1. Kathi Ridley-Merriweather, M.A. candidate
4555 North College Avenue ∙ Indianapolis, Indiana 46205 ∙ 317.319.6337(c) ∙ kathirid@sbcglobal.net
Communications Specialist - Program Director - Project Coordinator
Detail- oriented organizer with experience in business,education,and creative arts arenas.Broad range of skill sets including:
applied communication skills,educator, business ownership,business administration,childcare,after-school programming, and
actor and theatre director.Excels at problem-solving and reaching end success oflong-term projects.Functional familiaritywith
German and French.
 Superb Strategic Communication Skills
 Experienced,Collaborative Researcher
 Experienced in IRB submissions
 Innovative Teacher
 Strong, Fair and Mentoring Leader
 Highly Organized
 Extremely Versatile and Flexible
 Confident Self-Starter
 Goal-Oriented
 Efficient Office Administrator
 Attention to Detail
 Dynamic and Diplomatic
 Creative Problem-Solver
 Curriculum Planning and Execution
 Scheduling and Organizing
 Proficiency in MostCommon Office
Software Programs
Demonstrated Problem-Solving Skills
Situation: The Komen Tissue Bank suffered from a lack of diversity of healthy breast tissue samples. Caucasian women
were donating at a steady rate, but very few women belonging to ethnic or racial minoritygroups seemed to
respond to the currentrecruiting methods.
Result: Reached outto African-American churches,sororities,and service and social groups,arranging to speak
directly to groups of women ofcolor,clearly outlining the reasoning for the need for diverse tissue and fully
answering all directquestions. Engaged a recruitmentadvocate in the Latino community.Pursued research
through focus groups of Asian-Americans to identify and test proposed recruitmentmessaging and cultural
barriers. Participation by women ofcolor immediatelyand noticeablyincreased,and continues to do so.
Situation: St. Richard’s School experienced an escalating need for a larger number ofcounselors on staff; however
salary budgetdid not support an increase in the number ofemployees.
Result: Contacted IUPUI regarding the Federal Work-Study Program.Set up St. Richard’s School as a Work-Study
partner and employer.The result was the hiring of eight additional employees at75% salary savings to the
school.
Situation: St. Richard’s School displayed a lack of consistentmeans of communication between the teacher,department
head,business office and substitute teacher.
Result: Developed clear and organized communication process.This began with an online form completed by the
teacher and given to the departmenthead,substitute coordinator and business office. A sub was then
acquired and their information was given to the teacher, departmenthead and business office via e-mail.This
resulted in effective dissemination ofpertinentinformation for all involved.
Professional Experience
Susan G. Komen® Tissue Bank at the IU Simon Cancer Center (Komen Tissue Bank or KTB) 2011 - present
Communications and MinorityOutreach Coordinator (2015 – present)
Plays a key communications role,responsible for the majorityof internal and external communicationfor the Komen Tissue
Bank.
 Develops and implements communication strategies and is responsible for a continuum ofinternal and external
communication such as writing and distributing a newsletter,writing and editing website text, and coordinating
communicative relationships with the IU School of Medicine and the IU Simon Cancer Center.
 Composes press releases,blogs,and public statements,being careful to adhere to any guidelines and/or restrictions
imposed by the IRB or partnering organizations.
“Kathi is extremelywell organized,yet very creative and incapable ofdoing
anything that is less than excellent. She is loving and kind, yet she commands
respect from all who work with and for her. Before she took on her position as Dir.
of Aftercare, the program was in utter chaos. She worked tirelessly to develop an
extensive and excellentcurriculum, which is enriching and enjoyable.”
~Cheryl Eiszner, St. Richard’s School Teacher
“I would describe Kathi as the quintessential multi-tasker;an initiator and
wonderfullyforthcoming and directadministrator.”
~Dr. Peter Cheney, Former Director of National Assoc. of Episcopal
Schools
“Kathi is one of the hardestworking people thatI know.She is dedicated,pays
attention to detail,communicates effectively and strives for excellence.She’s a
joy to work with and an asset to any organization that would value her ability to
complete tasks efficiently, with minimal supervision.”
