The Vilcek Foundation is pleased to announce that Sophia Tedesco has been promoted to administrator. In this role, Sophia will attend to human resource management, in-house bookkeeping, and all administrative aspects of the Vilcek Foundation’s operations.
Prior to joining the Vilcek Foundation in the fall of 2017, Sophia interned with arts-driven organizations including the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC, and the Richard B. Fisher Center for the Performing Arts in New York. She developed and executed the Campus Outreach Program for SBU-TV at Stony Brook University, which recruited over 500 submissions for the Stony Brook Film Festival in 2014.
While completing studies in journalism and communications at George Washington University, Sophia served as a collegiate representative for the New York Times, where she developed and managed focus groups for the publication to assess readers’ preferences for news topics and distribution methods. She also worked as a public relations assistant with NPR’s award-winning podcast Us & Them, coordinating social media campaigns.
“For three years, Sophia has worked to support the foundation across all departments and programs,” said Rick Kinsel, president of the Vilcek Foundation. “She has demonstrated a profound dedication and commitment, and developed a comprehensive understanding of the foundation’s organizational and operational needs. Sophia attends to every project with a sense of purpose and initiative, and inspires those around her to do the same,” he said. “As administrator, she will be able to apply these qualities to providing leadership in managing the human resource and administrative needs of the foundation.”
“Sophia’s compassionate leadership and unparalleled work ethic have helped build a culture centered on the values that matter most—honoring diversity and uplifting people,” shared Julia Lo, programs manager of the Vilcek Foundation. “Her promotion to administrator is a win, not only for her, but for all of us. We as an organization will benefit from her expanded work steering our human resource and finance enterprises.”
We are delighted for Sophia as she takes this next step in her career, and in supporting the Vilcek Foundation.