Jennifer Rees Email & Phone Number

Asheville, Nc, Us

United States

Designed and built the School of Education Learning Community, a thought leadership content hub. Write and edit all feature articles. Work closely with subject matter experts across the School to curate and create strategic content. Provide pivotal thought leadership support to the SVP to build their platform and amplify their messaging including but not limited to presentations, speeches, meeting preparation, and research. Led the School of Education rebrand, with positioning, key messaging, value propositions and more leading the SVP of Marketing to name the final product “the gold standard” for WGU. One of four members of a creative integrated marcom team that works cross-functionally to build the expertise, authority, and trust of the School of Education as evidenced by unprecedented record-breaking media coverage and student applications. Provide integral support to the School’s Healthy Learning Initiative authoring strategic creative and writing support to the project lead. Collaborate with Advancement to seek funding support for teaching candidates. Wrote internal and external sensitive and strategic comms for the Change Management team.

Austin, Texas

Director, Thought Leadership and Strategic Content: November 2020 - April 2021Strategic Content Developer January: 2018 - November 2020Provide strategic communications and create content in collaboration with the C-suite including CISO, CEO and CPSO, being certain each leader's unique point of view and key messages to the market are supported and delivered with clarity. Utilizing persona-based conversation tracks that align with the buyers journey, play an integral part of building pipeline, prospects and a growing customer base. Content creation includes blogs, white papers, e-books, guides, podcasts, video and presentations for live events and recorded webinars. In partnership with an external agency, internal marketing operations and freelance talent, developed and deployed the Perpetual Demand Gen Center for Excellence. Wrote award-winning proposals including the win for Fast Company's Most Innovative Companies. In 2018 - 2019 also led all PR and media relations efforts with an external agency garnering more than 100 positive media mentions, bylines and articles.

Working closely with select leaders in the healthcare and higher ed sectors to share their stories of innovation and customer success. Customers include Abound.college and ClearDATA.com.

Austin, Texas Area

Created thoughtful and relevant content to empower the company to grow its client base from the original six universities and colleges to more than 300 institutions and systems serving over 7 million students. Built, launched, grew and edited the Civitas Learning Space - researching, interviewing and writing the content that built an engaged, learning community from the customer base. Led executive communications for the co-founder collaborating with blogs, articles, podcasts and other content to build his successful thought leadership platform. Co-created a marketing blueprint to identify and build out timely and appropriate content marketing assets for each stage of the customer journey. Researched and wrote case studies, learning briefs, video storyboard and editing and a podcast series engaging with presidents, chancellors, SVP level leaders. Provided support to the National Advisory Board. Designed and delivered grant support including templates, background data, workshops, and conference calls for partner institutions seeking First in the World grant funding. Led event planning for the inaugural and several subsequent Partner Summits - from venue selection and contracts to educational programming and speakers. Engaged college and university chancellors, presidents and provosts from across the U.S. in meetings and sessions. Wrote and pitched press/media resulting in significant coverage including The Chronicle of Higher Education, Inside Higher Education, EdSurge and more.

Wgu Texas

Working side-by-side with the Chancellor, I led the internal and external communications, and public relations for WGU Texas, (http://texas.wgu.edu) a nonprofit, online university expanding access to quality higher education for adult learners in Texas. Provided strategic planning and marketing for the Chancellor (who later founded Civitas Learning). Identified corporate and college partners, hitting enrollment goals of 4,000 enrollments by year two. Worked with external agencies to deliver highly successful television ads and marketing collateral, hosted a statewide tour to engage alumni, students and stakeholders. Earned media including The New York Times, The Chronicle of Higher Education, and Inside Higher Ed. Co-wrote grants with the Chancellor resulting in more than $2 million in funding to build programs for under-served minorities, first-generation learners, and learners in rural areas with limited access to higher education. Owned social media programming.

Austin, Texas

Led all communications supporting volunteer recruitment to place 1,000 volunteer tutors a week in Title I schools helping students receive necessary personalized tutorial support and mentorship. Led advocacy communications, created volunteer recruitment collateral, website content, annual reports, social media voice, press, and other assets to attract and retain a large volunteer base. Worked with the grants leader to provide donor stewardship programs and reporting, helping win millions in critical grant funding and more than $150,000 of in-kind support annually.

I successfully led the centralized communication and marketing efforts promoting online education and support services offered by The University of Texas System. As a member of the core leadership team, researched essential target market data, developed marketing plans and budgets to launch and grow 30 online programs from nine universities. Successfully drove enrollment growth to generate $60 million in tuition, fees, and formula funding with complete budget responsibility for all marketing and communications costs. Collaborated directly with faculty and executive officers to build and promote online degree programs. Effectively researched and developed the marketing plan and collateral to successfully launch a grant-funded K-12 test readiness program on an abbreviated time frame. Won more than two dozen awards for the organization's marketing, communications, and educational programming. Led brand development and campaign creation.

Working as a free-lance communicator, I designed and delivered business communications, website content, and public relations for diverse clients. Free-lance writing and photography for various websites. Performed community outreach and public relations for a large hospital. Created graphic design including technical writing, catalogs, logo creation and advertising.

As advertising director, I led a staff of 20 in national, local, and classified sales and production. Outperformed all previous quarterly sales records for eight consecutive quarters. Generated revenue in excess of $1.8 million yearly. Designed and led customer service training for increased revenue and customer satisfaction. Designed and implemented new special publications based on market need and revenue goals.

I researched and wrote compelling stories and interviews as a public affairs writer for the University, highlighting its success in community outreach and university programs. Proven success at generating leads and stories related to the university. Strategic emphasis on minority affairs and community outreach. Effective research and writing of complex topics. Consistently praised for "finding the heart of the story" motivating action in readers.

Working with the director, I established an alumni publication and built an alumni database used in successful fundraising campaigns. Created, designed and produced a 50,000 circulation alumni newsletter. Implemented volunteer programs and fundraising generating more than $200,000 annual income.