Carissa Cummings, Administrative Coordinator
My favorite part about living in the Grande Ronde Valley is that there’s a mountain out every window, and that couldn’t be more true in our offices on the third floor of Badgely Hall at Eastern Oregon University. I moved to La Grande in 2016 to attend EOU and earned my Bachelor of Arts in English and Writing. I was thrilled when I found out NEOAHEC was looking for someone to help with writing and organization. I'm excited for the opportunity to be a part of the grant writing process and to use my skills to assist NEO in obtaining additional funding for all of our amazing programs. My prior work experience includes managing day-to-day administrative tasks such as accounts payable, payroll, and data validation. I look forward to collaborating with my colleagues to forward NEO's mission.
As the Administrative Coordinator, I will be responsible for working with the Research and Evaluation Coordinator to organize the data that NEO has accumulated over the past 32 years, and then using that data to better tell our story. I will also be doing a large portion of the writing that NEO does, from grants to newsletters to participant success stories. Additionally, I'm tasked with streamlining and managing all other aspects of NEO's policies and procedures.
I have witnessed on many occasions the disparities between healthcare availability in rural and urban areas. Joining the NEO team and helping to further its objectives and ensure the accuracy and professionalism of its programming feels like some of the most important work I could be doing.
I recently returned to La Grande after a year and a half in Walla Walla, and I'm glad to be back. In my spare time, you can find me rockhounding or writing poetry.