Helga L.

Winning a complex proposal takes more than good writing. It takes strategy. I help organizations pursue and win high-value federal, state, foundation, and corporate opportunities by turning complex requirements, technical expertise, and organizational strengths into compelling, evaluator-focused proposals. Since 2023, proposals I have led or supported have achieved a 90% win rate, securing multimillion-dollar investments for my clients. I bring more than 20 years of experience spanning business development, capture and proposal strategy, strategic communications, workforce development, public engagement, and program design. In senior corporate roles, I have generated more than $29 million in new business, while helping organizations develop competitive solutions, build strategic partnerships, and translate strong ideas into fundable programs. My experience is particularly deep in: * Federal Proposals and Government Contracting: Technical approaches, management plans, staffing, past performance, executive summaries, win themes, compliance reviews, and proposal strategy. * Business Development and Capture: Opportunity assessment, capture strategy, teaming and partnerships, competitive positioning, solution development, and growth planning. * Workforce Development and Registered Apprenticeship: Registered Apprenticeship Programs (RAPs), workforce pathways, apprenticeship expansion, workforce partnerships, career development, peer-support workforce initiatives, STEM apprenticeship programs, and workforce-related grant strategy. My recent work includes winning and launching a federally funded Recovery Peer Support RAP and developing a strategic funding approach to expand STEM apprenticeship programming. * Behavioral and Public Health: SAMHSA, HRSA, CDC, AHRQ, HHS, 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, trauma-informed care, behavioral health workforce development, prevention, and public health communications. * Climate, Environment and Resilience: Climate action, sustainability, environmental health, community engagement, behavior change, electrification, zero waste, conservation, and community resilience. * Strategic Communications: Messaging, campaigns, stakeholder engagement, thought leadership, communications strategy, media relations, and translating highly technical information for diverse audiences. My career has included communications leadership for the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, national bullying prevention initiatives, HHS National Sarcopenia Campaign, CDC Zika response, EPA lead initiatives, and USAID malaria prevention. I also founded and led a national trauma-focused nonprofit, securing federal contracts and helping advance bipartisan trauma-informed policy. I bring particular value to opportunities that cross traditional boundaries. For example, my workforce work has included developing Registered Apprenticeship and career pathway strategies within behavioral health and STEM, combining program design, partnership development, communications, funding strategy, and proposal development. That experience allows me to understand not only how to write about a proposed workforce solution, but how to help clients design one that is credible, competitive, and implementable. Clients typically bring me in when the work is important, technically complex, highly competitive, or difficult to articulate. I can join an established proposal team as a senior strategist and writer, lead development of a technical solution, or work upstream on capture, positioning, partnerships, and program design. My goal is not simply to deliver polished writing. It is to understand what you are trying to accomplish, identify what will differentiate you, and build a persuasive case for why you should win.