Name:

Katelyn Weissman

Position / Title:

Development Manager

When did you start:

July 2022

What is your professional history before joining TVF?

After graduating college, I was an Early Childhood Educator in Kansas City, MO for two years with Teach For America. After that my now husband and I moved back to the East Coast where I temped with IIE (Institute of International Education), assisting them with the Fulbright Scholarship application process. I then went on to work as a Development Associate at Cohen Veterans Bioscience (CVB), a biomedical research nonprofit focusing on diagnostics and treatments for post-traumatic stress and traumatic brain injuries.

Why did you join TVF?

I was very involved with a nonprofit in college, Kesem, as a board member and camp counselor at the George Washington University chapter for 3 years. Kesem is a nonprofit that provides a support network and free summer camp for children whose parents have or have had cancer. I saw the opening position with The Valerie Fund and applied mainly to return to the cancer nonprofit sphere. I believe it is very important and impactful. I also loved that The Valerie Fund is a small, close-knit team that is truly focused on making an impact for the children we serve. I think what struck me most was the amount of services and support The Valerie Fund is able to provide for Valerie Fund kids and their families.

What are some of the goals you hope to achieve while working at The Valerie Fund?

Right now, I am focusing on building out our Young Professionals Network to help expand The Valerie Fund’s mission and garner support with young adults across the metropolitan New York area. I am also working on our Monthly Giving network and a campaign to provide a reliable source of financial support for our Valerie Fund families. Aside from these goals, I conduct research into finding new foundations that would be applicable in supporting our works, so I hope to uncover new potential support in the coming year.

What has been the biggest adventure / most exciting moment of your life?

Moving to a new city where I knew no one and starting a new career in education after freshly graduating college. It was two years of major growth that I am so grateful for now, and it was also the first real step into adulthood that I think shaped me and what I am passionate about today.

What is the best advice you’ve ever received

Not so much a specific saying, but to take a minute and come back to something if you’re stuck/upset/unsure. This was something I taught my students a lot, but I think it’s often forgotten as an adult that we need time to think and process things as well when we’re emotional or our brain is stuck. Things turn out way better with time and thought.

Tell us a surprising or fun fact about you.

I can lucid dream (control my dreams)! As I’m getting older my dreams aren’t as vivid, but it’s handy when my dreams are boring (or I just don’t like it…) or they are turning into a nightmare… I can just change it!