Gayla Rawlinson Maynard, MA, GPC's Linkedin Analytics

Gayla Rawlinson Maynard, MA, a nationally Certified Grant Professional, is the former Director of the Center for Grants Development with Harris County Department of Education. She has over 25 years of experience in program and grants development, implementation and evaluation. During those years, she supervised successful grant offices, generating over $600 million dollars of support. During the last twenty years, Mrs. Rawlinson Maynard personally coordinated grants development processes that brought in over $166 million dollars to the Greater Houston area. Her experiences range from work with small community-based to large educational organizations with emphasis on large collaborative government grant projects as well as foundation and corporate sponsorships/proposals. She began her career as a licensed social worker with state agencies then moved to work with small community-based organizations and larger education institutions. Prior to coming to HCDE as its first grants specialist, Mrs. Maynard worked at the University of Houston as the Program Manager of The Funding Source, and as an adjunct professor. She became the first State Representative for the Grant Professionals Association representing Texas and led the development of the Houston chapter. She also served as a Regional Representative for GPA and in that role, coordinated the formation of a new GPA chapters in Dallas/Fort Worth and San Antonio. She recently transitioned to another position with GPA, a Chapter Liaison, whereby she will provide support to GPA chapters across the nation. Her other volunteer work consists of mentoring five grant specialists new to the field. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Social Work from Stephen F. Austin State University and a Master’s degree in Sociology/Social Research from Sam Houston State University. Specialties: Setting up grants offices; government grant applications, organizational and grant-ready assessments, foundation proposals, funding research, budget development and administration, grant-writing training/coaching, project management and other fundraising strategies