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EXPERIENCED COMMUNICATIONS & MARKETING LEADER
Award-winning communications and marketing leader with 17+ years’ experience in communications management, integrated communications and marketing, public relations and branding. Strong leader, listener, collaborator and consensus builder who excels in cross-platform communications and marketing that delivers results.
- Integrated communications
- Digital marketing
- Web strategy
- Social media strategy
- Content strategy
- Internal communications
- Team leadership
- Consensus building
- Public relations
EXPERIENCE
Senior Director of Digital Strategy
Queens University of Charlotte
January 2017 – Present
Charlotte, North Carolina
Lead university’s digital presence and communication efforts, including website, social media, communications and email. Provide strategic guidance for digital marketing efforts, SEO and content strategy. Manage vendor relationships and lead team of four full-time staff, including director of communications, communications coordinator and digital strategist. Serve on university’s emergency operations committee and advise on crisis communications.
Director of Digital Communications
Davidson College
August 2011 – December 2017
Davidson, North Carolina
Completely revamped Davidson’s digital presence to become nationally award-winning. Directed and advised senior leadership on internal and external communications, story development, social media strategy, e-mail, video, new media initiatives. media pitching, packaging of news stories and crisis communications. Worked to establish and build out faculty experts website and expert subject matter videos. Additional responsibilities included:
- Directed the redesign and rebranding of davidson.edu in 2012-2013, going from 19,000 pages at project start to 3,500 pages at launch. Responsible for all aspects of project: advocating and securing/managing $300K+ budget, hiring and mentoring staff, research and discovery, strategy, user experience, technical implementation, content writing and editing, user training, vendor statement of work, vendor contracts and management.
- Project involved significant change management and building consensus across the college among senior leadership, staff and faculty.
- Integrated new social media strategy into college communications and marketing; developed new content workflows and processes for news and social media production.
- Implemented new digital governance and standards, centralized website review and publishing process to increase quality across website; revised and updated online style guide.
- Member of college’s public affairs group, which sets strategy for increasing regional and national visibility for college; led efforts around high-profile college events.
- Managed a team of four-to-six staff, including associate director, assistant directors, digital content strategist, social media strategist and multimedia producer. Member of five-member college communications leadership group.
Director of Digital Communications and Marketing
Saint Anselm College
February 2002 – August 2011
Manchester, New Hampshire
Directed college’s digital presence, internal/external communications, social media strategy, email communication and new media initiatives. Managed, produced, and edited content in multiple formats (text, audio, photography, video). Additional responsibilities included:
- Advised assistant VP, president’s cabinet and directors on strategy for digital and print communications and media relations; internal and external communications with constituents and stakeholders.
- Advisor to advancement and admission to determine strategy and tools for enhancing digital communications with prospective students, alumni and donors.
- Consulted on college graphic identity standards for print and digital communications.
- Member of 2010 institutional strategic plan implementation committee.
- Member of information technology advisory committee, which advised senior leadership on enterprise-level technology purchases, technology priorities and institutional policies.
- Project director and lead strategist for 2010 and 2003 redesigns of anselm.edu. Wrote redesign budget proposal and RFP, coordinated vendor and CMS selection process and oversight of multiple project advisory groups; negotiated $300K+ project budget and schedule, statement of work, contract specifications with vendors.
- Managed project discovery, strategy, information architecture, user experience design, strategy, site accessibility, technical implementation, usability testing, content migration of 2,000+ webpages, content writing for 500+ new pages, Google Search Appliance and campus calendar implementation.
- Led team of staff and students covering six nationally televised democrat and republican presidential debates on campus organized by CNN, ABC News and Fox News Channel in 2004, 2007 and 2011. Wrote news stories and blog posts, coordinated photography and video coverage.
- Helped lead coverage around high-profile events, including visits from Sen. Hillary Clinton, Sen. John McCain, Gov. Mitt Romney, Secretary of State Madeline Albright, David Petraeus, Gov. Bill Richardson, among many others.
Public Relations Specialist
Colby-Sawyer College
November 1999 – February 2002
New London, New Hampshire
Served as college graphic designer, editorial webmaster, writer and editor for faculty and staff e-newsletter, and news writer. Responsibilities included:
- Graphic design, print management, and production of college advertising, brochures, booklets, and other marketing materials
- Project manager for 2001 redesign of website
- Conceptualized and wrote college news releases, radio ad scripts, and other media.
- Wrote, edited, designed, provided photography, and published content for monthly internal faculty and staff e-newsletter
Marketing Campaign Coordinator
Community Involved in Sustain Agriculture (CISA)
South Deerfield, Massachusetts
Provided initial planning and implementation for CISA’s $100,000 “buy locally grown” marketing campaign. Responsibilities included:
- Marketing campaign planning, message development, brand identity, and point-of-purchase promotional materials
- Assisted with public relations, foundation and community-partner solicitation and cultivation, farmer and retailer recruitment and data collection, and development of campaign evaluation strategy
Building Program Manager
Northeast Sustainable Energy Association (NESEA)
Greenfield, Massachusetts
Coordinated special events, professional conferences, training workshops, and trade shows for 500-to-1,000 building industry professionals on renewable energy, energy efficiency, and green building. Responsibilities included:
- Public relations, marketing, and media relations for building industry professional conferences and trainings and for the National Tour of Solar Homes in 10 northeast states
- Graphic design for event and conference materials; managed website
EDUCATION
Keene State College
Keene, New Hampshire
Bachelors of Science, Environmental Studies
HONORS & AWARDS
- CASE III Grand Award for Recruitment Website or Microsite (2016-2017): Davidson College #AskaWildcat Project
- CASE III Award of Excellence for Online Innovation/Experimentation (2016-2017): Davidson College #AskaWildcat Project
- CASE District III Award of Excellence (2015): Davidson College 30 in 30 Project (admission yield website featuring Skype video interviews with young alumni)
- Higher Education Marketing Report Silver Award (2015): Davidson College 30 in 30 Project
- CASE III Award of Excellence (2015): Davidson College 30 in 30 Project
- CASE International Circle of Excellence Bronze Award (2014): Davidson College website redesign project
- EduStyle.net – Finalist, Most Innovative Site Category (2014): Davidson College 30 in 30 Project
- EduStyle.net – Finalist, Best Community Driven Site/Use of Social Media Category (2014): Davidson College 30 in 30 Project
- EduStyle.net – Finalist, Best Community Driven Site/Use of Social Media Category (2014): Davidson College Social Media Hub
- CASE III Award of Excellence (2014): Davidson College Athletic Center Fundraising Website
- Higher Education Marketing Report Gold Award (2014): Davidson College Social Media Hub
- Higher Education Marketing Report Bronze Award (2014): Davidson College website redesign project
- CASE District I (2011): Two gold awards for study abroad and experiential learning videos (Peru and Belize). Project manager and executive producer. Speaker at 2011 conference on digital video
- Telly Awards (2011): Received six awards for study abroad videos covering study tours in China, Peru, and Vietnam. Project manager and executive producer
- CASE District I (2010): Bronze award for N.H. Primary Video (Student Voices). Co-producer
- CASE District I (2004): Saint Anselm College Web Redesign, Silver Award
- Massachusetts Innovation Technology Exchange (MITX) Awards (2004): Saint Anselm College Web Redesign, Finalist in Education Category