Serves as a member of senior staff, directly advising the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Inspector General, his deputy, and other senior staff on all matters related to communications and public affairs. Represents the VA Office of Inspector General (OIG) on various work groups, both formal and informal, to exchange information related to strategic communications initiatives. Liaises with senior stakeholders within VA, Veterans Service Organizations, and others.Represents the OIG as the senior spokesperson. Implements an active national media management program, responding to national, regional, and local media inquiries for the OIG ensuring statements are accurate and properly coordinated. Maintains strong awareness of current policy debates, VA activities, and media trends, and aligns public affairs programs accordingly. Maintains a professional relationship with the VA Press Secretary and other federal government and corporate senior public affairs leaders to facilitate the useful exchange of public affairs-related information as needed.Manages the agencywide development, production, and distribution of the OIG’s legislatively mandated publications such as oversight reports, the Semiannual Report to Congress and VA’s Major Management Challenges, ensuring all documents meet the content requirements of the IG Act and related congressional requirements and satisfactorily meets legislatively mandated and VA-prescribed publication deadlines.Drives the strategy, development, and employment of digital and social media for the purposes of education and awareness for the public and key stakeholders such as Congress, veterans, and VA employees on the role of the OIG and the results of the OIG’s work. Manages a systematic internal communications program that promotes daily, weekly, quarterly, and annual employee engagement efforts that include a combination of communications tools such as emails, newsletters, town halls, and awards ceremonies.

Served as the managing editor for the Office of Inspector General, Office of Audits and Evaluations, directing work efforts relating to the research, analysis, messaging, and editing of a variety of communications products including audit reports, reviews, policies, congressional reports, and summaries. Oversaw all editorial group internal and external communication and stakeholder activities across the VA Inspectors General community, working collaboratively with senior executives, directors, and managers in offices across the United States. Provided senior level leadership and program management addressing communications challenges making recommendations to address editorial management and production operations and challenges.Worked with auditing teams nationwide to develop well-written, logical, coherent, and informative reports that are published for a national audience including Congress, the media, and the public. Identified communication training needs for the audit teams and conduct training and coaching virtually and in person.Developed and implemented policy, guidance, and procedures specific to the report development and the editorial function within the directorate. Supervised the editing staff executing a full range of management and human resource functions to include developing performance appraisals, individual development plans, and counseling and mentoring junior staff, initiating awards and necessary hiring actions. Researched and analyzed highly complex information and help the teams distill the information into meaningful, results-oriented messages. Reviewed all products edited by the edit staff to help facilitate report improvement. Independently planned, prioritized, and managed multiple communications projects simultaneously.

Duties, Accomplishments and Related Skills:Supervise a magazine staff of five civil service employees, executing a full range of management and human resource functions to include developing performance appraisals and individual development plans and conducting counseling and mentoring junior staff. Manage the magazine's production cycle meeting all print related and administrative deadlines. Manage and account for the responsible use of the annual budget. Represent the magazine in a professional manner to Combined Arms Support Command and Army Logistics University staff and leadership. Edit articles submitted for publication in the magazine. Identify current/future position requirements to ensure recruiting is appropriately focused and timely to produce high quality candidate pools.--Awarded the 2015 Secretary of the Army Award for Publications Improvement (Departmental)--Transitioned magazine to digital editing workflow, and purchased and trained staff on new software that greatly reduces redundant production efforts and increases accuracy in edits.--Decreased standard time from submission to print from 10 to 12 months to 5 to 7 months.--Implemented the use of analytics programs that delivers an accurate assessment of both online and social media contacts.--Transitioned the online version of the magazine to allow for both news and feature content capable of being shared with sustainment audiences worldwide.

