As the Major Gifts Associate of Strategic Engagement, Cenia manages the engagement, fundraising and stewardship operations for the Major Gifts Office. She provides strategic advising to the Executive Director and Director of Major Gifts, as well as a program across the Institute to best steward and cultivate long-term donor relationships. Additionally, Cenia manages the Aspen Institute’s Annual Appeal Campaign which fundraises unrestricted revenue for the Institute.
Prior to the Aspen Institute she served as the Scholarship Coordinator at the University of Southern California (USC). In this role she managed the awarding of endowed & philanthropic scholarships, stipends, and federal work study funds to 1,000+ students pursuing their graduate and doctorate degrees in the Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work.
Cenia has over 6 years of professional experience in the private and non-profit sector serving under-resourced communities on issues like college affordability, immigration, and criminal justice. Before her time at USC, Cenia worked as the Client Engagement & Business Development Coordinator for U.S. Immigration Law Group, LLP. Here she organized over 50+ immigration forums and legal consultation clinics to educate 2,000+ Los Angeles and Orange County community members about current immigration policy, their immigration rights, and opportunities for legislation. Previous to this role Cenia worked for the Diocese of Orange as the Volunteer and Outreach Coordinator. In these capacities she coordinated diocesan advocacy efforts, supervised volunteers in six Orange County jails and collaborated with community-based organizations and government agencies to provide reentry resources for formerly incarcerated individuals.
Originally from Southern California, Cenia holds a Master of Education from the University of Southern California and a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from the University of California, Irvine.