MacKenzie Bills

• Drafted concise briefing papers, talking points, memoranda of understanding (MOUs), action memos, and other materials for Administrator Power, Acting DA-MR Sumilas, Counselor White, and other Senior Agency leadership, often under tight deadlines.
• Performed Acting Philanthropy Lead duties while the Philanthropy Lead is out of the office or on leave.
• Briefed and prepared Agency leadership including Administator Power, Acting DA-MR Sumilas, Counselor White, Acting AtA of PLR Tocco, and all of the DAAs of PLR for participation in meetings with bilateral donors and philanthropic organizations.
• Cultivated and maintained relationships with key Agency priority foundations and philanthropic networks such as the Rockefeller Foundation, Gates Foundation, Hilton Foundation, Ford Foundation, Skoll Foundation, Hewlett Foundation, Council on Foundations, Philanthropy European Association (Philea), and WINGS.
• Built, cultivated, and expanded relationships with philanthropic networks for USAID including but not limited to P150, a megawealthy network of donors ($6 Billion USD), Rockefeller Brothers Fund, Chandler Foundation, Bloomberg Foundation, and others.
  • Built relationships and maintained routine communication with interagency and intra-agency colleagues on issues related to diplomatic engagement and donor coordination.
  • Manage(d) the Skoll and Hilton MOUs for the Agency which has notably led to successful a new co-funded biodiversity protection project in the Amazon in Brazil and a joint funding program around community healthcare workers in Kenya as well as the increase in endorsements of the Donor Statement on Supporting Locally Led Development by 16 global foundations and Belgium.
• Built and strengthen Agency relationships with international partners, including bilateral donor and philanthropic organizations. I have built out new relationships with the Belgium delegation to ensure a new endorsement of the donor statement and continue to maintain the relationship for the team.
  • Liaised and maintained relationships with the Private Sector Hub and LPA to put together a new due diligence procedure for Agency POCs to utilize as well as advised Agency POCs on how to build out an MOU and LOI.
• Worked and negotiated with intragency counterparts to move foundations and non-profit organizations' formal relationship management to various parts of the Agency including the Bezos Earth Fund, Stronger Foundations, and United Way.
• Gathered information and analyzed donor partner policies, programs, and activities in order to proactively identify opportunities for cooperation on shared priorities.
  • Developed tools and resources to support USAID operating units’ efforts to strengthen donor coordination activities, build long-term partnerships, and increase the efficiency and effectiveness of the Agency’s work.
  • Collected and responded to requests for information on philanthropic organizations, bilateral organizations, and multilateral organizations such as managing the tasker procedure for the annual World Bank meetings in October 2024.
• Represented USAID as the Philanthropy Advisor in-person at the Ford and Rockefeller annual strategy meetings and put together a plan for USAID, Ford, and Rockefeller to coordinate for 2025.
• Represented USAID as the Philanthropy Advisor at the PSE Hub Forum in October 2024 and presented on the Philanthropy team's initiatives.
• Tracked and analyzed development policy issues around philanthropic trends and in various sectors and develop and implement strategic approaches to advancing USAID policy priorities.
• Drafted the 2025 Philanthropy Team engagement plan with input from the Philanthropy Team and the bilateral POCs and co-organized the Philanthropy Team retreat in September 2024.
• Advise USAID on how best to engage with foundations and how to think about that engagement. Notable successes including obtaining more than 16 commitments worth millions of dollars from foundations and philanthropic networks for the annual Democracy Delivers event hosted by the Administrator and the Lead Mitigation program prioritized by the Administrator.
• Represent USAID as the Philanthropy Advisor at the monthly USAID Bilateral Donor Meetings and during our Hilton and Skoll monthly intragency coordination calls as well as at ACVFA.

• Research, draft, and edit policy papers on rural and Indigenous policy.
• Drafted and obtained signatories on over 15 organizations for two transition papers.
• Organize bimonthly meetings around policy topics and leverage their feedback and information to send policy suggestions to Congress and the Executive Branch.
• Wrote a 20 page paper on rural and Indigenous executive-level policy recommendations sent to think tanks.

• Briefed the Undersecretary of Management and Resources at the National Guard on international fora and the supply of National Guardsmen and women across the country.
• Drafted and edited briefing memos, talking points, strategy papers, etc.
• Researched and analyzed domestic and international trends for the Undersecretary.
• Coordinated monthly interagency and intra-agency meetings.
• Organized and developed, through the formal clearance process, the 6-month strategic coordination plan.

