Welcome To NYU’s Wagner School of Public Service

Archive for the ‘Exciting Announcements’ Category

Welcome To NYU’s Wagner School of Public Service

September 20th, 2011, by Sloane Berrent. 4 Comments »

I have exciting news to share! I’ve started on a wonderful and new adventure to add to my already wonderful and full plate. I have just started graduate school as a part-time student at New York University’s Wagner School of Public Service working towards a Masters of Public Administration with a concentration in management.

This brings to mind one of my favorite quotes of all time from Andrew Carnegie, “My heart is in the work.”

The definition of public service is “a service rendered in the public interest” and I have always had such a strong pull to serving in the best interests of the public. That can be seen through all of my community activism and projects in social media for social good. Now I have the chance to deepen my understanding and my learning in these topics in a community of my peers.

I did consider MBA programs, but context matters folks. For me, it was a lot about the people in the program itself, as much as it was about the program and reviews on Wagner (one of my mentors is an alumni) are stellar. In fact, every time I mention it now to someone I often here about a person I have to meet in the program or someone who graduated from there that I would connect with.

Ranked in the top 10 graduate programs for Public Affairs by U.S. News and World Report, the school is an excellent blend of academics and practitioners. Many of my classmates also work full-time and the classes I’m taking are in the evenings which allow me to work all day and then make it to class on-time.

While my concentration is management, I am also going to be focused a lot on the two subjects that have been woven through much of my work during my careers – social innovation and access to education for girls and it’s implications on health, wellness and economic development. I am working in tandem to broaden my horizons of what is possible in my professional career and hone in and focus on the subject areas where I want to deepen my knowledge and network.

I’m kicking things off with Introduction To Public Policy and Microeconomics. If you see me in person you might have already noticed the shift in my lexicon – I posed the question last night about how I wanted my life to be linear and not parabolic (yes this happened). I also have been talking about public/private partneships a lot – in particular how something that is private becomes public and becomes policy. You can expect more of my musings and what I’m learning here, and of course in greater “live-time” on Twitter. You can also follow NYU Wagner on Twitter at @NYUWagner.

It’s going to be a long road, I know I’m putting a lot on myself to perform at work and now at school. I couldn’t do this without an amazing support network of family and friends and also the conviction that now is the time for this next steps in my formal education. You might hear less from here on this blog as I have to reallocate my time and focus on lectures and homework. Then again you might hear from me more as I’m learning so much and busting from the seams to share it. We’ll see. Either way, wish me luck! And if you want to talk at all about if going back to school is right for you or talk about Wagner in particular, you know where to find me.

I Said Yes!

July 6th, 2011, by Sloane Berrent. 50 Comments »

I have the most exciting news to share! Taylor proposed and I said yes! We had gone to Barbados to take advantage of the long weekend over 4th of July and wouldn’t you know, he totally surprised me. We are so happy to share this news with our family and friends and give thanks to everyone who helped bring us together. From New Orleans to New York, Ghana to Pittsburgh, Taylor and I have fallen in love over and over again and I can’t wait to share this next chapter of my life with him.

Exciting Announcement! Introduction to Lippe Taylor

March 12th, 2011, by Sloane Berrent. No Comments »

I have such incredible news to share! I’ve recently accepted (and just started) as Director of Digital Marketing for Lippe Taylor, a marketing and public relations agency in New York that focuses on women and women’s issues.

I have long been passionate about women and women’s issues (including my new web project Help A Woman Out) and couldn’t be more excited to take my skills and experience to join the Lippe Taylor family. It’s an amazing agency with a great client base and I’m thrilled to be jumping right in, managing a team, and leading digital initiatives.

I have a lot more to share about Lippe Taylor and this new chapter in my life and I can’t wait to write more about it here. In the meantime, the full press release is below. Check it out. My mom said she learned things she didn’t know about me from reading it! And as always, thank you for coming along on this journey with me.

*****
Cause and Social Marketing Expert Sloane Berrent Joins Lippe Taylor Brand Communications as Director of Digital Marketing

NEW YORK – March 7, 2011 – Lippe Taylor Brand Communications announced a new addition to its digital marketing team with the addition of social entrepreneur and digital strategist Sloane Berrent as the agency’s new Director of Digital Marketing.

Sloane is a former Kiva Fellow and has been recognized for her leadership in women’s issues and cause marketing by CNN, Wall Street Journal, LA Times, Chronicle of Philanthropy, TechCrunch, Read/Write Web and Mashable and included in power lists She Takes on The World’s Women of the Year 2009 and Forbes’ 20 Inspiring Women To Follow On Twitter. Most recently Sloane ran her own digital strategy consultancy, Answer With Action.

Sloane will join the digital marketing team led by David Binkowski, who joined Lippe Taylor as EVP, Digital Marketing in June 2010 from MS&LGroup. “I am excited to welcome Sloane to the Lippe Taylor digital team where she’ll bring her deep knowledge and insights of social and cause marketing to our clients. Sloane’s career history of focusing on women’s issues and rights significantly bolsters our core strength of marketing to women,” said Binkowski.

“As we have seen tremendous growth in our social marketing business, we are filling our teams with the best talent in the industry. Sloane is just that! Her expertise in marketing to women makes her a perfect fit,” says Jim Joseph, President of Lippe Taylor.
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Haiti Bound With Fairwinds Trading

February 21st, 2011, by Sloane Berrent. 6 Comments »

I have exciting news…and a bit of a story to tell you.

First up, I’m headed to Haiti! I’m leaving early this Friday AM (just a few days away) and will return very late on Monday night. I’m really excited to be part of a small blogger team going to Port-au-Prince to meet with local artisans who are a part of Fairwinds Trading and capture Haiti in a post-earthquake environment.