Served as Deputy Director of American Forces Press Service. Provided editorial and supervisory direction for the Defense Department’s official news service, covering a range of department news and features. Provided daily supervision of a staff of senior reporters, editors, designers, content managers and photographers. Through the DoD’s official news site, www.defense.gov/news, the press service produced and distributed thousands of articles annually that were used extensively across the DoD, as well as by civilian news organizations, both in print and online, as attributed articles and as source documents. Maintained the daily assignments calendar and ensured articles were submitted on deadline. Chaired the worldwide Defense Media Activity joint assignment desk daily coordination call synchronizing coverage across the activity. Served as the primary point of information synchronization within DoD public affairs, working with the offices of the Secretary of Defense Public Affairs and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff to plan coverage on specific topics of DoD interest such as Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, the defense budget, wounded warrior care and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Managed the annual budget, approving spending requirements and developing the POM annually. Managed the office travel program, approving travel orders and vouchers. Managed an annual $1.2 million contract for contract content managers and Web designers. Interviewed candidates for subordinate positions and recommended hiring, awards, promotions, or reassignments. Identified developmental and training needs of employees and provided needed development and training to improve writing and photography skills. Represented AFPS at DoD and Defense Media Activity director meetings. Traveled with the Secretary of Defense and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, writing and editing news and feature stories. Produced multimedia packages that included stories, photos and videos.

Wrote and edited news and feature stories covering a wide range of Defense Department topics. Covered Defense Department and service senior leader briefings and traveled with top leaders including the Defense Secretary, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and combatant commanders. Covered speeches and appearances by the president as related to Defense Department issues and the war. Produced stories daily published to www.defense.gov/news, the official news website for the Defense Department. Stories were subsequently published across the Internet on both military and civilian websites, as well as printed in military and civilian newspapers and magazines worldwide. Produced multimedia feature packages for the website that included blogs and stories as well as photos and videos.--Deployed to Afghanistan to cover the shift in focus on the region and the difficulties of the fight there. Produced a multimedia website special package that included news and feature stories, a blog and imagery such as photos and videos. The series garnered an industry award for news writing and was highlighted in Wired magazine. --Produced a multimedia website special "Staying Power" that included news and feature stories, photos and videos on seriously injured service members who returned to active duty. The series garnered a major industry award for writing.--Produced a multimedia website special on the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command documenting its efforts to recover missing service members from past wars. The website special included videos and photos as well as news and feature stories.

Retired honorably from the Army National Guard after 24 years of service. Achieved the rank of First Sergeant. Served as a senior public affairs noncommissioned officer. Managed local, regional, and national media for coverage of National Guard events, to include activations following the 9/11 attacks. --Received superior performance evaluations and recommended to attend the U.S. Army Sergeants Major Academy

Traveled extensively throughout West Virginia, Virginia and Panama, writing and shooting photographs and preparing video and audio releases for local, state and national release.

Served as deputy to the editor and art director of Field Artillery magazine -- a 48-page, bimonthly, professional magazine of the Army and Marine Corps Field Artillery community. Planned, coordinated and designed all imagery for publication. Managed the print production contract and served as the subject matter expert on contracts for the magazine. Edited cutlines, headlines and text. Photographed key Field Artillery events for publication in the magazine and for external release. Worked with military and civilian photographers worldwide to obtain high quality imagery for the magazine. Assisted the editor and Strategic Communications staff in planning, designing, developing and executing Field Artillery-wide campaigns to communicate branch policies and programs to military members, contractors and DA civilians worldwide. Established and maintained magazine website presence on the Fires Knowledge Network and the magazine’s public website.--Implemented new software and streamlined procedures using latest technology to cut the magazine production time by half, while maintaining quality and drastically reducing corrections at final proofing.--Independently wrote, managed and conducted quality assurance on a contract to renovate the magazine's website-based archives making editions dated back to 1911 Google searchable and downloadable using minimum bandwidth.--Received superior performance evaluation ratings, quality step increase, cash bonuses and time-off awards.

