Passionate about fostering thriving communities and staying ahead of industry trends, I am the Head of Community & Customer Advocacy at Firstup. With a strong background in marketing, corporate communications, and internal communications, I bring a unique perspective to this role.My focus is on enhancing the employee experience through strategic community-building efforts. By leveraging my expertise in communication excellence, I empower organizations to drive collaboration, innovation, and employee satisfaction.Collaborating closely with stakeholders, I align community efforts with broader organizational goals, integrating community insights into decision-making processes. This approach drives positive outcomes for employees and the organization as a whole.Since 2022, I have led Firstup's Attune event strategy, growing it from one singular event to now a series of experiences for customers and the larger community. With a commitment to revolutionizing community building, I utilize technology and data-driven insights to optimize engagement and foster strong, resilient communities.As the Head of Community & Customer Advocacy at Firstup, I am dedicated to empowering organizations to create thriving communities that foster collaboration, drive innovation, and elevate the employee experience.

Putting people first to lift companies up.

Creator and host of the Culture, Comms & Cocktails podcast.

Firstup helps organizations connect every day. With Firstup, companies are able to connect and align their teams, power organizational initiatives and measure the business outcomes. Designed for every worker from head office to the front line, our solution enables the Fortune 100 and leading brands like Ford, Hilton, Abbott and J.Crew to deliver on the promise of a more informed, connected and supported workforce. For more information, please visit Firstup.io.Worked with clients like Love’s, MGM Resorts, AT&T, Ford, American Cancer Society, CP Railway, Allergan and more.

"If internal Comms is your passion, ICology is your podcast." ~ Heather Waggoner, BBCICology is an online community build by internal communicators for internal communicators. Created by myself and Kristin Hancock, we want to be the change and want others who are interesting in leading internal communication beyond 2021.

Worked with the amazing team at Alive With Ideas to develop an industry-adaptation of the popular children's book, The Very Hungry Caterpillar. In our book, follow the hungry communicator's amazing transformation. Travel a fruitful travel of development, commitment and spirit, guided by a hunger for success a desire to prove worth.

I worked directly with our clients to improve all of their internal communication activities, not just digital signage. It's when you truly integrate all of the communication vehicles will a company reap the rewards. When it comes to digital signage, the masses focus on hardware and software. That's the easy part. The fun challenge is building an engaging and all-encompassing content strategy plan. That's where I come in.

Indy Social Media is a non-profit merges networking, education and awareness for Indianapolis area non-profits and arts organizations. Marketing, public relations and social media professionals are invited to attend, as well as those simply interested in learning more about what social media can do for their organization.

As a VP with RMG Networks, my job as the Global Practice Leader for employee communications and hospitality was to help educate and lead the digital signage industry, while guiding RMG Enterprise Solution clients to take advantage of digital technology.I authored posts on RMG's blog about digital internal communication, employee engagement, social media, and other topics of interest for employee communication pros. I'm passionate about helping companies better communicate and engage with employees. I developed the first ever ROI calculator focused on digital internal communication messages. I got to work with the likes of AT&T, Verizon Wireless, Paychex, Coca-Cola, Southern California Edison and others. As a representative of RMG, I spoke regularly at digital signage industry events, as well as association meetings like IABC, PRSA and Ragan.

With MediaTile, I led our enterprise sales efforts. I worked one-on-one with customers, using my unique experience of running my own digital signage network to help them deploy theirs. I take a very consultative, no-rush approach to sales, as with many of our customers this is their first type of signage deployment. I also managed marketing efforts, including being the primary blogger on our corporate blog.I got to work with the likes of Nordstrom, Victoria's Secret, Eli Lilly & Company, National Grid and others to improve their digital employee communications.

As a member of the global corporate communications team, I developed internal communications plans, strategies and programs to support the goals and objectives across North America. I created and launched brand new efforts to improve communications, including face-to-face communications tools and strategies for front-line supervisors and managers. I also supported the redesign of the North America and Indianapolis intranets, along with the local e-newsletter published twice a week, resulting in measurable visits and readership. But my favorite project was launching a new internal digital signage network, which was a first of its kind. I loved working with the manufacturing floor to improve employee communications.

I implemented the GM North America internal communications improvement process for the Indianapolis Metal Center. Working in manufacturing certainly presented some fun challenged. I ran five communications processes: weekly team meetings; quarterly business reviews; state of the business presentations; Diagonal Slice; and newsletters. I also worked closely with the on-site executives as part of the plant management team. I formed an employee recognition program that pointed back to the organization’s key business strategies, rewarding those employees who supported business objectives.

I managed the company’s public relations efforts through local media, national media and trade magazines, but most of my time was spent writing speeches for the company leadership. With a population of nearly 2,500 employees, I made sure that employees knew company news at the same time the public knew, if not before. I was the acting editor for an employee publication that was sent to 4,000 active employees and retirees.

I produced and coordinated branded marketing materials and advertisements for use throughout the states of Indiana and Michigan. I also created content for Cancer.org, the organization’s national Web site. My favorite part of my job was working with the online brand management tool, empowering volunteers to create their own local materials.

• Initiated product rollouts, which included creating direct mail pieces and advertisements. This was my first job out of college and I made a lot of mistakes. Fortunately though, I learned from all of them. I primarily wrote consumer and agent branded marketing materials and developed product-specific branded advertising for use in national publications.Early on, I was fortunate to lead a new product marketing effort, including the creation of marketing collateral and external press releases, within six months of joining the company.