Brian Dirks is a communications professional with more than three decades of experience in journalism, government and legislative communications, and technology. He currently works as a senior communicator under the title Strategic Media Adviser for Washington Technology Solutions, a state agency that provides central IT services for state government.He served as the communications director for Lieutenant Governor Brad Owen from 2005 to 2017. He was the lieutenant governor's principal speech writer, oversaw formal agency communications and assisted the lieutenant governor with substance abuse prevention issues.Dirks spent nearly five years as a program development manager with the Department of Information Services (now Enterprise Services), working with the state's award-winning Access Washington site team on two extensive redesigns, an interagency search engine project and on other web properties. He was with the Department of Labor and Industries for 10 years, where he initiated, developed and managed L&I's early presence on the Internet and coordinated media relations and other communications services for several departmental programs.He also served as a communications professional at the Health Care Authority, General Administration, the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission, the Washington State Senate and the U.S. Senate. In addition to his government experience, Dirks has worked as a journalist for newspapers in Washington state and Alaska. Dirks is a graduate of Washington State University with a bachelor's degree in communications/journalism from the Edward R. Murrow School, with post-graduate studies in project management and leadership. He resides with his family in south King County.Specialties: News writing, speech writing, web site design, web management, social media, search engine optimization (SEO), public speaking, publications, consulting, international relations.