• Supervised and mentored an associate and multiple projects with varying deadlines to meet quarterly goals.
• Trained and supported new team members such as interns, maintaining culture of collaboration.
• Cultivated and collaborated with national partnerships and stakeholders to ensure shared goals and missions were met including but not limited to Partnership for Rural Transformation, Native CDFI Network, and OFN members.
• Led the policy team's quarterly and 2024 strategic plan.
• Researched, analyzed data, and evaluated federal programs to develop written materials including but not limited to briefing booklets, presentations, informational materials covering rural and Native issues, and housing.
• Cultivated relationships with members of Congress and their staff, senior leaders of USDA, DOT, DOE, and the Executive Branch, think tanks, non-profits, and member organizations.
• Represented OFN by presenting at OFN Conferences and other noteworthy organizational conferences and regional meetings about OFN's federal policy initiatives and educated groups on the power of CDFIs.
• Collaborated with national partners and members to write comment letters to the Executive and Legislative Branches on federal grants impacting OFN membership.
• Organized and led over 1,000 people on a Hill Day to over 150 Congressional offices and the Executive Branch.
• Wrote quarterly reports for OFN's Board regarding progress on policy and national partnership progress.

• Single handedly raised over $120,000 in donations,

in-kind contributions, grants paid doorknockers from

national organizations, donors, and philanthropic entities, and from over 660 people.

• Cultivated relationships with philanthropic organizations including but not limited to foundations, nonprofits, and community groups.
• Organized East Polk county democrats; recruited

and organized 60+ volunteers to knock over 10,000

doors, including 7,000 doors myself, as a first-time

candidate for elected office.

• Organized a postcard campaign where the

campaign sent 14,500 postcards to democrats and

independents alike.

• We gained national notoriety with national

organizations endorsing our race including

Downballot Progress, Run for Something, DLCC,

Planned Parenthood, Progressive Turnout Project

and Emily's List, and the AFL-CIO.

• Won 7 of the 12 precincts; lost by only 421 votes (less

than 3%) and a smaller number than the third-party

libertarian's 469 votes.

• I outperformed the majority of the top of the ticket

including: Dejear (Gov. Candidate) by 7 points,

Franken (Senatorial Candidate) by 4 points, Axne

(Third Congressional Representative) by 1 point, and

Polk County Attorney by 3 points, proving that

although Iowa had a “red wave”, it looked more

purple for us.

• My opponent spent over $550k in

negative advertising against me including but not

limited to three statewide cable ads over the span

of two months, digital ads, and negative texts to

democrats, republicans, and independents alike.

• Built out a coalition of 20+ union endorsements, local

democratic groups, and former candidates and

elected officials.

