Lars Garvey Laing-Peterson
Profile
A motivated arts and grants administrator, editor-in-chief, and freelance writer with a wide range of experience within the journalism, music, and marketing industries, and as a conference organizer and events planner. Accomplished grants and contracts coordinator with over five years of organizational support experience garnered while working at literary nonprofits, a large state university’s grants office, and at an international global health nonprofit. Demonstrated capacity to perform at a high level and use initiative when working alone or as part of a team. Proven ability to learn quickly and adapt effectively to new positions, including leadership, managerial, and directorial roles. A detail-orientated worker and efficient communicator with strong verbal, writing, time-management, problem solving, and analytical skills.
Relevant Work Experience
Designer, Owner | This Strange Spring | March 2020 - Present
A series of photographs and interviews capturing the strange spring of 2020, when the entire world changed because of the covid-19 pandemic.
Interviews with German artist Willehad Eilers (aka Wayne Horse), former professional skateboarder and current internet provocateur Ted Barrow, graphic designer and skateboarder Dane Nomellini, and DJ and activist Stephanie Tsong. (Future interviews will include photograph Tag Christof, Seattle author and Washington Post journalist Kristen Millares Young, entrepreneur and photographer Andy Lin, among others.)
Grants Analyst, University of Washington | April 2019 - Present
Lots of proposals, awards, subcontracts, CDAs, NDAs, and other ‘fun’ stuff. Your state tax dollars at work!
Awards Coordinator, PATH | September 2016 - December 2018
Ran awards and subagreement data reports and provided data analysis on these reports for Program and Business Development teams working on proposals, as well as for internal stakeholders for pipeline and year-end reports, and to provide empirical evidence to drive the organization’s policy and procedural changes.
Reviewed consultant agreement and amendment requests, and drafted and edited consultant agreements, amendments, and their scopes of work, in partnership with the Contract Specialist.
Maintained the data integrity of the Salesforce award and consultant agreement records.
Planning Committee/Volunteer Director, Lit Crawl Seattle | April-December 2015
Helped to plan and promote Lit Crawl Seattle 2015, which hosted over 30 events across First and Capitol Hills, as well as the sponsorship and after parties, both of which attracted hundreds of local literature enthusiasts.
Recruited and trained all Lit Crawl volunteers. Responsible for the creation of all volunteer-related training and marketing and advertising materials.
Hosted and read at a flash fiction event with Mattilda Bernstein Sycamore at the Sorrento Hotel, a reading which was highlighted by The Stranger.
Events Manager, Association of Writers & Writing Programs | March-August 2015
Registration Manager, Association of Writers & Writing Programs | June 2013-March 2015
Managed the entire registration process for the 2014 AWP Conference, which attracted over 13,000 writers to Seattle in February 2014 and brought in over $870,000 in registration sales. Trained all non-senior AWP staff, temporary staff, and volunteers, and oversaw their efforts onsite in Seattle and Minneapolis.
Part of the hiring and onboarding process for the Registration Manager position and assisted with registration for the 2015 conference that drew over 12,000 attendees to Minneapolis and grossed over $820,000 in sales.
Designed AWP’s social media and marketing campaigns for the 2014 and 2015 conferences, including national and regional Google AdWords campaigns for the 2015 conference. Served as part of the Social Media Working Group and wrote all copy for registration-, conference-, events-, and volunteer-related web pages, emails, and social media updates, and acted as copy editor for others’ marketing work.
Advised in the selection of a mobile app partner, worked on the layout of the AWP conference app in conjunction with the Design Editor, and edited and uploaded all conference information, including schedules of over 550 onsite and over 200 offsite events that could be added to personalized schedules by conference attendees.
Edited the audio of panel recordings from previous conferences to be converted into podcasts. Created instructional videos, including scripts, for attendee and bookfair registration, as well as AWP’s event proposal system, which received over 1,200 proposals for the 2015 conference.
Assisted potential panelists with the event proposal system for the 2016 conference in Los Angeles, which received almost 1,800 event proposals—the most in AWP history.
Post-Award Specialist, Office of Sponsored Programs, GMU | September 2012-June 2013
Grants Accountant, Office of Sponsored Programs, GMU | March-September 2012
Provided analysis and support to principal investigators and administrative staff managing federal and non-federal awards. Ensured proper stewardship of sponsored funds by drawing from my experience with and a demonstrated knowledge of Federal, State, and University regulations.
Oversaw the proper financial management of grants, cooperative agreements, and contracts, including the review and administration of personnel hires and reallocations, expenditures, and tuition and health insurance charged to awards.
Managed rebudgets, performed post-award audits, and reviewed overspent grants. Assisted pre-award teams with the creation of grant proposals and budgets, drawing from my experience and knowledge working with successfully funded proposals, as well as my strengths as a writer.
Convergence Director, ConnectMason | January-May 2008
One of the architects of the ACP Online Pacemaker Award-winning student-run media website ConnectMason (now The Fourth Estate).
Worked in conjunction with other student media groups as Convergence Director to ensure depth, diversity, creativity, and quality in our multi-platform online media coverage.
Invited to the headquarters of The Record and Herald News in Hackensack, New Jersey, and to the University of Tennessee to present on ConnectMason’s accomplishments.
