PROFILE Team builder with experienced computer skills and talent for engaging participation from others in achieving overall goals and objectives. Strengths are strong motivational skills, along with the ability to initiate, market, and produce significant community cultural attractions and programs. Dependable accounting and management skills offer the capacity to initiate and maintain financial budgeting policies and procedures. Understand and successful in developing membership, tourism marketing and group sales campaigns. Comprehensive experience in education provides strong presentation and organization skills.

FINANCE AND DEVELOPMENT
Results achieved as Director of Finance and Development for Quad City Art

• Established a productive Finance and Development Department by establishing job descriptions, setting goals, coordinate Annual Drive committee volunteers, and developing a new account system that generated budget information for all projects.
• Initiated public relations campaign that created marketing for Festival of Tree Holiday Parade.
• Assisted Donna Goldberg, Chair of Parade, in the start up of the parade and coordinated KWQC-TV6 television coverage.
• Organized Partner's Fund Drive, created Partner's brochures and increased annual drive to $70,000.
• Worked with 14 hotels to develop a tourism package.  Hotels sponsors a mailing campaign for Quad City Festival of Tree Holiday Parade.

MARKETING/PROMOTIONS/PUBLIC RELATIONS/FUNDRAISING
Results achieved as Promotions/Market Research Coordinator & Sales Administrator for President Casino Riverboat:

• Organized sales promotions in ten different cities.  Each sales promotion hosted 300 or more group tour leaders.  The goal was to introduce them to the President, follow-up with mailings and sales calls. Generated sell out for the casino on weekends first year of operations..
• At the National Tour Association and American Bus Association national meeting delivered 800 videos. Follow-up with eight mailings. Generated sell out weekends.
• Coordinated meetings for the unification of hotels in the Quad Cities to allow Riverboat Casino Tours to package The President with area hotels.
• Created, designed, bid and established Gift and Casino Chip Certificates, Drink Tickets, and Passports. Certificates generated over $100,000 in revenue between 4/1/ and 12/30.
• Coordinated promotions with Quad City Air Show, Iowa State Fair, Hardee's Golf Class, 96.1 Radio, and KWQC-TV6 Women's Fair. Increased attendance and documented the return of coupons.
• Structured and organized Riverboat Deal Games with Iowa Lottery.  Generated $80,000 in one game.

Results achieved as Director of Development and Marketing at the Putnam Museum:

• Previously the Museum's Annual Drive total was $126,048. In 1994-95, increased Annual Drive to $184,292.  In 1995-96, raised $197,911.
• In 1994-95, generated 361 new donors with Phone-a-Rama.
• Initiated in-kind marketing sponsorship with Quad City Times and KWQC-TV6 with a value of $70,000.
• Wrote and received grants from Riverboat Development Authority, Quad City Arts, US WEST Foundation and Target to generated $50,000 new restricted funding.
• Implemented a public relations campaign for the NEW VISTA Capital Campaign.
• Established an Exhibit Sponsorship program to provide $75,00 for exhibition revenue.
• Devised coding to enable the Putnam to generate weekly computer development reports.
• Responsible for working with steering committee to promote exhibition openings.  Attendance  grew from 300 to 2,000 due to extensive volunteer effort.
• Working with the President of Museum Guild, Inc., initiated Planned Giving Program.  First year, generated $70,000 for endowment.
• Wrote grant, established policies for artist selection process, and solicited Job Training Partnership Authority for youth participation to produce eight downtown Davenport "Up Bound" window murals. Murals remained up long after "Mississippi River" exhibition closed.

Results achieved as Director of Development at the Davenport Museum of Art:

• Previously the Davenport Museum of Art Annual Drive total was $47,880. In 1995-96, increased the Annual Drive to $202,650.
• Initiated in-kind sponsorship with Quad City Times andKWQC-TV6 with a value of $30,000.  Established a exhibition sponsorship program with a cash value of $47,880.  Total exhibition revenue $77,880.
• In addition, initiated Family Art Game with the Quad-City Times.  This provided 13 weeks of free1/4 page coverage for the Grant Wood Exhibition.
• Grant Wood: An American Master Revealed exhibition selected the best event of the year in Iowa.  Selection was based on the National Public Awareness Campaign.
• Working with Premiere Evening Committee created a major fund raising event.  Over 500 attended and event continues to serve as a major fund raiser for the Museum.
• Wrote and received grants from the Riverboat Development Authority, Bechtel Trust, Deere and Company Foundation, and the V. O. and Elizabeth Figge Foundation to generate $92,000.

