Amber Conrad Email & Phone Number

Austin, Texas Area

SideQuest Inc. is a 5-year-old 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to community events and charity work in the gaming industry• I have volunteered with this organization for years and moved up through progressively responsible leadership positions• I manage a board of 8 who then manage a dedicated volunteer staff of 12 who then have a pool of about 83 general volunteers with an estimated community base of 19,000 and growing based on event and charity drive participation• I am directly responsible for networking, event coordination, sponsorship procurement, product ordering, yearly budget creation and adherence, leading board meetings, training and recruitment of new board and key staff, establishing partnerships with other organizations, charity presentations to the 5 organizations we patron including Operation Supply Drop and Child’s Play• Manages the annual fundraising season for our organization through creation of events and community involvement opportunities to net over $50,000 for our charities while managing a budget stimulated by private donations, ticket sales, merchandise, and other avenues• Personally rappeled over 38 stories down the W building in downtown Austin for Make-A-Wish’s annual charity event• Establish and maintain relations with press and social media contacts to get my organization promotional deliverables including giving interviews to entities like Time Warner Cable and international industry media outlets

Austin, Texas Area

This job has really given me the ability to stretch my wings in the communications field. I get to create graphic design and layout for many of the agency's publications while editing documents for style and clarity. One awesome project I got to do was to run a statewide art contest for elementary school children. I created timelines, worked directly with teachers and parents, coordinated with staff, created campaign materials including the event Facebook page and promotional items, and wrote statewide press releases which were reprinted or referenced in print and online publications across the state. We received over 4,000 entries, and were able to bring positive awareness of the agency to our target active membership. I've also written the agency's Social Media Strategy, a document months in the making which ties together several agency documents and plans for our social media presence over the next few years. I've gotten to apply my love for system streamlining through technology when I managed the layout and editing of the agency's Comprehensive Annual Financial Report. I was able to save over 350 staff hours and countless headaches by introducing a new and simple project workflow for the three divisions and dozens of staff working on this 225 page document. I coordinate and lead photo shoots, edit images, create and deliver scripts for video production, create video production sets, design and create copy for online workflow forms, create daily news analysis packets for our executive council and board members, manage the record retention program for our division, act in the agency's annual Christmas skit, ensure the safety of hundreds as the West building's Security Officer, had a very minor role in a State Office of Risk Management safety video and personally fixed the copier several times under deadline.

My mission was to get people talking about my park and to increase visitation. I did this by creating the first park Twitter account for TPWD and working to improve our social media footprint through Facebook and Twitter with regular posts and interactions. I also promoted the park through videos, magazine articles and media interviews on radio, TV and in print.I educated the public in and out of the park by offering weekly talks and hikes, special group programs, school visits and agency representation at formal functions around town.I created two large events for the park. Through branding and media work I was able to pull in over 3,000 people to these events and bring together members of the outdoor community. These events, Falls Fest and Survival Fair pulled in first-time park-goers which is a big deal to an urban park.I worked with several stakeholders to promote the park and received many awards and honors for the park including getting the park's Old Baldy the bald cypress named the City of Austin's 2012 tree of the year. I also grew the park's volunteer program from 4 to 57 volunteers and expanded the site's internship program. Expanding the site's summer camp program was important to me and also provided additional revenue to the volunteer group. I worked in fee collection and site management and was responsible for emergency public communications and property recovery resulting from a major flood that closed down the park for several days. This was an amazing job and I am always excited to see the great things still happening at the park

Austin, Texas Area

I spent three summers and two winters in the most exciting job on the planet. I was responsible for the hiring, training and supervision of 3-4 staff members on a high ropes course at the Lost Pines summer camp in Texas. I also directly trained, certified and supervised adult climbing instructors. I wrote and facilitated educational programs for youth ages 11-17 participating in the climbing merit badge course each week at camp. I was directly responsible for the safety and accountability of up to 45 children, 5 staff members and 15 volunteers on any given day. While working camp we would easily put in 90 hour weeks then go home to our tents. During the off-season I volunteered to train adult volunteers in their climbing instructor certification and worked council climbing events throughout the area. I also participated in council fund-raising and sat on the council's climbing board.

Austin, Texas

I spent several summers in the air and wastewater divisions reviewing permits for the state. Though these were undergraduate and graduate internships I did the same work as my full-time counterparts as the agency hired the interns to remedy employee shortages. Lots of experience here with state and federal regulations and in reviewing and updating municipal and private entity environmental permits.

Master Of Public Administration (Mpa), Urban And Environmental Planning

Activities and Societies: Gamma Theta Upsilon, Society for Professional Journalists, American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote.

Bachelor Of Arts (Ba), Communication, Journalism, And Related Programs