Jackie Matthews Email & Phone Number

Chicago, Il, Us

Springfield, Il, Us

- Head the agency's communications department, overseeing all external communications efforts and advising executive leaders on policy positions and strategic planning- Serve as the media spokesperson and strategist on high-profile and sensitive topics and ensure consistency in agency messaging- Build relationships with reporters and collaborate with 26 data, finance, legal, and program departments to ensure timely and accurate responses to daily press inquiries - Oversee message fidelity across talking points, social media, press releases, columns, and speeches and conduct media training for executive leadership to speak at legislative hearings, press conferences, and events- Supervise a team of 10 across two offices and manage the department’s budget

Springfield, Il, Us

- Secured the adoption of new culturally responsive teaching standards, defeating a coordinated misinformation campaign through positive media coverage and the placement of more than a dozen op-eds from educators and legislative leaders- Transformed the agency’s direct email program, onboarding its first-ever centralized CRM and email marketing software and consistently achieving open and click rates more than double the industry average- Led communications strategy and execution for the launch of site-based expenditure reporting on the award-winning annual Illinois Report Card, resulting in Illinois receiving national recognition in The New York Times as the only state “actually harnessing [the data’s] potential…to prompt new, meaningful debates about educational equity”- Managed every element of COVID-19 pandemic crisis communications, including the unprecedented statewide shift to remote learning, as part of the agency’s eight-member emergency response team- As the State Superintendent of Education's designee to the Lt. Governor's Illinois Council on Women and Girls, led the creation of the Council’s new Girls Committee to elevate the voices of young women and developed an application grounded in equity and diversity that received hundreds of applicants from across the state- Engaged schools and districts in promoting participation in the 2020 Census, resulting in Illinois finishing #7 in the nation and #1 among states with over 9 million people- Launched the agency’s first-ever podcast, We Love Illinois Schools, whose first episode garnered almost five times more downloads than the average first podcast episode

Los Angeles, Ca, Us

- Developed and led a national campaign to raise support for 18-year term limits for U.S. Supreme Court justices, including managing the commission of a national poll, message development, and media relations- Drafted rapid response press releases and statements, op-eds, legislative advocacy materials and marketing email copy for a successful statewide campaign to pass a new public charter school law in Washington - Strengthened Green Dot Public School’s teacher recruitment through messaging, digital advertising and an elevated national profile - Coordinated signatories and press strategy for a dozen amicus curiae briefs filed with the California Court of Appeal in support of the plaintiffs in Vergara v. California - Executed paid email acquisition and digital engagement campaigns on Facebook and Google Adwords - Within the span of a year, wrote seven published op-eds placed in news outlets across the country, including in The Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, Baltimore Sun, Seattle Times and New Republic - Ran and revamped RALLY’s internship and fellowship program, including recruitment, selection, and onboarding, as a core member of the firm's People & Culture team

Los Angeles, Ca, Us

- Managed Students Matter's website overhaul, including mapping content and coordinating with designers and developers- Oversaw focus groups informing the reboot of Rob and Michele Reiner’s acclaimed "I Am Your Child" parenting video resources

Los Angeles, Ca, Us

- Throughout the two-month trial for the groundbreaking teacher quality lawsuit Vergara v. California, supported RALLY’s award-winning media campaign with daily live tweeting and collateral development- Conducted media training to prepare nine public school students and their parents to speak to press - Helped plan and staff high-profile events celebrating the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Hollingsworth v. Perry, which returned marriage equality to California

Los Angeles, Ca, Us

- Created high-quality media products and event promotion materials, researched new projects and potential clients, planned and staffed high-profile events, and helped manage the firm’s social media presence

- Performed tasks to help the institute plan, promote and execute political events for students and faculty and build and maintain positive relationships with visiting news media, politicians and political affiliates

Us

- Conducted and presented research to prepare the legislative team to author bills, stay informed on relevant current events and plan a conference for women's empowerment and economic development

- Fulfilled duties of a member of the press team, drafting advisories, news releases and talking points, researching background on events for briefings, writing congratulatory letters from the Mayor to constituents, and answering press-related inquiries by phone

New York, Ny, Us

- Collaborated with multiple departments to update the toolkit sold to organizations in other countries enabling those organizations to conduct comparable Catalyst-branded census projects in their countries- Supported Catalyst’s international mission to expand opportunities for women and business by researching possible speaking engagements for the president of Catalyst and other members of the Speakers Bureau