Sabina Taj
Education
Georgetown University, Washington, DC (1997 – 1999)
M.A. in Psychology (Social Development)
Thesis: The Effect of Psychosocial Factors on the Immune System.
California Lutheran University, Thousand Oaks, CA (1995-1997)
B.A in Psychology, Departmental Honors
B.A in Sociology, Departmental Honors
Minor in Art History
Experience
Reis Foundation, Advisor (2022–Present)
Administer all aspects of the application process. Organize and oversee the logistics of board meetings and prepare board docket. Maintain subject-area expertise. Represent the foundation within the philanthropic and nonprofit communities.
Braitmayer Foundation, Ellicott City, MD, Executive Director (2005–2022)
Oversee the grant making, communications, and management of a Massachusetts-based family foundation. Work with family members to administer a grant program that provides funding nationally in K-12 education. Administer all aspects of the application and reporting process. Organize and oversee the logistics of semi-annual board meetings and prepare board docket. Maintain subject-area expertise in order to educate the board on trends in the field. Arrange multiple annual site visits. Represent the foundation within the philanthropic, nonprofit, and academic communities.
Howard County Board of Education Member, Howard Community Public School System (2018–2020)
An elected government official responsible for oversight of a school system with a $900+ million annual budget and 58,000 students. Represents the community in setting policy; develops the school system’s budget for approval by the County Executive and Council; responds to critical school issues as they are identified by the community; advocates for educational priorities with a focus on ensuring representation, equity, and inclusion.
Howard Community College, Columbia, MD, Adjunct Professor, Arts and Humanities (2016–2018)
Teach classes in Introduction to Creative Arts for K-12 student teachers; and Arts, Culture and Ideas, a history of art in the context of the social and political climates from the 16thCentury to the present. Develop a diverse curriculum for both classes that provides an inclusive perspective reflective of the student body. Artists covered have included such diverse voices as Theaster Gates, Josephine Baker, Chris Offili, Gertrude Stein, Andy Warhol, and Lalla Essaydi.
Columbia Foundation, Columbia, MD, Program Officer (2004–2005)
Managed the Foundation’s unrestricted grant programs, donor-advised funds, scholarships, and awards. Worked with local leaders on community-wide projects to affect positive change. Maintained current knowledge of key happenings in the community and regularly met with nonprofit and community leaders to ensure the Foundation’s work remained relevant to the community’s needs.
Share Our Strength (now No Kid Hungry), Washington, DC, Senior Grants Manager (2001–2004)
Managed five national and international grant-making programs that disbursed five million dollars annually. Developed, managed and made funding recommendations for a number of grant-making programs, including The Great American Bake Sale. Organized national and international learning trips for corporate partners around poverty issues. Supervised multiple staff, fellows and interns while serving as resident expert on hunger and poverty for staff, volunteers, donors, and corporate partners.
Congressional Hunger Center, Washington, DC, Program Director (1999–2001)
Managed all aspects of the Hunger Fellowship program. Interviewed, hired, placed, and indirectly supervised twenty-two Fellows annually. Developed an extensive training program for the Fellows and provided technical assistance on research, policy, and professional growth. Maintained relationships with field and policy partners.
Hunger Fellow
As part of a one-year service commitment, worked at La Fondita de Jesus in San Juan, Puerto Rico for six months and then at The Urban Institute in Washington, DC for another six months. Worked on homelessness issues at La Fondita, which included recruiting volunteers, writing grant proposals, and conducting intake interviews for homeless clients to identify barriers to self-sufficiency. At The Urban Institute, conducted a national evaluation of domestic violence agencies by interviewing victim service agencies, law enforcement officials, and prosecutors.
Current Appointments
Howard County Arts Council Board Director
County Council – Racial Equity Task Force
Strong Future Maryland – Advisory Council
Previous Appointments
Howard County Public School System, Columbia, MD – Board of Education Operating Budget Review Committee Board Member Appointee (2017-2018)
The committee makes budget recommendations to the Board of Education and serves as a channel for the public to provide advice, express concerns, and have input into the county school system’s budget.
Little Patuxent Review, Board Member, Columbia, MD
Little Patuxent Review (LPR) is a journal of literature and the arts, publishing poetry, short fiction, creative nonfiction and artwork. LPR mostly welcomes contributions from new and established writers and artists from the Mid-Atlantic region. Issues often address social justice themes like incarceration.
Collaboration to Support Inclusive Communities, Howard County, MD
A collaboration between the school district, community college, library system, University of Maryland Baltimore County, NAACP, Muslim Council, Latino Action Council, County Executive’s office, Columbia Association, and local leaders working on inclusion and equity issues coming together to leverage our collective resources and networks to create change.
Centennial Lane Elementary School PTA, Ellicott City, MD – Diversity and Inclusion Committee Founder and Chair (2017-2018)
The committee was formed in response to a lack of diverse leadership in the school’s parent-teacher association. The committee’s efforts are focusing on developing more inclusive programming, curriculum and training to better reflect the needs of a school that is 64% families of color. We work with a team of people from the Chinese, Korean, Indian, Black and Latino communities to: 1) develop learning circles with various communities so that we can understand their experience and hear their concerns; 2) help the Cultural Arts Committee develop programing that is inclusive and reflective of the school community; 3) facilitate dialogues about how best to celebrate the heritage of the school’s children in visible and meaningful ways; 4) work with the school Superintendent and Director of Diversity to examine practices and, where needed, to change system-wide policies, and to develop resources that will create a culture of equity and inclusion.
Howard County Human Services Master Plan Committee, Member, Columbia, MD
Developed a comprehensive government led Human Services Master Plan to delineate a clear set of goals to guide the county and its nonprofit partners in the delivery of human services and to assess and evaluate county funded programs.
Leadership Howard County, Columbia, Participant and Selection Committee Member, MD
Selected to participate in a one-year program that fosters communication, informs about county services and functions, provides a rich network, and encourages alumni to address the needs of the county. Also serve on the selection committee.
Grant Managers Network, Nationwide, Board Member
Developed strategy and direction of the Grant Managers Network, a membership-based community of private, public, and corporate foundations committed to improving philanthropy.
Program Officers Network (ProNet), Nationwide, Steering Committee
Developed and implemented communication and marketing goals for ProNet. Integrate ProNet members with an online grant making community in order to effectively share resources and tools such as news, publications, targeted discussions, and a member directory.
Mayor’s Blue Ribbon Task Force on Child Nutrition Programs, Washington, DC, Program Expert
Served on Mayor Anthony Williams’ task force to analyze child nutrition programs in the District of Columbia and recommend improvements.
Languages
Fluent in spoken English, Hindi, and Urdu. Partial comprehension of Gujrati and Spanish.