Results achieved as Chief Operating Officer for the start up of Quad City Botanical Center:

• Presented start up strategic plan to the Board of Trustees and received approval for budget, committees, and organization structure needed  for the start up of the Quad City Botanical Center. Solicited free temporary office space to allow space for volunteer committees.. Due to tremendous volunteer effort, the Quad City Botanical Center opened on time - June 20, 1998.
• Initiated Membership program, membership software, and brochures to generate 1,800 members for Botanical Center.
• Initiated first Annual Drive in 1998, generated $52,000. At the same time, Capital Campaign was soliciting for Capital Program.
• Wrote job descriptions and initiated a process to hire staff.  Initiated a volunteer program/committees that generated 350 volunteers for the first year and generated 5,172 hours from June 1998 to December 1998.
• Working with the Board of Directors organized long term strategic planning session.  Set up goals, objectives, strategies and action plan for Center.  Established exhibition and program schedule for following year.  Programs continue today.
• Initiated a Brick Program to generate operating revenue.  Generated $160,000 first year. Brick program continues today.
• Working with area art organizations to initiate art exhibition program.  Over 150 artist contributed the first year and art exhibitions at the Botanical Center continue today.

PROJECT MANAGEMENT/CLIENT SERVICES
Results achieved at Voice Response (Lee Enterprises Inc.) working with U.S. West Telemarketing

• Initiated Custom Ringing marketing project. Increase call volume by 100% with 90% closure rate. Positive response prompted client to continue with Custom Ringing and initiated Custom Calling project for Voice Response.
• Established Custom Calling between U.S. WEST Denver Telemarketing, Seattle Home and Personal Service, U.S. WEST Phoenix Marketing. Coordinated 12 U.S. WEST telemarketing centers for project.
• Provided professional scripts for voice response applications and digitized voice presentations.
• Utilized database management to produce valuable system statistics.

EDUCATION/TRAINING/TEAM BUILDING
Results achieved in education and a trainer  (Presently, I teach full time at West High School and part-time at night for Black Hawk College as computer instructor.

• Served as an independent trainer for Management Training at Quad City Times (Lee Enterprise Inc.).  Due to success of the training evaluations, the program expanded and included the Madison Newspaper. 
• Skilled in instruction of Visual Studio 6.0( Visual Basic and C++) , Excel, Microsoft Word, Power Point, and Accounting.  Consistently receive outstanding evaluations from Administrators and students.
• Initiated curriculum and computer program for Sherrard Junior High
• Received Area Nine Education appointment to the State Department of Public Instruction Media Committee.
• Selected by the Bettendorf, Clinton, Alleman, and Redfield High School to serve as Chair of National Accreditation Association school evaluation committee.
• Served as an independent trainer for Management Training for Alcoa Aluminum Company.  Received outstanding evaluations.  Certified Trainer for Wilson Learning.

COMMUNITY LEADERSHIP AWARDS

• Received Linda K. Neuman Professional Award given by the Quad City Woman's Encouragement Board Inc. in 1997 for one of the outstanding woman of the Quad Cities.
• President of Graduate School Alumni Association of St. Ambrose University, 1988-89
• Served as State Corresponding Secretary of the Iowa Professional Business and Working Women, 1988-89
• Elected Chair of Scott County Sesquicentennial Commission.
• Received Iowa Humanities Board State of Iowa Sesquicentennial Award 1996 for leadership in Sesquicentennial events.
• Served numerous officer positions in area organizations

EMPLOYMENT HISTORY

• 5/00 - Present - Computer Instructor - West High School - Davenport, IA
• 5/00 - Present - Computer Instructor - Part Time Evenings Black Hawk College - Moline, IL
• 5/99 -5/00 - Computer Instructor - Sherrard High School - Sherrard, IL
• 11/97 - 3/99 - Chief Operating Officer - Quad City Botanical Center - Rock Island, IL
• 9/95 - 11/97 - Director of Development and Marketing - Davenport Museum of Art - Davenport, IA
• 3/93 - 9/95- Director of Development and Marketing - Putnam Museum of History and Science - Davenport, IA
• 3/92 -3/93 - Director of Finance and Development - Quad City Art - Rock Island, IL
• 10/90 - 2/92 - Market Research and Promotions - The Connelly Group (The President Riverboat Casino) - Davenport, IA
• 1889 - 90 - Marketing Instructor - Black Hawk College - Moline, IL
• 1988 - 90 - Voice Response - Lee Enterprises, Inc. - Davenport, IA
• 1966 - 88 - Family Consumer and Science Instructor - Pleasant Valley High School - Pleasant Valley, IA

Carol Ehlers    4409 Lorton Avenue    Davenport, IA 52807    (563) 355-1308    carolehlers@revealed.net
Click here for detailed resume for Carol Ehlers
Click Here to return to the Main Page
Click Here for Introduction Page