My Résumé
PROFESSIONAL INFO
I have more than 10 years of experience in marketing communications. While much of my work has been at nonprofits and in higher education, I have experience in corporate settings as well. Given my background, I feel confident in my ability to write for any industry or audience. Let me know how I can help you.
"Either write something worth reading, or do something worth writing about."
- Benjamin Franklin
WORK EXPERIENCE
I managed communications to University of Kansas Edwards Campus current and prospective students. This included writing, implementing, and evaluating a multi-channeled—email, phone, web, social, and direct mail—integrated marketing communications plan for more than 30 degree programs and certificate options. I promoted and attended recruitment events and served as a liaison for the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce's young professionals group to help raise awareness about KU Edwards Campus and its programs.
January 2015 - January 2017
Manager of Student Communications — KU Edwards Campus
Assistant Director of Communications — KU Office of Admissions
June 2012 - January 2015
During my time at the KU Office of Admissions, I developed and executed strategic communication and social media plans, supervised a staff of 15 recruitment callers, and created compelling copy to recruit freshmen and transfer students to KU and meet enrollment goals. Our marketing efforts paid off, and we exceeded enrollment expectations during each of the years I was with the Office of Admissions. In 2014, the admissions website and social platforms I managed were ranked No. 1 for student engagement by the National Research Center for College & University Admissions (NRCCUA).
I served as the head copywriter and designer for KVC's large corporate office and its subsidiaries that serve children and families in five states. I was constantly creating new content for the website, email blasts, brochures, advertisements, executive staff scripts, and countless other corporate-level projects. I also worked with the development team to coordinate multiple major fundraising events throughout the year, including the inaugural Everyday Heroes luncheon featuring KU Men's Head Basketball Coach Bill Self.
July 2011 - June 2012
Corporate Communications Manager — KVC Health Systems, Inc.
May 2010 - July 2011
My position with the PKD Foundation allowed me to fine-tune my skills in writing and pitching news releases, creating copy for email marketing campaigns, planning and promoting multimillion-dollar fundraising events, and writing search-engine-optimized content for the organization’s website. I served as a staff writer for the Foundation's quarterly magazine PKD Progress.
Communication and Public Affairs Intern — ConocoPhillips Company
May 2008 - August 2008
I was on the copy development team for the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP). I help conceptualize and execute marketing campaigns across various channels, including email, print, direct mail, video, social media, and web. I translated complex information into concise, punchy, and engaging copy and presented creative rationale and marketing strategies to upper management and divisional partners. With more than 134,000 student, resident, and practicing family physician members, my projects were diverse in scope, length, and audience, which kept me sharp as a writer and marketer.
January 2017 - October 2019
I served as the director of all internal and external communication for Life Unlimited, including content strategy, graphic design, social media, PR, web strategy, and more. Life Unlimited provides health care and residential services to individuals with disabilities who are at higher risk of death from COVID-19. During the pandemic, I worked remotely to strategize, lead, and create time-sensitive, thoughtful updates to a network of families, donors, internal audiences, and external stakeholders. This included digital strategies and landing pages, social media messages, email communications from leadership, virtual events, and launching a fundraiser that raised thousands of dollars for health care workers.
Director of Communications — Life Unlimited
October 2019 - March 2021
MRIGlobal is a scientific and engineering research organization that carries out large government and commercial contracts, where I led all internal communications to staff and leadership. I worked closely with the CEO and C-suite leaders to promote organizational priorities and ghost-write speeches, company updates, memos, and a weekly CEO newsletter to all staff members. I was integral to keeping staff informed and engaged through company events, HR and benefits updates, and professional development opportunities. I collaborated with the staff activities team, Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging committee, and other internal stakeholders to disseminate information about company initiatives through the intranet, blogs, emails, and social tools. I consulted with leaders on change management projects and developed talking points using first-hand research and staff surveys. I worked with every facet of the organization, from the CEO to the scientists and the administrative and maintenance teams to shape the company’s culture and tell its fascinating stories.
Internal Communications Manager — MRIGlobal
March 2021 - December 2021
MERGE is an award-winning digital marketing agency with clients around the world. As a Senior Copywriter, I wrote distinct, on-brand content for more than a dozen client accounts, including health systems, service providers, B2B and B2C suppliers, and other industry leaders, while balancing each organization's unique goals, style guides, tones, deadlines, and audiences. This included hundreds of pages of SEO-enhanced web content for large national brands in health care, retail, education, and other industries. Partnering with C-Suite leaders at the agency and decision-makers on the client side, as well as internal account, design, dev, migration, and project management teams, I brought brands' stories to life in websites, thought leadership pieces, intranet articles, blogs, emails, UX content, and social media plans. I used research and discovery to align organizational goals with each audience's emotional needs and motivators, resulting in strategic, thought-provoking copy that exceeded what clients imagined.
Senior Copywriter — MERGE
May 2022 - September 2023
At the ConocoPhillips headquarters in Houston, I led a project to establish an internal energy efficiency website from the ground up. I conducted research, wrote a strategic communication plan, and presented my ideas and findings to upper management. I also wrote and edited website content and worked closely and effectively with a group of colleagues to produce video and written publications.
EDUCATION
May 2017
University of Kansas:
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Master in Business Administration
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Graduate Certificate in Marketing
Major areas of study included accounting, finance, and supply chain management. Coming from an English and journalism background, this has been a valuable adjustment to make me think critically and approach business decisions from a profit-and-loss viewpoint. My advanced coursework focused on marketing principles — strategy, new product development, pricing, and market research — and tied in nicely with my undergraduate experiences.
May 2011
Johnson County Community College:
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Desktop Publishing Applications Specialist Certificate
This certificate program took an in-depth dive into the Adobe Creative Suite line of products — Photoshop, InDesign, and Illustrator — and allowed me to enhance my skillset and dexterity in graphic design. Courses also retrained me on fundamentals in Microsoft Office Suite, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Access.
December 2008
University of Kansas:
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Bachelor of Science in Journalism,
Strategic Communication emphasis -
Bachelor of Arts in Psychology
My undergraduate coursework provided a strong foundation to work in marketing communications. Having had experience in both journalism and psychology has helped me gain a better understanding of how to tactfully and strategically develop messages for an individual or audience.