Professional Website
About Benita
Benita Blessing is a thoughtful, people-focused leader with over two decades of success guiding nonprofit educational and professional programs in national and international academic and association settings. She is an accomplished administrator, interdisciplinary scholar, grant-writer, fundraiser, and storyteller skilled in relationship cultivation, collaborative spaces, compelling narrative building, and strategic program development. Dr. Blessing is inspired by the role of education in building civil society, both in and out of the classroom.
Professional Experience Highlights
Operations Director
German Studies Association
2019-2022
Senior Instructor
Oregon State University
2015-2022
Core Competencies
Leadership & Governance
Strategic Planning & Operations
Technical Modernization
Fundraising & Grant Writing
Communication & Outreach
Education & Curriculum Development
Certifications & Training
Certificate in Fundraising
Oregon State University
Anticipated 2025
Association Executive Certification (CAE)
Anticipated 2026
Certificate in Administrative Skills
American Institute for Parliamentarians
2025-2026
Certificate in Nonprofit Board Education
BoardSource
2025
DEIA Microcredentials
ASAE
2024
Certificate in Nonprofit Management
Oregon State University
2023
Education
University of Wisconsin - Madison, dual PhD.
Departments of History and Educational Policy Studies (1992-2001)
Middlebury Institute of International Studies, Monterey, California, dual M.A.
Departments of German Studies and International Policy Studies (1989-1991)
Sample Work
Trinity University, San Antonio, Texas, B.A. German and French
Magna Cum Laude
Phi Beta Kappa (1985-1989)
