Maria Gerena
New York,NY
Summary
Events and operations professional with 10+ years of experience leading event strategy, complex projects, large-scale productions, and stakeholder engagement. Brings current DREAM Advancement experience, alongside expertise in fundraising events, project management, relationship cultivation, vendor and budget management, and cross-functional collaboration.
Overview
8
8
years of professional experience
Work History
Fundraising & Events Assistant
DREAM
New York, NY
05.2026 - Current
- Coordinated planning, project management, and execution for DREAM's major fundraising events, including annual Gala, High School Graduation, and DREAM UP, overseeing multiple workstreams from pre-event planning through day-of execution and follow-up.
- Collaborated with vendors and internal stakeholders on event logistics, ensuring sponsorship fulfillment, donor communications, digital journal coordination, gift acknowledgments, and post-event stewardship.
- Coordinate cross-functional event needs across Advancement, Communications, Finance, Facilities, School Network Operations, and IT, managing purchasing, materials, deliveries, packing, setup, and event-day readiness.
- Manage event purchasing, expense tracking, and invoice processing through Coupa, maintaining systems for budget tracking and financial documentation.
- Strengthen event operations through project plans, timelines, documentation, and event communications; lead a multi-phase reorganization and inventory of Advancement event assets with intern support and trained in Salesforce for reporting, donor data, and fundraising operations.
Founding Co-Chair & Alumni Council Board Representative
DREAM LEGENDS ALUMNI COUNCIL
New York, NY
01.2021 - Current
- Co-founded and led a 20-member Alumni Council, recruiting members and establishing governance, policies, attendance tracking, and annual Give/Get expectations; served three years as the Council representative seated with DREAM's Board and cultivated members individually to strengthen participation and organizational engagement.
- Developed and drove the multi-year strategy for the Legends Summer Social, leading the signature event from concept through execution across fundraising, ticketing/promotions, alumni businesses, community partnerships, sponsorships, vendors, budgets, programming, and event logistics; cultivated alumni participation across broader DREAM events and programs.
Community Programs General Manager
ASPHALT GREEN
New York, NY
01.2019 - 07.2025
- Cultivated relationships with approximately 70 public and charter school partnerships across five NYC boroughs, guiding principals and decision-makers from initial outreach through contracting, year-round stewardship, and renewal across five programs.
- Directed strategy and multi-site operations across five programs serving approximately 35,000 students and school staff annually, overseeing staffing, scheduling, budgets, logistics, partnerships, and program delivery.
- Managed and developed 12 full-time staff and 80 part-time coaches, leading recruitment, onboarding, training, supervision, performance management, and professional development.
- Oversaw financial and operational workstreams for a three-year $250K NYC Department of Education contract and $100K scholarship program serving approximately 150 participants, managing budgets, timelines, deliverables, stakeholder requirements, and reporting.
- Developed and executed large-scale event strategies for experiences serving 1,000–6,000+ attendees, managing programming, promotions, vendors, production logistics, guest experience, staff/volunteer deployment, and day-of execution; leveraged Salesforce to manage institutional pipelines, contracts, invoicing/payments, participant records, scholarships, and program data.
Director of Operations (Contract)
URBAN PROFESSIONALS MIXER
New York, NY
01.2021 - 12.2024
- Managed multi-workstream production and venue operations across NYC hotels, entertainment venues, rooftops, and chartered cruises, coordinating floor plans, catering, AV, décor, staging, green rooms, run-of-show, and production flow to ensure seamless event execution.
- Led end-to-end strategy, project management, and production for ticketed events serving 300–1,200 guests, overseeing programming, timelines, ticketing/promotions, vendors, staffing, guest experience, and day-of execution.
- Cultivated event partnerships with organizations and brands including National Black MBA Association, Harlem Fashion Week, MAC, and Estée Lauder, coordinating activations and programming to enhance brand visibility and audience engagement.
Education
Associate of Arts - Business Administration
Herkimer County Community College
Skills
- Event Planning & Production
- Project & Operations Management
- Budget Management
- Vendor & Venue Coordination
- Partnership Development
- Staff & Volunteer Leadership
- Community & Stakeholder Engagement
- Cross-Functional Collaboration
- Salesforce CRM
- Coupa
- Asana
- Trello
- Eventbrite
- Canva
- Microsoft 365
- Google Workspace
- Zoom
- Microsoft Teams
Timeline
Fundraising & Events Assistant
DREAM
05.2026 - Current
Founding Co-Chair & Alumni Council Board Representative
DREAM LEGENDS ALUMNI COUNCIL
01.2021 - Current
Director of Operations (Contract)
URBAN PROFESSIONALS MIXER
01.2021 - 12.2024
Community Programs General Manager
ASPHALT GREEN
01.2019 - 07.2025
Associate of Arts - Business Administration
Herkimer County Community College