Mary Miller Flowers
Washington,DC
Summary
Collaborative leader partners with coworkers to promote engaged, empowering work culture. Documented strengths in building and maintaining relationships with diverse range of stakeholders in dynamic, fast-paced settings.
Overview
27
27
years of professional experience
Work History
Director for Policy and Legislative Affairs
Young Center for Immigrant Children’s Rights
03.2023 - Current
- Member of the organization's senior leadership team. Report progress to the board, and support board development, including distilling complicated issues for engagement and decision-making.
- Increased the size, influence, and resources of the Policy Team. Recruited six figure funding for a senior, full-time staff position focused on disability rights. Manage our goals within the organizational strategic plan, contribute to the development of organizational policies to manage team growth.
- Lead the Young Center's Policy Team. Supervise a team of professionals across three offices to advance create solutions on Capitol Hill, with the Executive, and with key stakeholders. Present our objectives in Hill briefings, funder updates, media interviews, and in coalition spaces. Develop cross-programmatic initiatives with staff across our three programs.
- Develop relationships with donors and individual funders. Help donors to understand the strategic alignment between their priorities and our work across a range of cross-cutting issues. Craft compelling narratives about the organization's work. Have raised several six-figure contributions to the organization.
Senior Policy Analyst
Young Center for Immigrant Children’s Rights
08.2019 - 03.2023
- Developed and maintained relationships with 15-20 legislative offices and with key federal agency officials. Aligned policy objectives with stakeholder's priorities to affect reforms.
- Analyzed legislation and policies to discern their impact on children's well-being. Lead coalitions across issues to center the needs of immigrant children in policy-making.
- Presented at Hill briefings, conferences, webinars, and to the Young Center's board. Developed relationships with potential donors.
Associate Director for Justice – Human Rights Initiative
Open Society Foundations
01.2015 - 07.2019
- Supervised a team of seven; managed a budget of approximately $8 million in grant making funds. Fostered teamwork and motivated staff to advance our strategy. Established performance goals and held staff accountable to meeting those goals.
- Led a strategic planning process for the Justice team to ensure our funding was aligned with our values.
- Collaborated with stakeholders to develop coalitions, advocacy strategies and effective media campaigns.
- Developed relationships with key stakeholders including other donors, government officials, civil society leaders.
Brookings Institution Legislative Fellow
Office of Senator Richard Blumenthal
01.2018 - 08.2018
- Portfolio: Senate Judiciary Committee: criminal justice, immigration, fentanyl/opioids, gun violence prevention.
- Prepared the Senator for Senate Judiciary Committee hearings by writing questions for witnesses, summarizing testimony, drafting opening statements, and presenting research; staffed the Senator at hearings as needed
- Developed legislation, talking points, floor speeches and oversight letters related to judiciary issue areas.
- Prepared the Senator for numerous press hits.
- Drafted op-eds, press statements and tweets.
Senior Program Officer/Program Officer – Human Rights Initiative
Open Society Foundations
06.2008 - 01.2015
- Developed funding strategies to support civil society advocacy on a range of rights issues including criminal justice, disability rights, transparency and accountability and LGBTI rights.
- Prepared briefing papers and presentations for the Advisory Board; authored grant recommendations.
- Catalyzed the creation of civil society coalitions to develop shared advocacy strategies.
Country Director/Project Manager
The Carter Center
10.2006 - 06.2008
- Provided strategic leadership to Carter Center’s justice reform project, Strengthening the Rule of Law in Post-Conflict Liberia; designed program activities with staff, and implementation strategies.
- Managed and supervised the overall in-country project; hired and supervised a staff of twelve.
- Raised all project funds in cooperation with headquarters.
Assistant Project Coordinator - Conflict Resolution Program
The Carter Center
05.2005 - 09.2006
- Provided project support for three election observation projects in Liberia in 2005.
- Assisted with management of project grants from USAID, Ireland, and the European Commission.
Experiential Education Coordinator
Princeton Alumni Corps
08.1998 - 01.2000
- Designed a community-university research program, the Community-Based Learning Initiative, together with Princeton faculty; built relationships between local non-profits and university faculty, staff, and students.
- Created and trained a 20-member student group to help implement program initiatives.
Education
Master’s - Divinity
Candler School of Theology, Emory University
Atlanta, GA01.2005
Master’s - International Affairs
School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA), Columbia University
New York, NY01.2003
Bachelor’s - Religion and Anthropology
Emory University
Atlanta, GA01.1998
Skills
- Leader, able to provide strategic vision
- Strong networking and interpersonal skills
- Relationship-builder, able to excite donors and stakeholders about an organization's mission
- Experience growing organizations and teams, and supporting a team through change
- Strong supervisory skills Builds relationships of trust and mutual respect with staff
Selected Certificates And Publications
- Certificate in Management Essentials, Harvard Business School Online, 09/01/24
- Immigrant Families Seeking Protection: Legal Challenges and Opportunities, Mary Miller Flowers, Yensy Zetino, Academic Pediatrics, 2024, 24, 53-60
- Race Matters: Reflections on Employing a Racial Equity Lens in Funding Human Rights Struggles, Mary Miller Flowers, Sue Gunawardena-Vaughn, Sur – International Journal on Human Rights, 2018, 28
- Portraits from Prison Tell Stories of Women in the Drug War, 07/27/15, https://www.opensocietyfoundations.org/voices/portraits-prison-tell-stories-women-drug-war
- Curbing Brazil’s Pre-Trial Detention Problem, 08/09/11, https://www.opensocietyfoundations.org/voices/curbing-brazils-pretrial-detention-problem
- Final Report: Observing the Presidential and Legislative Elections in Liberia, The Carter Center, 2007
Languages
Spanish
Professional Working
Timeline
Director for Policy and Legislative Affairs
Young Center for Immigrant Children’s Rights
03.2023 - Current
Senior Policy Analyst
Young Center for Immigrant Children’s Rights
08.2019 - 03.2023
Brookings Institution Legislative Fellow
Office of Senator Richard Blumenthal
01.2018 - 08.2018
Associate Director for Justice – Human Rights Initiative
Open Society Foundations
01.2015 - 07.2019
Senior Program Officer/Program Officer – Human Rights Initiative
Open Society Foundations
06.2008 - 01.2015
Country Director/Project Manager
The Carter Center
10.2006 - 06.2008
Assistant Project Coordinator - Conflict Resolution Program
The Carter Center
05.2005 - 09.2006
Experiential Education Coordinator
Princeton Alumni Corps
08.1998 - 01.2000
Master’s - International Affairs
School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA), Columbia University
Bachelor’s - Religion and Anthropology
Emory University
Master’s - Divinity
Candler School of Theology, Emory University
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