Served as senior writer/photographer for weekly command information newspaper. Developed article and series concepts, conducted research and interviews, cultivated personal contacts and used writing skills to prepare news articles. Selected and photographed imagery for publication in the newspaper. Assumed editorial responsibilities and supervision of newspaper staff in the absence of editor. Provided technical oversight, developed performance plans and evaluated work performance of subordinates, and provided recommended ratings to the editor. Assisted the editor and public affairs officer in developing public affairs plans for command information projects to communicate Army policy and programs to soldiers, family members, retirees, DA civilians and contractors. Marketed selected imagery and features to general circulation magazines, websites and other publications. Trained staff in proper writing skills, imagery selection and layout and design techniques. Maintained the newspaper’s website-based photo archive.--Stories and imagery were published nationally and internationally in print and website-based publications such as TRADOC News Service, Army News Service, Soldiers Magazine, Wired magazine and in some foreign magazines such as GQ Taiwan and the French magazine VSD.--Writing skills claimed numerous awards for 2001-2003 Army journalism competitions.--Received excellent performance evaluation ratings resulting in cash bonuses and quality step increases.

Owned/operated a full-service portrait studio that offered high quality imagery such as child, family, and High School senior portraits. Managed area school contracts to provide high quality imagery for school portraits and yearbook publication. Managed government and school contracts monitoring quality, contract delivery and billing processes. Planned, designed and supervised the imagery and print production of hundreds of products ranging from business cards, to government forms, to posters and promotional items such as flyers and brochures. Produced multimedia products for studio and print shop advertising. Supervised studio and print shop staff.

Supervised a seven-person weekly newspaper staff that included writers, photographers, designers and administration staff. Served as deputy to the publisher and assumed duties of publisher in his absence. Provided technical oversight, developed performance plans, evaluated work performance of subordinates. Managed newspaper print contract to include quality assurance and review, meeting deadlines, and maintaining budget integrity. Wrote and edited news and feature stories. Trained staff in proper writing, photography and layout and design techniques. --Transitioned the paper to digital imagery production. Coordinated the purchase of computers, software, scanners, printers and digital cameras. --Redesigned front and editorial pages, sports section, standing heads and claimed numerous Oklahoma Press Association awards, including top honors for Best News Writing, Best Feature Writing, Best Photography, Best Layout and Design, for newspapers in our circulation category. --Named 1998 Photographer of the Year by the Oklahoma Press Association, for newspapers in our circulation category.

Interacted with consultants, associates, principals and clients to plan, coordinate and design corporate communications products including informational books, magazine-style publications, and all other collateral materials. Designed imagery for client training and communications packages that incorporated multimedia presentations, websites, newsletters, brochures, videos, posters and other imagery. Researched reference sources and consulted with subject matter experts and authors to ensure the designs and imagery were accurate and communicated intended messages. Wrote requirements and managed the contracts for hundreds of print production projects. Responsible for supervising the printing and production of all materials with an emphasis placed on quality assurance and review, meeting deadlines, and maintaining budget integrity.--Awarded International Association of Business Communicators Silver Quill Award of Merit, Second Place D-2, for the design of an investment education packet for a worldwide hotel chain.--Managed the contract development, vendor selection, design and press approval for clients ranging from local public utilities to international amusement parks.--Designed the presentation for proposal that ultimately led to the award of one of the company's largest contracts to date.

Worked directly with the CEO and other company officers to plan, coordinate the imagery and design of training books, brochures, annual reports, multimedia presentations, training manuals and all collateral materials. Researched reference sources and consulted with subject matter experts and authors to ensure the designs were accurate and communicated intended messages. Developed and managed numerous contracts for print vendors, managing the printing and production of all materials with an emphasis placed on quality assurance and review, meeting deadlines, and maintaining budget integrity.

Managed the commercial video production for local cable ad insertion on several cable systems in West Virginia, Virginia, Ohio, and Kentucky. Supervised on-location, two- and three-camera video productions for airing on local broadcast channels.

Provided public affairs and media relations support to the National Training Center. Supervised a five-person staff and produced a weekly, 24-page newspaper. Wrote news and feature stories. Managed visits and escorted media to include CNN, The Washington Post, National Geographic, and Newsweek.