At Parris Communications, our dedicated goal is to forge a unique and enduring partnership with our clients. We operate under the precept that the marriage of a client’s internal perspective and knowledge base, together with our external market view, will yield a strong and viable strategy. Our team specializes in public relations, public affairs and issues management, consumer relations, and healthcare and life sciences.We offer a broad array of services, including, but not limited to:*Strategic Counsel*Media Relations*Digital Media*Brand Experience*Crisis and Issues Management*Public Affairs*Community Outreach*Media and Presentation Training*Special Event Management*Spokesperson Services*Advertising Campaign Development*Speechwriting

I've always loved using my passion for public speaking to educate, inspire, entertain, empower and motivate audiences of 10 to 10,000. Professional highlights include being a keynote speaker or featured moderator at national communications conferences through Ragan Communications and Advanced Learning Institute at locations such as Microsoft, Mayo Clinic, Disney World and Disneyland, Home Depot corporate headquarters and DePaul UniversitySince 2012, I have been the race announcer for many of Kansas City's biggest events, getting the crowd fired up at the start and then cheering each runner across the finish line, often on the mic for up to 8 hours straight. Favorite events that I've announced include Kansas City Marathon, Kansas City Triathlon, Garmin Marathon, Hospital Hill Half Marathon, Win for KC Triathlon, Big 12 Run, Thanksgiving Day 5K and Trolley Run.Volunteer and nonprofit speaking highlights from the past 20 years include live, on-air hosting for Kansas City PBS pledge drive and discussing PR & social media case studies and best practices with Public Relations Society of America, Nonprofit Connect, Nonprofit Leadership Alliance, Social Media Club of Kansas City, TechWeek, Centurions Leadership Program, YMCA of Greater KC, MS Society, Kansas Schools PR Association and Social Ventures Studios.

We’re a digitally native marketing firm built to acquire customers where they live: online.Our clients get full visibility to clearly see the performance:✔️ Accountability: real-time dashboards✔️ Participation: open-source playbooks✔️ Transparency: flat blended rates and no surprise overages

As Director of Public Relations, I led a team that shared patients' inspiring stories and physicians' innovative care with an ever-growing audience through national PR, social media and civic engagement. With a focus on building and protecting the hospital's reputation, our top-tier national media coverage consistently outpaced peer hospitals, and we regularly increased year-over-year traffic driven to our site from social media, engagement and impressions. As an ambassador for Discover Children's Mercy and liaison to the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce, I was able to better acquaint top business/civic leaders to the outstanding care the hospital provides. And as a keynote speaker for national conferences at Mayo Clinic, Microsoft, NPR headquarters, Disney World, Home Depot HQ and other events, I loved walking attendees through our stories, teaching them how to combine traditional PR and emerging social media strategies to achieve their business objectives.

The @Garmin Twitter account was born in July 2008 in the back seat of a van in rural France, where I was following Team Garmin and the other top professional cyclists in the world. In launching and growing the channels in the early days of corporate social media, I used Twitter, YouTube, Facebook, Instagram and the Garmin blog to blend personality with product information while engaging and educating customers in Garmin’s many global markets. My role as Social Media Manager embodied my enthusiasm for an active, social lifestyle and tapped my experience in professional communication, public speaking and journalism.

While building brand awareness with the public and forming great relationships with the media, I focused on promoting our fitness and outdoor rec divisions (running, biking, hiking, etc.). Whether I was tweeting at the Tour de France, blogging about my Chicago or New York marathon training, or chatting with journalists (usually on a ride or a run), I spent my days spreading the word about how our technology helps our customers get the most out of their active and healthy lifestyles.

Evolving from rookie into senior management in the newsroom, I managed more than 20 editors and designers with an attention to deadlines, details and most important – mutual respect and collaboration.

In working with various departments, I quickly learned to wear many hats and juggle multiple deadlines.

While in grad school, I helped undergrads find their voice, organize their thoughts and conquer their fears.