Chief Grants Officer at Anthem Grant and Advocacy in Seattle, Washington, Cindy Vaias imbues her work with lessons gained from over 20 years of experience in the classroom and the workplace. As the recipient of a full four-year scholarship at Bryn Mawr College in Pennsylvania from September 1987 to June 1991, Cindy Vaias focused on anthropology and archaeology, leading her to many field studies at home and abroad. Between 1989 and 1990, Cindy Vaias took part in an archaeology program at l’Universite de Bordeaux in France and later pursued an anthropology program through McMaster University in Hamilton, Canada, from 1990 to 1991. Cindy Vaias graduated from Bryn Mawr College with a Bachelor of Science degree in Anthropology and soon joined the Art History Program at the Barnes Foundation in Lower Merion Township, Pennsylvania. A recipient of a three-year, full scholarship from the Violette de Mazia Trust Barnes Foundation, Cindy Vaias spent 1991 to 1994 immersed in art history research. At the end of her time with the Barnes Foundation, Cindy Vaias gained admission to the University of Pennsylvania’s Graduate Program in Education, earning a Title One Scholarship to attend the school. In June 1996, Cindy Vaias graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a Master’s degree in Education and received her certification in elementary education shortly afterwards. Cindy Vaias also holds CFRE certification. Moving to California after graduation, Cindy Vaias found a role as Project Manager of TeacherUniverse.com in Emeryville. For the next five years, Cindy Vaias performed a wide variety of tasks for the large developer of educational software products. As overseer of three separate development teams, Cindy Vaias ensured the quality of the software, acted as a liaison to corporate partners and venture capitalists, handled the budget and monitoring of the products, followed through with clients, and more. Cindy Vaias went on to hold positions as Market Development Manager for Thomson Learning in Belmont, California; Director of Development at Beyond Emancipation in Oakland, California; and serve as Executive Producer and Owner of GiantForms.com in Bainbridge Island, Washington, where she currently resides.