• Researched and analyzed legislation, reviewed governmental policies regarding anti-human trafficking, and laws in the East and Central African as well as Central Asian states as well as around the world on anti- human trafficking and the efforts to reduce the crime.
• Drafted policy papers, talking points, and other prepping materials for Senior Government Officials and supported Diplomatic Officials' political arrangement of the various meetings.
• Cultivated relationships amongst donors, multilateral organizations, interagency colleagues, the Legislative Branch, and implementing partners in order to maintain the flow of funds for the Office.
• Constructed programs and reviewed Notice of Funding Opportunities (NOFOs) applications to identify the best applicant.
• Drafted and published East and Central African reports for the 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2022 Trafficking in Persons Reports sent to Congress.
• Defended the tier rankings for the countries in my portfolio; most notable included, but not limited to, upgraded Burundi's Tier Ranking to Tier 2 Watch List and consequently, the U.S. can now trade with Burundi for the first time in a decade; and downgraded Uganda to Tier 2 Watch List for the time since the report's mandate due to my findings of the government's complicity in sex and labor trafficking schemes on the South Sudan and Uganda border.
• Reviewed data methodology, collected data, and arranged and corrected research data to produce the U.S. State Department's victims of human (sex and labor) trafficking, prosecutions and convictions of human trafficking, and the number of new legislation to criminalize human trafficking worldwide.
• Tracked worldwide events and labor and sexual exploitation trends to include natural disasters, political events, civil unrest and criminal activity that has an impact on vulnerable and marginalized communities, most notably women and girls.
• Worked with USAID, FBI, the State Department's Consular Affairs, CIA, interagency, INTERPOL, DOJ, foreign governments' law enforcement, and the Department of Health and Human Services to calculate the number of victims identified in the U.S., to refer self-identified victims, and to support the prosecution and conviction of traffickers in the U.S.
• Led an initiative to evaluate the ethics of the U.S. State Department's usage of sex and labor trafficking victims' in the TIP Report's photography; collaborated with a victim and survivor consultancy group on the State Department's portray of human trafficking victims on the basis of identity concealment, diversity, equity, and inclusion, and victim consent and consequently, developed a new ethical internal policy and therefore, a new international standard for the portrayal of human trafficking victims.
• Led an initiative to research the connection between vulnerable and marginalized communities and the impact of the climate crisis. Published my findings in the 2022 TIP Report.
• Reviewed the notice of funding opportunity i.e. grant language and sat on panels to select the awardees for Africa, Central Asia, and Europe.
• Managed the production of the TIP Report by overseeing the budgeting of the report, reviewed the design, searched and purchased copyrights through notable and local photographers, drafted and oversaw the clearance of the language of the Senior Government Officials letters, methodology, victim stories, and countries' rankings.
• Drafted press points and supported Senior Government Officials in defense of tier rankings to the press.
• Presented educational trainings on human trafficking and the U.S.' anti-human trafficking efforts to groups monthly such as Universities, Professional Associations, Non-profits, etc.
• Initiated and co-led the Human Rights Department's Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Committee. Facilitated the Department's DEI dialogues, ensured every Civil Employee and contractor within the Department received microaggression training and time to vote on Election Day, drafted and defended a plea for the Bureau to allocate funds for a DEI Officer and served as an interim DEI Officer pending hiring, persuaded Senior Government Officials to implement a meditation room for those who need spiritual space throughout the workday, and consequently, won a DEI Award by J/TIP for my efforts to initiate anti-racist policies within the State Department.
• Led an initiative to differentiate victims and survivors' trauma and situation throughout the TIP Report and commenced the collection of circumstances to address the misdiagnosis throughout the TIP Report. Facilitated purchasing of photography with trauma-informed photographers.
• Developed a new SOP with the trauma-informed photography within J/TIP and trained the office and our partners on the subject matter.

• Collaborated with notable professors and brain surgeons to develop unique research into the area of the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex of the brain that handles anger, fear, and happiness to articulate the human being's disposition to remember negative memories and therefore, more often elicit fear and anger during dialogue.
• Redesigned the Religious Freedom Center's civil dialogue methodology due to my research and findings.
• Worked to improve collective knowledge of civil dialogue through the Newseum's dialogue trainings and led 8 notable trainings throughout the year.
• Facilitated civil dialogues across the U.S. on tense issues including but not limited to race, guns, and antisemitism.

• Edited and reviewed the U.S. State Department's Religious Freedom Reports for grammar, spelling and punctuation.
• Delegated and tracked each staff member's assignments and deadlines.
• Drove accuracy of content through careful proofreading and fact-checking.
• Proofread, edited and evaluated final copy to verify content aligned with established guidelines of the European, Southeast Asian, and African reports.

• Led the civil engagement cohort; reviewed the applications of the civil engagement YALI applicants and led the selection process.
• Worked with subject matter experts to develop and implement mentoring programs to promote better learner experiences.
• Met with project stakeholders on a regular basis to assess progress and make adjustments throughout the course of the YALI schools' curriculum development.
• Addressed and resolved technical, financial, and operational concerns by working with team members and directors.
• Identified program obstacles and communicated possible impacts to team.
• Developed and maintained logistics workflows, procedures and the completion of the Young African Leaders Initiative program within the U.S.
• Researched industry best practices in support of training development and program content regarding civil engagement.

• Designed and taught English to Form 1-5 classes in a rural Malaysian school.
• Started extracurriculars including drama, newspaper, and dance team and oversaw the non-Muslim Malay additional English periods (i.e. not Muslim prayer hours).
• Co-led and co-organized a national dance competition where 20+ schools across Malaysia participated where the U.S. Ambassador to Malaysia supported the program as a judge; taught Jazz in the competition; my students won 2nd place.
• Organized, planned, fundraised, and led a national exchange program between Thai and Malaysian students in Chiang Mai, Thailand where the U.S. Consulate General of Chiang Mai attended and students learned languages and one another's cultural traditions.
• Drafted, applied, and won a grant for two American professional dancers to teach jazz, hip-hop, and ballet to students in Pahang; coordinated and organized the dance camp for students in Pahang to learn from the professional dancers.
• Planned, budgeted, and organized an additional English camp for the students of my school to practice their English.
• During the Fulbright grant, I researched and wrote on the religious oppression and caste system that purveys society and is promulgated by the Malaysian government; my research was published in the Religious Freedom Center's Blogs as well as Spokane Washington's Religiosity Blog.