~Dr. Deidre Lindsey, Field Director, Medical Scientific Liaisons,Astellas
Pharma Global Dev., Inc.

2. Kathi Ridley-Merriweather / 317.319.6337
Page Two
Professional Experience, Continued
 Responsible for effective use of social media to develop and maintain relationships with Komen Tissue Bank tissue
donors,volunteers, and financial donors.
 Responsible for oversight, including composition and editing of all content,of brand new website (designed by outside
creative team) to launch in Fall 2016.
Charged with taking the lead in reaching outto the multi-cultural community.
 Oversees recruitment of, and works directly with, local minorityoutreach teams in prospective tissue collection
locations,serving as projectmanager for minorityeducation and tissue donor recruitmentin advance of events.
o Engages strategic recruitment-oriented communication including:presenting and recruitingatpublic and
communityevents for purposes of minorityrecruitment.
o Travels in advance of tissue collection events to meetand develop relationships with local minoritycom munity
leaders and enlisttheir supportof the KTB.
 Develops, nurtures,and maintains relationships with racial and ethnic affinity groups and communities in Indianapolis,
focusing on building trustbetween these groups and the KTB, for purposes of sustaining the connections.
Retained all responsibilities associated with previous title of Program Assistant.
Program Assistant (2011 – 2015)
Served as the primarymanager of the Tissue Bank office, and acting as the initial interface between the KTB and its donors,
volunteers and vendors.
 Liaisoned with the multi-cultural communitywherever the Tissue Bank conducted a tissue collection event, working to
educate communitymembers aboutthe importance oftheir participation in KTB events.
 Gave educational presentations aboutthe Tissue Bank at a variety of venues and events.
 Organized,trained,and oriented hundreds ofvolunteers involved with Komen Tissue Bank events.
Developed and maintained keycommunication tools for use in the KTB.
 Authored and maintained the new website - created, updated,and monitored contentand worked with website vendor
on structural issues
 Began the process of forging and maintainingrelationships with minorities and minoritygroups in Indianapolis
 Created accounts and initiated KTB presence on social networking sites,including Facebook,Twitter, Instagram,and
Flickr, paying special attention to diversifying posts to reflect both the scientific and personal faces of the KTB
 Gave several talks and presentations to various groups aboutthe history, structure, and goals of the Komen Tissue
Bank.
Served as main line of supportfor the KTB Chief Operating Officer, performing various additional assignedduties.
University of Indianapolis 2015 – present
Adjunct Faculty, DepartmentofCommunications
Instructor of Public Speaking
 Evaluated and graded students' class work, assignments,and papers. Keptabreastof developments and technological
advances in the communication field byreading currentliterature, talking with colleagues,and participating in
professional conferences.
 Prepared and delivered lectures to undergraduate or graduate students on topics such as public speaking,media
criticism,and oral traditions. Prepared course materials such as syllabi, homework assignments,and handouts.
 Maintained studentattendance records,grades,and other required records.Initiated,facilitated, and moderated
classroom discussions.Planned,evaluated,and revised curricula,course content, course materials,and methods of
instruction.
 Concentrated on detailing and improving the public speaing skills ofundergraduate students.
 Office Managementincluding:scheduling, purchasing,responding to inquiries,processing income and gifts,providing
guidance and tasks to office interns and volunteers.
 Cultural Outreach including:cultivating relationships with various multi-cultural groups;attending multi-culturalevents to
share information aboutthe KTB; giving talks to multi-cultural organizations to spread the word aboutthe need for
diverse tissue donors.
St. Richard’s School; Indianapolis, Indiana 2003-2010
Director of Childcare
Responsible for recruiting,interviewing and hiring staff. Manage staff,purchasing and programming within assigned budget.
Provide service to faculty, staff, students, parents,enrichmentinstructors,area businesses and other peripheral personnel.
Began intensive safety-oriented trainings for staff including;First Aid and CPR.

3. Kathi Ridley-Merriweather / 317.319.6337
Page Three
Professional Experience, Continued
 Founded Coalition of Directors of Childcare for IndependentSchools in Indianapolis.
