As Communications Manager, I develop and execute creative communication and media-relations programs for Irvine Ranch Water District, the largest retail water district in Orange County, California. I lead and collaborate with a team of public affairs, community outreach, education and social media specialists, as well as writers, graphic artists, photographers and consultants — all charged with communicating to IRWD customers about the district's mission, projects and programs.An independent, not-for-profit public agency, IRWD provides high-quality drinking water, reliable sewage

Past president, discussion-panel moderator, and event planner for Orange County chapter of the International Association of Business Communicators. • President of Orange County Chapter, 2019.• Senior Delegate to IABC International, 2020.• Previously served as President-Elect, Vice President of Administration, and Programs Director. (Planned events. Negotiated and signed contracts and service agreements with facilities. Created event marketing materials. Worked with committee to determine topics. Scheduled and prepped speakers. Moderated discussion panels.)IABC is an organization for professionals who specialize in internal communications, external communications, public affairs, media relations, public and government outreach, and public relations. Members include communications directors, independent public relations specialists, marketing directors, public information officers, and public affairs directors. IABC draws from corporations, nonprofit organizations, school districts, universities, PR agencies, utilities and government agencies.

Group Editorial Director, responsible for all editorial products in Belmont Publications’ media brand -- including print, digital and live programming. Edited, wrote and directed content for three industry-leading monthly national health care magazines: Dimensions of Dental Hygiene, Mentor, and Decisions in Dentistry (launched in October 2015). Led staff of editors and graphic artists. Worked with dental manufacturers to develop, write and execute marketing communications via Belmont products. Synthesized and wrote about technical information and industry trends in an easy-to-understand manner. Assigned stories to staffers and freelancers. Oversaw planning, production calendars, art and editorial. Approved each issue for publication. As member of senior leadership team, reported to the Publisher, collaborated with the Director of Sales and represented Belmont in the dental industry.

Independent contractor specializing in public relations, community outreach, public affairs writing and editing. Coordinated internal and external communication strategies. Clients included:• THOMAS COMMUNICATIONS GROUP, LLC. Community outreach, public affairs and communications firm specializing in legislative, regulatory and policy matters for Orange County and Southern California government agencies such as El Toro Water District, Santa Margarita Water District, city of Rancho Santa Margarita and San Bernardino County Transportation Authority (formerly SANBAG). Work included press releases, direct mail, successful RFP proposals, writing in voice of executives. • SHEPHERD MARKETING + PR. Orange County/Los Angeles marketing and advertising agency specializing in health care, community organizations, financial services, solar marketing, and corporate social responsibility. Work included press releases, social media posts, YouTube video posts, e-mail campaigns.Notable accomplishments:• In driest days of California drought, wrote and edited marketing collateral, crafted executive communications and conducted community outreach to promote water conservation in El Toro, Santa Margarita and Trabuco Canyon water districts. Result: All three districts beat their austere conservation targets — 24%, 24% and 32% respectively. (July 2015 data)• Served as lead editor and copy writer on proposal that won Thomas Communications Group a four-year, $500,000 contract for public outreach and branding of Redlands (California) Passenger Rail Project.

As Deputy Editor, I was responsible for content, quality, internal communication, copy editing and operations for the Orange County Register, its websites, and its 50 community newspapers — including the Riverside Press-Enterprise and the Los Angeles Register. I managed reporter-based digital marketing across a range of channels — including social media, blogs and email. As a member of the senior management team, reporting to the Editor/Senior VP, I guided Register associates through historic change from print to digital. I launched dozens of print and digital products and oversaw the logistics of producing three major newspapers on multiple platforms every day. I oversaw writing, editing, strategy, assigning and planning. I recruited, hired, led, managed, empowered and coached reporters, bloggers, editors and web producers. I successfully managed multi-million-dollar budgets for news coverage and newsprint. While Deputy Editor, I assumed a series of high-priority leadership roles:• OPERATIONS & COMMUNICATIONS – I collaborated with Operations, Finance, Marketing and Sales as liaison with the Newsroom, leading communication among internal audiences. I crafted and communicated workflows, deadlines, crisis plans and partnerships. I synthesized data for executives and delivered complex presentations to regional publishers. I wrote talking points for the VP, and wrote and delivered speeches. I designed a process that tripled news desk productivity, enabling the Register to grow from the 14th- to the 4th-largest U.S. newspaper in three months (Alliance for Audited Media circulation data, 2014). My team consistently achieved 99%-on-time deadline performance. I partnered with HR for internal communication initiatives regarding raises and sick time. I led a cross-divisional team that implemented job reviews and goal setting.[I also was responsible for Sports, Community News, Special Products, Broadcasting, Quality and Planning. See below for details on those roles.]

See above for an overview of my job as Deputy Editor at the Orange County Register and details on my Operations and Communications roles there. Here are details on other roles I filled while Deputy Editor:• SPORTS – I oversaw the coverage of pro, college, high school and youth sports in print and online. My team and I launched and upgraded websites to increase user engagement and navigability. Restructured with digital focus. Launched social-media marketing, increasing page views dramatically. Later, hired and expanded rapidly, with the goal of creating the nation's best regional sports report.• COMMUNITY NEWS – I directed reporters, bloggers and editors who covered news and public affairs in Orange County’s 34 cities. Coverage included community agencies, schools, colleges, public policy and legislation.• SPECIAL PRODUCTS AND MAGAZINES – I was responsible for the Best of Orange County magazine and other revenue-driven publications with content from News or Sales. I co-led a team that developed internal and external marketing campaigns for the Best of O.C. print and web report. I collaborated with Sales and Marketing to more than double readership and user participation.• BROADCASTING – I marketed Register reporters and content to a wide, diverse broadcast audience at no cost by building content-sharing partnerships with PBS, KDOC-TV, KPCC radio and Spanish-language KMEX-TV. I also launched and oversaw a daily video news report.• QUALITY & PLANNING – I hired, managed and coached copy editors who produced and edited all products. Partnering with software company CCI Europe, I drafted a vision for content planning tools and presented the plan to media executives in Denmark. The strategy was integrated into CCI’s Newsgate production system. I also negotiated, launched and implemented partnerships with consulting, software and professional service companies such as Tansa Systems, CCI Europe, FanDuel, Mindworks Global Media, Grote Consulting, and Austin AECOM.