On September 2, 2011, Kelly Pierce-Bulger joined CAIR-Washington as Development Coordinator through the AmeriCorps VISTA program.  She will be with us for one year and will be in charge of increasing CAIR-WA's organizational capacity through individual-donor relations and grant writing.   

Kelly was born and raised in Anchorage, Alaska and recently graduated from Marlboro College in Vermont with a BA in Cultural History and Religion.  She specifically studied Palestinian women's history and women in the Qur'an and spent a semester abroad in Jordan in the spring of 2010. 

Kelly's interest in Islam and the Middle East began when she was 14 years old and attended Seeds of Peace camp, an international camp based in Maine that brings together youths from countries in conflict, primarily centering on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.  Spurred by the desire to learn more after this experience, Kelly participated in an AFS summer exchange program to Cairo, Egypt for six weeks after graduating high school in 2006.   

Kelly has a long-term interest in working in the non-profit sector and holds a Certificate in Non-Profit Management.  Prior to joining CAIR-WA, she worked in the Education Department of the Alaska Zoo where she gave hundreds of presentations and tours and led dozens of summer camps for kids.  Now she looks forward to putting her training in development into practice for CAIR-WA. 

As Development Coordinator, Kelly researches and writes grants, keeps track of donors, processes donations, and cultivates relationships with potential grant-makers, corporate sponsors, and donors.  She will also work closely with the Operations Coordinator to plan events and train volunteers to assist with development activities.