Contributed numerous articles, including a popular piece on a large anti-war demonstration in Washington, D.C., which included a photo gallery of my work, video and audio interviews with protestors, as well as my article. Wrote weekly political columns during the 2008 primaries.
Owner, Lawnchair Records & Entertainment, LLC | July 2004-December 2012
Brought together colleagues in both the United States and Sweden to create Lawnchair Records, an independent record label and entertainment company.
Oversaw six record releases—5 CDs and 1 limited-edition 7” vinyl release—from American and Swedish bands, complete with print and online promotional, marketing, and advertising campaigns in the United States and Europe, as well as transatlantic distribution.
Assisted in the creation of the label’s website and online store.
Fulfilled my adolescent dream of running a punk rock record label into the ground.
Skills
Comfortable and proficient with AP, Chicago, and MLA style guidelines. Adept with Adobe Photoshop, Adobe InDesign, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Lightroom, Procreate, Affinity Designer and Photo, Logic Pro X, Audacity, Cubase, Adobe Audition, Adobe Acrobat & Reader, Microsoft Office, WordPress, Squarespace, Weebly, Wix, and Guidebook CMS systems, Google Docs, Google Drive, and Google AdWords, all social media tools, HTML, FileMaker Pro, SunGard/Ellucian Banner, Oracle Discoverer, the Coeus Grant Management System, Salesforce, as well as numerous in-house style guidelines, CMS systems, and databases.
Can speak and read Swedish at a conversational level.
Education
George Mason University—MA, English Literature, Summa Cum Laude, 2013
George Mason University—BA, English Literature, Magna Cum Laude and with Honors, 2010
Södertörns Högskolan—Philosophy and History (self-contained programs)
Folkuniversitet and Medborgarskolan—Swedish Language
Awards and Achievements
Helped to plan, promote, and execute the largest and most successful AWP conference to date, which attracted record numbers of attendees and exhibitors to Seattle in late February of 2014
Oversaw the most successful event proposal drive for the 2016 AWP conference, with nearly 1,800 event proposals submitted for the Los Angeles meeting
My essay “All Trenchcoat and Cigarette and Arrogance: Hellblazer, Constantine, and Noir” appeared in the Los Angeles Review of Books in November of 2014
Invited to present my academic essay “A History of Southern Violence: Noir and the New American South” at the Chesapeake American Studies Association conference at American University in 2012
Awarded two Immediate Recognition bonuses from George Mason University’s Office of Sponsored Programs in acknowledgment of my efforts, work ethic, and willingness to help coworkers
Received the award of Broadcaster of the Year 2009 as voted by the staff of WGMU
Was an architect of ConnectMason and late Convergence Director of the team that won the 2008 ACP Online Pacemaker Award
Work History
Designer, Owner | This Strange Spring | Seattle, Washington | March 2020 - present
Grants Specialist | University of Washington | Seattle, Washington | April 2019 - present
Awards Coordinator | PATH | Seattle, Washington | September 2016–December 2018
Account Manager | Skyline Pacific Northwest | Seattle, Washington | March–September 2016
Planning Committee/Volunteer Director | Lit Crawl Seattle | Seattle, Washington | May–December 2015
Freelance Book Reviewer | Atticus Review | April-December 2015
Volunteer | Richard Hugo House | Seattle, Washington | April 2015–Present
Events Manager | AWP | Fairfax, Virginia | March–August 2015
Freelance Writer | Los Angeles Review of Books | Los Angeles, California | September 2014–Present
Editor-in-Chief | This City of Islands | Seattle, Washington | October 2012–Present
Registration Manager | AWP | Fairfax, Virginia | June 2013–March 2015
Post-Award Specialist | Office of Sponsored Programs, GMU | Fairfax, Virginia | September 2012–June 2013
Grants Accountant | Office of Sponsored Programs, GMU | Fairfax, Virginia | March–September 2012
Office Assistant | Office of Sponsored Programs, GMU | Fairfax, Virginia | September 2010–March 2012
Music Director | WGMU | Fairfax, Virginia | August 2008–December 2009
Staff Writer | VoxPop Magazine | Fairfax, Virginia | March 2008–January 2009
Convergence Director | ConnectMason | Fairfax, Virginia | January–May 2008
Contributing Writer | Broadside Newspaper | Fairfax, Virginia | August–December 2007
Freelance Staff Writer | It’s A Trap! | Olympia, Washington | May 2007–August 2012
Editorial Assistant | On TapMagazine | Washington, D.C. | February 2007–May 2008
Freelance Staff Writer | Prefix Magazine | New York City, New York | May 2006–January 2007
Owner | Lawnchair Records & Entertainment | Stockholm, Sweden | July 2004–December 2012
Bartender/Barback | Berns Hotel | Stockholm, Sweden | January–August 2004
Head Shipper | Interpunk.com | Sterling, Virginia | August–December 2003
Volunteer | Porter Library | Stafford, Virginia | April–May 2003
Freelance Writer | WonkaVision Magazine | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | January 2003–October 2007
Administrative Assistant | Axiom, Inc. | Arlington, Virginia | June–October 2002
Administrative Assistant | Optym Consulting | Vienna, Virginia | June–September 2001
larsgarvey@gmail.com | (571) 228-0139