Mari Ullmann

About Mari Ullmann

Dynamic leader and network-weaver with a track record of building successful programs, partnerships and multi-stakeholder initiatives in education, early childhood development (ECD)/ nurturing care, protection, and parenting, focusing on crisis-affected contexts. I have extensive experience in domestic and international policy, advocacy, and diplomacy promoting the rights of all children and youth to quality education, care, and meaningful participation in decision-making. I’m particularly interested in the impacts of migration, humanitarian crisis, and forced displacement on children, youth, and their families. On the personal side, I’m a proud survivor and cycle-breaker on a journey to uncover my family history following centuries of colonial rule and erasure. As a first-generation American born to Puerto Rican parents, my diverse ancestry includes indigenous Caribbean peoples admixed with enslaved Africans trafficked to the Americas. I’m proud to be living proof that the indigenous communities of the Greater Antilles were not extinguished by European colonizers as once declared, but live on through their modern-day descendants. I’m working to learn more about my ancestral history by documenting stories and poetry written by my own kin, including a Boricua magician, poet, and wandering troubadour who spread news and folk songs orally, from village to village, across the island’s rural interior.

Experience

1. Project Consultant

   Independent Consulting

   Jun 2017 — Present · Brooklyn, NY, US

   Independent project-based consultant focusing on early childhood development (ECD), nurturing care, education and supporting parents/caregivers in humanitarian contexts. Most recently, I served as technical advisor with the Global Initiative to Support Parents (GISP)- an interagency partnership initiated by UNICEF, WHO, ECDAN, Parenting for Lifelong Health and the Global Partnership to End Violence Against Children - to help develop a multi-agency strategy for supporting families, parents and caregivers facing crisis and adversity. I also developed several thematic briefs and a case study for the Moving Minds Alliance advocacy resource kit on “Young Children in Crisis Settings.” Former clients include Open Society Foundations, Moving Minds Alliance, ECD Measure, Unbounded Associates, Together 2030, World Vision International, and UNESCO\'s Institute for Statistics.I\'ve also served as an expert reviewer for several Lever for Change funding competitions, including Yield Giving Open Call (MacKenzie Scott), Build a World of Play Challenge (LEGO Foundation), and 100 & Change (MacArthur Foundation).

Education

• McGill University

  B.A., Anthropology

  1992 — 1997

• New York University

  M.A., International Education

  2006 — 2011

Skills

• Advocacy
• Policy Analysis
• Event Planning
• Grants
• Supervisory Skills
• Public Policy
• Staff Development
• Social Media
• International Education
• Nonprofit Organizations
• Non Profit
• Nonprofits
• Public Speaking
• Capacity Building
• Strategic Communications
• Human Rights
• Non-Profits Organizations
• Non-Profits
• Teacher Training
• Problem Solving
• Ngos
• Community Development
• International Development
• International Relations
• Qualitative Research
• Project Management
• Research
• Education in Emergencies
• Intercultural Communication
• Program Management
• Proposal Writing
• Editing
• Fundraising
• Editorial