As North America Director of Public Relations for the Israel Ministry of Tourism (IMOT), I work in traditional and creative ways with journalists, influencers, and celebrities to accomplish goals on PR messaging, exposure, and earned media. And to achieve those goals, I work creatively within the framework of a fantastically bureaucratic government agency to get the job done. Collaboration, communication, and creativity are at the heart of my job--skills I have developed and improved on over years and honed to be able to get things done--big and small--in this unique environment.As NA director of PR for IMOT, I manage our external agency team of 11 people, oversee regional PR directors from our 5 offices throughout the United States and Canada, and mentor, support, and collaborate with IMOT's PR personnel in 16 offices around the globe.I work with and support executives (including the Commissioner of Tourism to NA, President of Israel, Minister of Tourism) on messaging and crisis communications.I oversee our social media platforms and am hands-on with editing content, photo selection, updating and adding posts on a schedule, and in real time as needed. I collaborate with and support regional tourism offices across Israel from the big teams in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, to smaller teams in growing tourism regions of the Negev Desert and the Western Galilee to help them promote their assets and attractions to the North American marketplace.My experience as a public relations expert, writer and editor, freelancer and staffer, leader, and guide--all inform my work. I have written eight books on diverse topics including travel with children, to a personal narrative on Greek-American cuisine and culture; countless articles in magazines, newspapers, and online; I have led trips and managed crises from the high altitude Himalayan mountains in Nepal to war and conflict in Israel; and all of these skills--from one side of the desk to the other--inform my messaging and create a unique blend for achieving communications goals both internally and externally within whatever organization I represent.