Natalie Stringer

Serves diverse needs through Creative Aging programming while ensuring health and wellness in Independent, Assisted Living, and Memory Care communities. As the originator of this role, specializes in strategic visioning and execution of purposeful partnerships and initiatives company-wide.

• Responsible for the hiring, supervision, training, and success of Life Enrichment Directors in Michigan, Arizona, and Florida;
• Facilitates community-building workshops and professional development, develops resources, including but not limited to new arts vendors, music databases, policies, best practices, training materials, and marketing materials; identifying success metrics and tracking QKPIs;
• Stays informed of interdisciplinary research and innovations in NeuroArts, social prescriptions, Active Aging, wellness and longevity, senior living, creative aging, arts interventions in Dementia and Alzheimer's treatments;
• Serves as point of contact for engagement platforms and CRMs, including implementation management for resident assessments and audits. Examples include: CareMerge, GO ICON, Sherpa, Yardi, ScreenCloud, SOCi, and WelcomeHome;
• Designs evaluation and data collection tools to measure impact and ensure programs continue to meet each community's needs, using Design Thinking, Stakeholder and Asset Mapping;
• Books musicians, visual artists, lifelong learning speakers, ceramic and pottery teaching artists, music therapists, dance, movement and physical fitness instructors for 800+ residents;
• Develops and executes new programs, such as Symposia, artist-in-residencies, intergenerational philanthropic events, and more, to combat Ageism and increase quality of life;
• Oversees corporate budgets for 7 communities at $100,000+ each, and ensures vendors are paid on time;
• Initiates and maintains partnerships and sponsorships, forges contracts, manages schedules, and tracks budgets for mutually-enriching programs with arts organizations and institutions in the greater community; for example, Gulfshore Playhouse (Naples), University Musical Society (Ann Arbor), Detroit Puppet Company, and Walled Lake School District, among others;
• Winner of the 2024 Humana Spirit Award for innovative programming from the International Council on Active Aging.

• Successfully secures funding through crowd-sourcing, individual and institutional philanthropy, family foundation grants, and annual appeals, and serves as liasion between board and staff for capacity-building strategic work with consultants;
• Establishes community partnerships across Detroit and SE Michigan, including University of Michigan, Clark Park, Data Driven Detroit;
• Facilitate Community Engagement workshops, outreach, and conduct local press;
• Co-produce projects, such as “theR.A.C.E. : Reestablishing Art as Civic Experience,” a professionally-produced film and immersive experience, as part of the Center for Performance and Civic Practice's national festival.

Worked directly under Founding Artistic Director and, as the only staff member working in the U.S., proved to be a goal-oriented, self-directing leader, and created systems for accounting, budgeting, development tracking, program building, and evaluation, while managing deadlines and partners across the globe.

• Co-Produced U.S. premiere of original production "See You Yesterday" at ArtsEmerson with Cambodian artists, a piece which explored intergenerational trauma, history, memory, and identity,  and secured tour logistics, i.e. community engagement, artist visas, international air travel, lodging;
• Oversaw outreach and community engagement campaigns connected to theatre productions and documentary film screenings, and served as the primary contact for a cohort of organizational stakeholders, including trustees, artists, volunteers, film crews, and foundation personnel;
• Developed budgets and oversaw program expenditures, including grant researching, writing, and reporting for $100,00+ projects; and coordinated end-of-year fundraising campaign.

At Theatre Communications Group (TCG), the largest nonprofit service organization for theatre in the country, my team produced convenings exploring emerging trends, cultivation of agile board and staff leadership, fundraising, audience engagement, new play development, and community development.

• Managed vendor negotiations, travel itineraries, event logistics, and a team of over 25 staff, interns, and volunteers for professional development convenings, including the Fall Forum, designed for executive leadership and trustees, and the National Conference, attended by over 1,000 arts practitioners from across the globe;
• Researched, contracted, and prepared conference keynote speakers, and assembled panels and facilitators for skills-building sessions and webinars with business affiliates such as Bank of America Private Wealth Management on philanthropic trends; 
• Engaged in strategic thinking, values clarification, and DEI work, and assisted with artistic programming, international artist coordination, and budget tracking for over $500K annual conference budget.

Developed and implemented arts-in-education curriculum for visual and performing arts programs for 1st - 6th grades, in 10-week residencies.

• Trained with master teaching artists and students with disabilities, learning the fundamentals of autism, communication pathways, and therapeutic arts;
• Utilized excellent interpersonal skills with youth, teachers, and school administrators to establish a healthy, safe, and fun learning environment.

This program provides comprehensive training in the advanced theory and practical skills needed to safely and effectively engage individuals and communities in arts-in-health experiences across healthcare, public health, and community contexts. Competencies include: program development, research, evaluation, ethics, administration, and creative facilitation.

An 8-month intensive certification from the School of Social Policy and Practice for leaders and innovators. Completed courses and practicums including Data for Storytelling, Nonprofit Fundraising, Impact Management, Design Thinking, Community Partnerships, and Business Models for Social Impact Strategy.

• Relevant Coursework: Evaluation and Participatory Action Research; Theatre-in-Education; Community Engagement; Racial Justice Intensive Workshops; Rikers Island Youth Project; Theatre for Development & Reconciliation in Kigali, Rwanda;
• Malave Leadership Academy; Civic engagement, advocacy activities, lobbying in Albany, Bloomberg Leadership Summit.

• University Honors Program, Lockwood Scholar, Global Social Justice Focus; Studied abroad in France and Morocco; DELF B2 certificate, French

Conceived, produced, developed sessions, and booked speakers for this first-ever interdisciplinary Symposium exploring research, policies, and practices that highlight how creativity, connection, and purposeful culture contribute to a vibrant and enriching life at any age. It was inspired by the need to combat loneliness in the immediate aftermath of the pandemic.

 Designed and facilitated workshops, and engaged in participatory action research to publish findings according to academic standards. Through storytelling and participatory exercises, 20 Food Justice professionals from across NYC explored the ways in which identity and values impact leadership.

Developed a four-week residency at the Institute for Collaborative Education in Manhattan, integrating role-play and embodied learning with Common Core standards.