• Prepared social media posts and videos with eye for viral content strategies.
• Developed original content for blog posts and website articles.
• Helped plan and execute U.S. State Department events.
• Increased awareness of issues significant to the U.S. State Department including but not limited to religious freedom, anti-human trafficking, FGM, good governance, and refugees.
• Wrote and distributed press releases and social media content for clients and company.
• Drafted, edited and distributed press releases, media advisories and other public relations materials.
• Built strong relationships with media outlets, foreign diplomats, and communications professionals to expand the State Department's network.
• Drafted speeches for the U.S. Ambassador and myself to speak at various events in Djibouti.
• Organized the 2016 Ali Addeh trip and supported Ambassador Kelly in his speeches at the refugee camp.
• Coordinated media events, photo opportunities and press interviews to drive client engagement.
• Built and maintained positive relationships with public by utilizing strategic plans.
• Used various social media platforms for media and blogger outreach.
• Monitored media coverage and produced detailed reports to analyze impact of PR efforts.
• Collaborated with internal and external stakeholders to identify key messages and create compelling content for press releases and other materials.

• Developed relationships for Campus Election Engagement Project (CEEP) in Iowa from 3 partnerships to 22.
• Created content, informational and educational resources, and offered ad hoc support for schools to increase civic engagement at an institutional level.
• Experienced and saw a voter suppression measure against college students and consequently, developed and led a coalition of 22 schools to lobby the Iowa Secretary of State and lawmakers to accept a lease agreement in lieu of residency to allow college students to register to vote on election day and ergo, allowing 400,000 college students in Iowa to vote every year since 2014.
• Gathered and organized materials to support voter registration and turnout operations at the 22 schools; my primary school remains the third-highest voter turnout in the country, Simpson College, due to my orchestrated efforts.
• Tracked records, filed documents and maintained communication between clients to manage office activities.
• Supported the national director in recruitment, national campaign efforts, and a restructuring.
• Drafted and published op-eds with notable civil rights leaders including David Goodman- brother of Andrew Goodman who was lynched trying to register Black men and women to vote in the South during the civil rights era.

• Worked with a team of communications and media relations professionals with a focus on achieving PR results for our designated clients' policy goals.
• Led crisis communications and media relations activities in response to challenging situations.
• Collaborated with clients to develop strategy to achieve their policy goals.
• Reviewed drafted policy before and after funnels at the Iowa Legislature to persuade legislators, Republicans and Democrats alike, to stop legislation and/or rework to limit impact of designated clients.
• Led and oversaw the bipartisan support to pass legislation to discontinue a tax on laundromats.

• Developed the curriculum for the Study Abroad- Tahiti's semester and supported the professor in teaching the course; course development revolved around the impact of globalization on Tahiti, political history regarding Tahiti's relationship with France, cultural traditions, and basic French.
• Partnered with professor to plan and implement lessons following school's curriculum, goals, and objectives.
• Provided support to help students with special needs learn and grow.
• Collated classroom materials to help teachers prepare for daily instruction and activities.
• Tailored lesson plans for students with emotional and cognitive disabilities.
• Organized and led practice and research assignments.

• Sorted and organized files, spreadsheets, and reports.
• Completed research, compiled data, updated spreadsheets, and produced timely reports.
• Analyzed problems and worked with teams to develop solutions.
• Interacted with constituents by phone, email, or in-person to provide information.
• Drafted and sent correspondence with constituents.
• Led tours of the U.S. Capitol for constituents.

• Identified, researched and tracked legislative issues relevant to current public issues.
• Offered strategic recommendations for updates to institutional programs and policies, factoring in current political climate and trends.
• Attended legislative and regulatory hearings to report information.
• Attended meetings with personnel, took elaborate notes and disseminated information to stakeholders.
• Reviewed legislative and regulatory documents, analyzed implications and shared findings.
• Assisted other office administrators by answering phones, returning email messages and creating distribution lists.
• Drafted articles, letters, reports and technical documents on policy and public affairs issues for publication.
• Greeted visitors entering office and asked questions to ascertain how to provide assistance.