Grant applications, brochures and other collateral materials, newsletters, book reviews, film reviews, biographies, press releases, exhibition catalogs, performing arts programs, appeal letters, case statements, social media postings. Proficient in proofreading and copyediting.
Reading; writing fiction, nonfiction, and poetry; visual and performing arts; current events; LGBT history and issues; movies; restaurants; self-improvement; spirituality; pets; volunteering.
Wayne is a graduate of the prestigious Honors College at Michigan State University. Over the course of four years he studied widely in literature, creative writing, art history, languages, psychology and philosophy. He graduated Phi Beta Kappa in the top one percent of his class.
Wayne studied under Fred Chappell and other noted writers in this prestigious MFA program. He served as a graduate teaching assistant, was published in The Greensboro Review, and for his thesis completed his first novel.
Wayne began working in healthcare in administrative assistant positions beginning in 1990. He began to accrue experience as a grant writer, and in 2001 he was hired as the first full-time grant writer for Kansas City Hospice.
As Grants Manager at the Lyric Opera of Kansas City, I wrote grant proposals for specific productions as well as for education programs and general operating support. Our funders included nationwide foundations such as the Hearst Foundations and the Aaron Copland Fund for Music. Though I had little knowledge of opera when I started in this position, I became proficient at describing the histories and impact of a wide variety of operas, from early to contemporary works. I also made the case for the importance of in-school music education.
Wayne has worked in the nonprofit sector for 30 years, starting at the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority and then moving into the field of health care and human services. As he became proficient in grant writing, he moved into positions in the field of arts and culture.
Over the past 20 years, Wayne has worked as a grant professional for several nonprofit organizations. In three positions he served as grants manager, assuming responsibility for all phases of grant programs from prospect research to writing final grant reports.