recruited, screened, and interviewed research participants; prepared progress reports; and participated in team-wide meeting (New York, Texas, and Massachusetts).
- IRB Compliance – Facilitated project’s compliance with local IRB protocol by submitting monthly updates on enrollment as well as any other update or amendment to the project’s own protocol.
- Data Maintenance – Collected data and designed databases for data entry and analysis.
- Review of literature relevant to research during project implementation.
Aging in New York Fund / DFTA New York, NY 8/2004 – 10/2006
Research Assistant
Assisted in the Healthy Encounters Project for the advancement of geriatric mental health in New York City senior centers, key responsibilities included:
- Clinical Interviews – Conducted clinical interviews of elderly research participants in English and Spanish assessing for Depression, Anxiety, and Alcohol Abuse.
- Data Maintenance – Collected data and designed SPSS databases for data entry and analysis.
- Scientific & Technical Writing – Edited research instruments (i.e., translating instruments from English to Spanish); and prepared and penned material for presentations and reports.
- Lead Research Assistant – Trained new research assistants and provided partial supervision.
Filipino American Human Services, Inc. (FAHSI) Queens, NY 2/2006 – 5/2006
Freelance ESL Instructor / Computer Instructor
Instructed a 3 month program of Basic English and Computer skills to immigrant displaced workers of the World Trade Center. Was responsible for creating and implementing lesson plans, tracking progress of classroom (20 students), and writing a program evaluation report for the American Red Cross and FAHSI.
Bookspan (Time Warner, Inc. & Bertelsmann) Garden City, NY 8/2000 – 1/2004
Network Administrator
Provided Level 2 network and desktop support. Other key responsibilities included:
- Project Management: was responsible for the creation, management, and deployment of select IT Projects, including company-wide Windows update, hardware upgrade, standardization of company software, and planning, managing and implementing several new software platforms.
- Training and Writing: Responsible for computer training and writing instruction manuals.
University Community Soup Kitchen New York, NY 1/1997 – 9/2004
Volunteer
Provided counseling to soup kitchen clients; coordinated with rehab centers for client pickup; wrote referrals for shelter intake and GED programs; provided clients with information for employment, housing, food pantries, toiletries, and legal matters; assisted kitchen with food preparation, serving and clean-up.
Howard Sherman Public Relation New York, NY 4/1999 – 1/2000
Public Relations Writing Intern
Wrote magazine and E-magazine press releases for technology based companies (e.g. SONY).
EDUCATION
Continuing Education:
Chronic Disease Self-Management (CDSMP) Master Trainer Certification 3/2010
Tomando Control de Su Salud (CDSMP Spanish) Master Trainer Certificatio 12/2010
Sonic Yoga Center for Yoga Studies, Yoga Teacher 200 hour Certification 12/2009
Professional Degrees:
New York University, Master of Art in General Psychology New York, NY 9/2006
New York University, Bachelor of Arts in English Literature New York, NY 9/2001
OTHER SKILLS AND HIGHLIGHTS
Computer Skills: Versed in SPSS, Adobe Acrobat and Adobe Illustrator; advanced use of MS Office (WORD, EXCEL, ACCESS, Outlook, Publisher and PowerPoint), Google Docs, and various web tools.
Language Skills: Fluent – English & Spanish. Working knowledge – French. Beginner – Japanese.
Key Interests:
Freelance Writing -- (currently in assignment for the Sonic Yoga Newsletter and YIP Weekly Newsletter).
Yoga Fitness – Founder of Yoga in the Park (YIP), a free outdoor yoga fitness program that targets minority and low-income NYC dwellers (runs May – October). More info at www.yipdaily.blogspot.com
Written Works:
Olivo, G.A. Exploring the relationship between spirituality and mental health among urban Latino and Black community dwellers. Masters’ Thesis, New York University, New York (2006).
Zeni, B., Berkman, C.S., Berman, J., Olivo, G.A. Knowledge and attitudes about anxiety among senior center members. Presentation at Annual Conference of the Gerontological Society of America, (2005).
REFERENCES: Furnished upon request.