Collaborations

(1) As a fellow at Think Rubix, Dara collaborated with team members to produce timely client deliverables, designed and executed projects, analyzed and interpreted qualitative data, and synthesized those findings for client feedback.
(2) As the manager of an NSF-funded project through Dr. Najja Baptist and Dr. Byron Orey, Dara directed students, researchers, and community partners, drafted focus group interview guides, and analyzed data with a team.
(1) Commissioned by the Rural Black Study Initiative, Dara analyzed and interpreted statistical data to identify trends and relationships. She compiled data from primary and secondary source documents to produce an original analysis of sociopolitical indicators of the Arkansas Delta.
(2) Leveraging open-source data and knowledge of current events, Dara composed a memo for the South Strong Initiative that outlined inequities in rural public education in Arkansas.
(3) As an APSA Public Scholar, Dara synthesized numerous peer-reviewed articles and crafted thoughtful, engaging synopses presented such that they maintained the integrity of the original work but were palatable for general audiences.
(1) Under the leadership of Dr. Chloe Thurston, Dara created an original organizational system for primary and secondary documentation. She compiled a database of relevant congressional briefings, analyzed primary source documents, and authored multiple analytical briefs.
(2) With a team under Dr. Traci Burch, Dara coded data from news sources, using individual discretion to sort data into theoretically significant categories. In this work, Dara handled classified information with care.
(1) Dara was commissioned to work with Capital Access Strategies to conduct over 20 virtual in-depth interviews. Engaging in conversation with the interviewees, Dara handled and organized sensitive, potentially volatile information. She then collaborated with the quantitative team to create client deliverables.
(2) With Dr. Julie Merseth-Cook, Dara conducted in-person interviews with immigrant participants around sensitive topics. She then coded those interviews and drafted briefs about the interactions.
(1) As part of the NSF projects, Dara built focus groups by reaching out to local leaders, creating interview guides, and leading the focus group.
(2) As a researcher at Think Rubix, Dara led a virtual focus group for a marketing campaign. She created visual aids, led discussions, and synthesized the results to be included in a final report.
(3) As an independent observer, Dara leveraged her ethnographic skills to listen and describe the significant issues youth discussed during a meeting of the Chicago Ideas: Youth Forum. Without the ability to record, Dara needed to keep accurate written notes while remaining engaged in the session.
Dara has created, deployed, and analyzed surveys in different formats. Through her collaboration on research projects, professional engagements, and political services, she has used SurveyMonkey, Qualtrics and Typeform to draft and gather metrics from surveys.
Dara has experience with the following tools and software for this type of work:
(1) NVivo
(2) R Studio
(3) Office Suite (including Word and Excel)
(4) Google Workspace
(5) Program Management Software like Asana and Monday.com
(6) Transcription services like Rev, Otter.ai and more.

LISTEN. FIND. UNDERSTAND.

ELEVATE. ENGAGE. EMPOWER.

(1) As the Statewide Organizing Lead for the Democratic Party of Arkansas (2024) Dara supported the creation and implementation of a statewide mobilization strategy targeting key districts.
(2) As the Deputy Field Director for the Chris Jones for Governor Campaign, Dara implemented the vision for the campaign’s statewide field strategy. As a key team member, she successfully led many components of the strategy including analyzing and interpreting statistical trends and potential relationships with regional partners, compiling data from voter networks, and drafting and sending structured communication (emails and text messages) to volunteers and supporters.
(2) Dara is an organizer who can cut turf, build lists, and navigate industry-standard software to complement intuitive strategic choices.
(1) Dara attended Campaign School for Field Directors by Re:Power Civic Engagement Strategies in 2022.
(2) As a Deputy Field Director, Dara organized and executed tour stops with the candidate and community partners, strategized to increase candidate recognition, and successfully collected support information to build volunteer networks.
(3) As a member of the Executive Committee of the Arkansas Democratic Black Caucus, Dara works with Arkansans who are invested in civic engagement and mobilizing citizens.
(4) As a part of the Arkansas Democratic Party Recruiting Committee, Dara works with grassroots candidates and civic leaders to implement strategic plans to increase and improve Democratic electoral slates.
(1) As a Deputy Field Director, Dara organized, trained, and managed a statewide volunteer network.
(2) She led weekly training sessions with volunteer teams via Zoom where she taught supporters with varied experience with phone banking and texting for campaigns.
(3) Dara created and distributed teaching materials to be leveraged at in-person training sessions and staging locations.
(4) Dara trained teams to use both the MiniVAN app and paper packets to canvass neighborhoods. These trainings included best practices for canvassing safely, conversations about the culture of turf, demonstrations of apps and packets, as well as opportunities to practice with other canvassers.
(1) Dara managed numerous texting campaigns for fundraising, volunteer recruitment, and voter mobilization on the Chris Jones for Governor Campaign. Sometimes in a crunch, she delivered quick, thoughtful responses.
(2) At Think Rubix, Dara drafted marketing texting campaigns for nonprofits who sought to drive public participation in policy campaigns, survey projects and candidate campaigns.
(1) VAN and MiniVAN
(2) Mobilize
(3) Texting platforms like Hustle and Spoke
(4) Dialing interfaces through Votebuilder and ScaletoWin

MOTIVATE. EDUCATE. INSPIRE.

Dara’s public speaking style is honest and purpose-driven. Audiences leave their seats with a new perspective to grow with in the future.
(1) Keynote for the Greater Texarkana Area Branch NAACP MLK Celebration
Topic: Be the Dream
(2) Texarkana Area Juneteenth NAACP Civic Motivation Speaker
Topic: Civic Engagement and the Black V-O-T-E
(3) Las Amigas Debutante Reception Keynote Speaker
Topic: Truth or Dare?: What’s the Difference if the Goal is the Same?
(4) Appeared on SpeaKing of Visions Podcast to discuss civic engagement in rural Black America.
(5) Moderated the 2024 Arkansas Black Democratic Caucus Pulaski County Candidate Forum. One attendee remarked, “You can command a room!”
Local Civic Groups needed to understand the ballot issues for an upcoming election. Dara synthesized the issues into bite-sized chunks to explain them in straightforward terms.
(1) As a Las Amigas Debutant Program Assistant, Dara works with the planning team to create engaging activities for debutante recruits. In addition, Dara facilitates open discussions with young Black women ages 17-19 about opportunities and obstacles in their daily lives.
(2) Dara worked with Vote SOAR in Hempstead County to facilitate a meeting with community members and Waternow Alliance and River Network. She handled the logistics of a hybrid event, ensuring a secure connection for presenters and attendees.
(1) Office Suite
(2) Google Workspace
(3) Virtual and Hybrid Meetings with Zoom and Google Meet