How did this come to be? Join me on a journey…last year, while living in New Orleans, I was asked by the amazing folks at Everywhere to help organize an event for the Pathway to Peace event. This was sometime in December of 2009. Pathway to Peace is an initiative by Macy’s to support women artisans in Rwanda. I clearly remember Tamara from Everywhere telling me, “We can’t pay you to help with this event, but it’s such an amazing campaign, and I know you’ll love it. We’ll find another way to make this work and work with you in the future.”

Lesson 1: Sometimes you do things for money. Sometimes you do things because you believe in them. Sometimes you ask for something in return. Sometimes you do something simply for gratitude. Know the difference between these scenarios, but make sure at some point in your life you do one of each.

I did help with the New Orleans event. And I did work more with Everywhere on other campaigns for Macy’s. As a digital strategist on the Culinary Council initiative by Macy’s, I worked with Everywhere on how to engage local bloggers in a series of in-stores appearances around the U.S. featuring some of the most well-known chefs in the country.

And I’ve worked with Everywhere throughout 2010 on other clients and campaigns providing digital strategy for product launches and influencer events. I love them, their passion for their clients and their amazing attitude to push for the best of the best and to get the job done.

It’s through Everywhere I learned about Willa Shallit and Fairwinds Trading. It was while reading about Willa, that I was so moved by her story to I wrote a blog post about Heart of Haiti just a few weeks ago. I shared the blog post with Everywhere and they wrote right back and said they were helping put together a trip to Haiti, if they could help find me a sponsor would I go?

Lesson 2: Write about the things you’re passionate about. Then share them with the people you are writing about and those who you think would be interested. You never know what will come from it. Be open to the possibility that something amazing can happen around any corner. Be ready to say “yes” to the experience.

Well, I actually didn’t practice what I preach in this case. I said I didn’t know if I could make it. I have too many clients and projects I said, I can’t get away.

I asked for details anyway.

Turns out it was only for a weekend…give or take. And that it was with a small team of amazing female bloggers and Willa herself would be there. Three days later, I had a sponsor and my flight was booked.

Sometimes things happen fast like that and you have to go with it and worry about exhaling after the decision has been made.

It helps (no doubt) that I’ve traveled a lot of places and I have all my shots, a current passport (everyone should have this) and a healthy knowledge of Haiti from my experience with CrisisCamp New Orleans and friendship with some incredibly Haitians in New Orleans.

Lesson 3: Value your relationships. You never know where they might lead, where the path might go, and when paths might cross in amazing and unexpected ways. Social media and technology are tools to stay in touch and communicate with the people in your life. Use them that way to make the most out of what technology can do for you. (more…)

Celebrating NOLAlicious, Celebrating Change

January 11th, 2011, by Sloane Berrent. 5 Comments »

Collage Of NOLAlicious Desktop Wallpapers

There are quite a few changes happening this week that I’m excited to share. First, today marks the one year anniversary of NOLAlicious. It’s been an amazing year and there is no better way to talk about it than to share the introduction from this week’s newsletter:

NOLAlicious #53, January 11, 2011

Celebrating an Anniversary and a Goodbye.

Dear NOLAlicious readers,

Today marks the one year anniversary of the collaborative project between friends that became known as NOLAlicious. Today is the 53rd consecutive weekly NOLAlicious newsletter (with 11 additional special issues scattered throughout). We’ve shared with you over 35 desktop wallpaper images of classic New Orleans sights (mostly taken by our own in-house professional photographer Taylor) and produced a 2011 calendar from many of these images. We’ve featured more than 265 activities to do or places to eat around New Orleans and provided information about over 135 full-time jobs based in New Orleans. We have sent over 1,000 tweets, shared over 500 photos, and have close to 1,400 friends on Facebook. We hope you know, without a shadow of a doubt, how much we have enjoyed sharing a sliver of life in New Orleans with you every week.

Today also marks the final weekly NOLAlicious. When NOLAlicious was created last year, we were new to living in New Orleans and looking to find a curated list of things to do outside of the traditional media sources. There wasn’t anything like NOLAlicious (at least that we could find). Lending our skills, ideas and the little time we had to give, the concept for NOLAlicious was born. And what a year it was! The highlights are many including the Saints winning the Super Bowl, riding in Mardi Gras Krewes and bouncing through a muddy (and beautiful) JazzFest. It also included the election of a new mayor, the Gulf Coast oil spill and the 5-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. It included all of the magic that is New Orleans, from food and music and culture to sharing it with neighbors and new partners-in-crime along the way. 2010 was about making lifelong friends and memories that we will hold close to our hearts forever.

Throughout the year, the NOLAlicious family grew to include Elise, Kat, Martin and Emily, who each shaped NOLAlicious in their own way. Without them, we would have been lost.

Our lesson? Support those wacky ideas you hatch over coffee with friends. Use your passions to create something you can share with others. Be consistent. Share your passions and love. That’s why, instead of our regular PICKS this week, we’ve each described what New Orleans means to us, our perfect New Orleans day, and what we’re most looking forward to this upcoming year.

We like the idea of NOLAlicious having bookends, a beginning and an end. Of course, all of our past newsletters, featured picks and photos will stay online. On occasion, you might even hear from us when something comes up that is too good not to share. But now it’s your turn. We featured the New Orleans we found and loved in 2010, but our love for New Orleans lives on, stronger and deeper because you showed NOLAlicious what you loved about New Orleans, and why it was so important to you. Thank you. Now get out there and show New Orleans that same love you showed us.

Always yours,

Carl, Sloane, Taylor and the NOLAlicious Team

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