 Widened scope of enrichmentto include;private piano,guitar, violin, percussion,chess,fencing,sewing,karate, art,
yoga, African drumming and gymnastics.Also instituted Quiet Study program.
 Offered special parties for holidays, events such as child ID cards and guest speakers.Participation rose 20% for these
events.
Substitute Teacher Coordinator
Developed a database ofsubstitute teachers. Designed a plan of usage for the facility. Acted as liaison between faculty and
substitutes. Contacted and acquired substitutes when teachers were ill, experienced emergencies or needed to take personal
time.
 Used networking databases and currentaftercare employees to expand pool of available substitutes. Also had
candidates contactschool on regular basis,resulting in a much fuller and more widely diverse database of substitutes.
 Created a full database of all substitutes with contact information,addresses,references and informative notes
regarding availabilityand areas of expertise.
 Created a manual ofexpectations and guidelines for substitute teachers.
Indy Youthworks; Indianapolis, Indiana 2001 - Present
Co-Founder and Executive Director
Work alongside business partner to bring professional acting instruction and experience to school-aged children through a year-
round afterschool and day camp curriculum.
 Teach acting skills to youth, increasing confidence and abilityand enabling students notonly to have fun onstage,but
to better deal with pressures and conflict.
 Utilize instruction,games and activities to teach acting.
 Lead students in a full production ofa complete play, with all students learning and performing a role,making stage
sets and helping with costumes.
Various Acting Venues; Chicago, Illinois 1982 - 1995
Professional Actor and Performer
Freelance actor, singer and director with deep experience in musical and non-musical theatre,musical and stage direction,
choreographyand vocal performance.
 Successful conflict resolution and wide-ranged problem solving.
 Life organization,budgetaryacumen and versatility.
 Comfort with travel and change,ease with transition of task and location,strong communicationabilities and comfort
with multi-tasking.
Education
Candidate for Masters of Arts in Applied Communications,
INDIANA UNIVERSITY PURDUE UNIVERSITY of INDIANAPOLIS; Indianapolis,Indiana
Thesis defense (Asian-American Women’s Perspectives on Donating Healthy Breast Tissue:Implications for Methods and
Messaging
Scheduled completiondate June 2016
Bachelor of Arts in General Studies, Graduated With High Honors
INDIANA UNIVERSITY PURDUE UNIVERSITY of INDIANAPOLIS; Indianapolis,Indiana 2000
Arts and Humanities Certification,
INDIANA UNIVERSITY PURDUE UNIVERSITY of INDIANAPOLIS; Indianapolis,Indiana 2000
Specialty Skills / Information
 Possesses a working written and conversational knowledge ofGerman.
 First author on two separate health communication papers,both in the process of being edited for journal submission.
 Working knowledge ofmedical terminology.

4. Kathi Ridley-Merriweather / 317.319.6337
Page Four
Affiliations and Additional Training 2003 - Present
Actor’s Equity Association, Member
Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Member
IAIS Convention, Effective Aftercare Programming and Development
Indianapolis,Indiana
Indiana Leadership Summit, Director ofVolunteers
Indiana Repertory Theatre Master Classes
Indianapolis,Indiana
Komen Indy Race for the Cure, Team Captain
LEAD Program
Indianapolis,Indiana
National Communication Association (NCA), Member
NCA Interest Groups
Divisions:
African American Communication & Culture Division
Asian/Pacific American Communication Studies Division
Latino and Latina Communication Studies Division
Caucuses:
Asian/Pacific American Caucus
Black Caucus
Caucus on Lesbian,Gay, Bisexual,Transgender and Queer Concerns
La Raza Caucus
Women's Caucus
Spirit and Place, 2016 Selection Committee
St. Richard’s School, Alumni Association Executive Board Member
Volunteering 2003 – Present
Broad Ripple Art Fair, Volunteer
Cathedral High School. Volunteer
Coburn Place, Volunteer
Gleaner’s Food Bank, Volunteer
Heartland Film Festival, Volunteer
Indianapolis Jazz Festival, Volunteer
Julian Center, Volunteer
Super Bowl LXI, Volunteer
Young Voices of Indianapolis, Volunteer