PRONOUNS: THEY/THEM
Ethan Hawes
Creative strategist & communications consultant, Lexington, KY
I'm Ethan Hawes — I do creative consulting and capacity building for mission-driven organizations, including non-profits, advocacy groups, movement and grassroots orgs, and corporations with a conscience. I work at the intersection of creativity and impact, with a background in design, marketing, content strategy, fundraising, program development, and much more.
My work is grounded in organizing and non-profit leadership — including community engagement, grant writing, crowdfunding, program development, and program implementation. All my work is informed by a commitment to equity, justice, and centering marginalized communities. I partner with organizers, advocates, and small teams that do big work, helping them to build the creative and organizational capacity needed for true sustainability.
My lived experience is what sets my work apart. I am a proud queer person, a Harm Reductionist, a person in recovery, and I am HIV-positive. That context informs all of my work, from the design of harm reduction educational materials, to my belief that equitable pay and leadership by impacted people are not ideals, but the bare minimum.
I am also a devoted cat parent who loves music, yoga, meditation, and nature.
Reach out — let's make change together.
Experience
Work history
Lexington, KY
Provide full-service nonprofit organizational consulting, integrating graphic design, strategic communications, fundraising, and program development under a single engagement.
Deliver tailored brand identity, content strategy, and web design for organizations specializing in harm reduction, substance use recovery, reproductive justice, and LGBTQ+ advocacy.
Write successful federal, state, and foundation grant applications and manage community-led crowdfunding campaigns.
Build organizational capacity and long-term operational infrastructure for prominent mission-driven clients.
Selected Clients: Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation, Black Lives Matter Louisville, University of Kentucky, Louisville Pride Foundation, Louisville Recovery Community Connection
Goodwill Industries of Kentucky — Lexington, KY
Directed the delivery of a $1 million U.S. Department of Labor-funded employment initiative for justice-impacted young adults.
Coordinated an accelerated, work-based learning program integrating credential attainment, career coaching, and essential wraparound services.
Cultivated strategic community partnerships with BCTC and regional employers to address participant barriers to housing, healthcare, and transportation.
Oversaw grant deliverables, federal reporting, and compliance (HIPAA, 42 CFR Part 2), while developing SOPs to ensure strict program fidelity.
Recovery Café Lexington — Lexington, KY
Secured $700,000 in federal funding to scale operations and programming at a peer-led recovery community center.
Successfully scaled the nonprofit from two part-time staff members to a full-service recovery hub operating six days per week.
Launched a CCAR-certified Recovery Coaching program and established holistic case management and pro-social programming.
Built regional healthcare and behavioral health partnerships to streamline participant referral pipelines.
Voices of Hope — Lexington, KY
Authored and executed strategic community engagement plans to boost participant, volunteer, and donor retention.
Managed cross-channel nonprofit marketing strategy, print/web graphic design, and social media management.
Developed community-facing harm reduction programming, peer support training materials, and public overdose response initiatives.
Served as Planner and Co-Chair of the annual Overdose Awareness Day event, building local advocacy coalitions.
Education
Credentials
Bluegrass Community & Technical College
Parsons the New School for Design
Skills & tools
Capabilities
Design & Creative
Communications & Strategy
Selected clients
Organizations served
- Louisville Pride Foundation
- Voices of Hope
- University of Kentucky Harm Reduction Hub
- Louisville Recovery Community Connection
- Recovery Café Lexington
- UK Pregnancy Empowerment Project
- Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation
- Sister Song
- Emma Curtis for Kentucky
- Amanda Foley Byard Legacy Scholarship
- Louisville Youth Group
- Nebraska Panhandle Worksite Wellness Council
- Reparations Roundtable / BLM Louisville
- Goodwill Industries of Kentucky