THE RIGHT FIT
COLLEGE CONSULTING
Mary Jo O'Donnell
Turn your college search into a rewarding and organized journey. My goal is to help students find a college environment that will offer personal and academic challenge, support, and success.
BACKGROUND
For 9 years, I served as the Executive Director of the Bozeman Schools Foundation in Bozeman, MT. During my time at the Foundation, I found I loved working with high school students as they applied for Bozeman Schools Foundation Scholarships and navigated the college application process. After assisting my 3 children through the college process I decided to complete a certificate program at the University of California, Riverside, in order to learn more about the college counseling profession. I am a member of NACAC (National Association of College and Admissions Counseling), PNACAC (Pacific Northwest Association of College and Admissions Counseling), RMACAC (Rocky Mountain Association for College and Admissions Counseling), and an associate member of the Independent Educational Consultants Association, (IECA). I love working with high school students and watching them grow through the college search and application process. I have been working with high school students assisting in the college application and admission cycle since 2016.
Experience
Editor II - Bracken Communication Center - Montana State University (2018 - 2019) Bozeman. MT
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Assisted college students with the editing of papers, resumes, interview tips, and strategies
Executive Director Bozeman Public Schools Foundation 2007 – 2015 Bozeman, MT
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Managed/supervised/mentored staff
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Served as the public “face” of the organization
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Built Strategic Partnerships for Foundation
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Budgets/financial management/oversight
Responsibilities included:
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Fundraising/Donor management
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Strategic planning
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Board relations/governance
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Visioning /leadership
Key contributions and accomplishments:
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Led and managed a successful $2.5 million capital campaign in 2 years
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Established individual and corporate donor base for the foundation
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Fundraised for, administered, selected, and evaluated district initiatives for the foundation
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Wrote and managed grants for foundation programs and operations
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Developed policies for Foundation programs and office procedures
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Fundraised for and managed over 50 scholarships per year for high school students
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Created foundation marketing and P.R. materials
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Created, and managed signature fundraising events for Foundation
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Helped form relationships with other Montana School Education Foundation leaders
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Grew organization from a small start-up to a thriving Bozeman nonprofit organization
Education
University of California-Riverside, August 2016
Certificate Program - College Admissions Counseling
Thunderbird School of Global Management, Glendale, AZ
Masters of International Management 1989
University of Colorado, Boulder, CO
B.S. Business Tourism 1986
Minor - Education
Prior to Bozeman Schools Foundation - Work experience includes teaching middle and high school, Language Arts, Religion, and Japanese Language in Seattle, WA, and working in international sales in the import-export food industry.
I have lived in Bozeman for 22 years with my husband John and we have three young adult children. children.
Member of NACAC IECA Associate Member