Hi! I’m Kristina.

I’m committed to sharing my experience and skills to help power change and advance a more equitable, inclusive, sustainable, and humane society.

With 13 years of experience in writing, editing, and communications, I’ve held professional roles across the nonprofit sector and online media space, including with Kids’ Orchestra, the Dorothy A. Johnson Center for Philanthropy, Michigan League of Conservation Voters, and One Green Planet.

I currently work as the Communications Manager for the Grand Traverse Regional Community Foundation (GTRCF), a role I’ve held since 2021. I also run The Typewritery, a creative pop-up studio specializing in custom typewritten poems and poetry experiences.

I volunteer with Elk Rapids Community Cupboard and Let These Animals Live Cat Sanctuary. I also serve as a Board Director for the Community Cupboard and am an active blood donor with Versiti Blood Center of Michigan. I hold a Master of Public Administration and a Bachelor of Arts in English and Writing, both from Grand Valley State University.

Born in Detroit to Croatian immigrants, I’ve lived in Metro Detroit, Grand Rapids, Croatia, and Louisiana. Now residing in the Traverse City area, I share my life with my husband, David, an Army veteran; our cat, Luna, a feisty, silly girl adopted from Harbor Humane Society; and Daisy, a happy-go-lucky pit bull adopted from Kalkaska County Animal Control.

In my spare time, I love reading a good book, spending time with my family and friends, fawning over interior design (my aesthetic is a mix of mid-century modern, new Mediterranean, & happy modern), cooking and baking, writing fiction, nonfiction, and poetry, going on adventures, traveling, playing board games, and indulging in some friendly competition and macaroni & cheese.

A SELECTION OF PROUD ACCOMPLISHMENTS

• Ran my own creative services business

• Directed a website redesign and overall brand refresh, including the development of a new logo after 15 years, for GTRCF

• Collaborated with GTRCF’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Work Group to develop a staff learning curriculum, integrate image descriptions in social media posts, and advocate for the organization to sign onto and take actions in support of the Disability Inclusion Pledge, among other successful efforts

• Managed an international team of writers at One Green Planet

• Ghostwritten for changemakers

• Directed a mission and vision statement revision taskforce for Kids’ Orchestra, bringing staff and board to full consensus

• Published over 400 short-form and feature-length articles online, including viral content at One Green Planet and Croatia Times

• Lobbied for legislation at the local, state, and federal level as a citizen advocate with Humane World for Animals (formerly the Humane Society of the United States)

• Spearheaded successful cross-functional and cross-organizational collaborations across my professional roles

• Developed proficiency in both Croatian and Spanish languages and have studied basic Mandarin Chinese

• Traveled to 15 countries (and counting!)

• Taught English in Croatia to adult, teenage, and elementary students in both group and one-on-one settings

Snapshots from My Travels