Influential Woman · Grant Writing, Consulting, Nonprofit Administration

Skylar Wampler

Grants Administrator and Assistant to Special Projects, Virginia Mennonite Retirement Community, Inc.

Broadway, VA

1Award received

Certifications · Degrees · Memberships

Degree University of Virginia (UVA) - Double Major in Poetry Writing and Environmental Sustainability Degree New Curriculum Program (experimental general education curriculum based on Socratic seminar)

Her Story

About Skylar

I grew up very poor in rural America, in one of the agricultural counties in Virginia. Getting a full scholarship to UVA was a huge deal for me. When I went, I participated in an experimental general education curriculum called the New Curriculum with just 200 students, based on Socratic seminar. Through the new curriculum, I got involved in an undergraduate research project in the UVA Special Collections Library called Extinction in the Archives, where I traced stories of species extinction throughout history, going through people's journals and piecing together these stories. It was a real gift to be able to do undergraduate research for me. I double majored in poetry writing and environmental sustainability, so I've always brought that humanities perspective into the research that I do. In my last year of college during the pandemic, I worked in a diplomacy lab with the U.S. Department of State and the government of Jamaica to write a climate resiliency plan for Kingston, Jamaica, which was really exciting. I also did an independent study that I carried for a year with Moira Demos, an Emmy Award-winning filmmaker interested in the plight of drug usage in rural America. It was exciting for me to provide some of my story and give her different background on politics and food systems. After college, I moved into working for a USAID subcontractor, though the subcontractor has since left the United States due to being defunded. Throughout my career, I've been interested in bringing together humanities and environmental research, and I've found that the best way to do that for me is grant writing and finding funding. I started my own business this year, which has been really fun. I'm currently working as a grant administrator for Virginia Mennonite Retirement Community, a nonprofit that houses both folks that can afford to be in continuing care retirement communities and folks that cannot afford it. They have a USDA-certified organic farm, and 70% of their produce comes from that farm. I've been building partnerships with other organizations in the area and creating their first grant pipeline. We're applying to roughly 3 million dollars this year. I also do grant writing and business development consulting through my LLC, working about 60 hours a week for the last several months. Within the next 5 years, I would definitely love to be working full-time for my LLC, and I think that's not unrealistic.

Her Interview

Ten minutes with Skylar

01What do you attribute your success to?

I really make sure that I prioritize rest. The work finds me, so I don't have to go looking for work, but I do try to go looking for rest pretty often. I make sure that I get out into the nature spaces that I find funding for, so that I'm not completely separated from the projects that I'm finding funding for, because I think it's easy to just get sucked into your computer and stay in your office. Every day, I take an hour-long walk at lunch, no matter what the weather is. I make sure that I have one day a week where I'm not looking at screens at all. I've also learned that life never looks the way that you think it's gonna look, and as long as you keep being tenacious, you will succeed. I found this to be true, especially trying to work in the nonprofit field and the humanitarian field, getting laid off and getting defunded so early in my career. I think it's really important to keep my head on straight about my values.

02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?

My research advisor at UVA, Adrienne Galley, reminded me over and over that life never looks the way that you think it's gonna look, and as long as you keep being tenacious, you will succeed. I found this to be true, especially trying to work in the nonprofit field and the humanitarian field, getting laid off and getting defunded so early in my career. This advice has been really important to help me keep my head on straight about my values.

03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?

I would tell them a couple things. I think, especially with younger women right now, the world is a very scary place. It's hard to make a long-term plan, to think about the next 10 years, or even to think about the next few years. With that uncertainty, it's just really important to pursue values-aligned work. I'm a huge fan of that. I think that money is super important, and you can't discount it, because that's how we live, but also finding fulfillment in your workplace doesn't have to be a thing of the past. I think being your own advocate is the only way that you can get hired and stay true to your own values. You need to be your own loudspeaker.

04What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?

I learned about healing where you are and trying to make the world a better place where you are, adhering to an active peace-building mindset, which I really carry inside me. My granddad was a physical therapist and the only one in our area, and he never turned anyone away for care, even if they couldn't pay. I grew up in the Anabaptist tradition, which is primarily a pacifistic tradition, and while I don't identify as Christian now, those values of service and healing have stayed with me. I think it's really important to pursue values-aligned work and find fulfillment in your workplace. Being your own advocate is the only way that you can get hired and stay true to your own values.

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