Elayne Zalis, PhD, MA (she/her)

About

My seven-word bio: Lifelong learner, choreographs her days, imagines possibilities As a writer and communications strategist, I draw on a rich background that encompasses the humanities, arts, and sciences. My interdisciplinary PhD is in the media arts, my master’s degree is in journalism and communications, and my bachelor’s degree is in psychology. I have taught writing and media courses at the University of California, Irvine; California State University, Long Beach; and the University of Iowa. On the cultural front, I have worked at or consulted for several nonprofits, including the Getty and the Long Beach Museum of Art, where I was the first video art archivist. In 2006, I shifted my professional focus to philanthropy. Since then I’ve worked as a full-time development writer and communications strategist at Caltech, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, and the University of California, Irvine (UC Irvine). I specialize in custom-designed principal and transformational gift proposals for individual donors. The proposals I’ve written so far have generated a combined total of more than $150 million. Thanks to all these experiences, I’ve learned to communicate with diverse audiences, to w

Experience

Education