As the Owner and General Manager of The Magnolia Inn and Magnolia Tearoom, I oversee every aspect of this boutique bed-and-breakfast and event venue, located in a beautifully restored 1895 property in the heart of downtown Clayton, NC.With a passion for hospitality and community building, I ensure that every guest experience is unforgettable—from our uniquely themed guest rooms to the intimate events hosted in our tearoom. My role encompasses operations management, guest relations, marketing, and event planning, as well as forging partnerships with local businesses to enrich our offerings and support the Clayton community.Drawing on my background in event management, marketing, and public relations, I’m committed to creating a space where history, luxury, and connection come together. Whether you’re visiting for a getaway, planning a celebration, or simply looking for an inviting space to connect, I’m here to make it happen.

Crisis Communications Specialist, NY State Vaccine Distribution (contractor) November 2020 – Present• Serves as the crisis comms workstream lead for the New York State vaccine distribution program. • Develops and implements stakeholder engagement plan; collects audience insights and assesses methods for communicating with various demographics across NY; analyzes mis-/dis-information, makes recommendations, and implements public education campaigns to counter false narratives.Internal Communications Specialist, FEMA (contractor) August 2020 – December 2020• Served as team lead conducting an after-action review of FEMA’s COVID-19 disaster response. • Supported FEMA in the development of an internal assessment After-Action Report (AAR); identified challenges and developed recommendations to improve future disaster response efforts. • Prepared After-Action Report for public release; developed communications materials including press releases, digital media engagement content, interim briefings, summaries of findings, quick look reports, and responses to congressional and GAO inquiries.Organizational Transformation Specialist, CDC (contractor) October 2019 – August 2020• Served as a senior consultant to the CDC, Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO), Continuous Process Improvement (CPI) contract; developed organizational studies, provided analysis and developed solutions for enterprise-wide IT process improvement initiatives.• Developed an organizational change management plan to support revised standard operating procedures (SOPs) management; created messaging to promote awareness/adoption of changes.• Developed comprehensive, visually appealing, and 508-compliant SOP repository SharePoint site; leveraged UX design, data visualizations, and MS workflows to streamline SOP submissions.• Led governance and sustainability efforts and supported establishment of a steering committee.

• Managed the cybersecurity awareness program for the Department of State, Directorate of Cyber and Technology Security; led five-person team within the office of Policy and Awareness.• Designed and developed cybersecurity communications materials for a workforce of 120,000 employees at the Department of State domestically and across 170 embassies worldwide.• Daily responsibilities included creating targeted emails, fact sheets, bulletins, policy post-its, posters, newsletters, FAQs, website design, social media content, internal ads, briefings, tips of the day, webinars, executive talking points and video scripts - from development to distribution.• Launched monthly campaigns on emerging trends and threats to educate employees on critical cybersecurity topics; provided cybersecurity briefings and role-based training to staff at all levels.• Maintained and updated mandatory annual cybersecurity awareness course and curriculum.• Implemented and analyzed metrics to assess effectiveness of the program monthly/annually.

• Conducted research to support the development of internal communications for Enterprise Analytics to describe policies, procedures, and programs through news releases, articles for employee publications, product promotion brochures, video and audio scripts, annual communications calendars, and speeches for executives.• Managed the video production process of creating short promotional products for customers.• Oversaw the development of media that describes the policies, procedures, and programs for the Corporate Communications function.

• Created a series of digital communications strategies to use in times of crises; scenarios include natural disaster, active shooter, bomb threat, and security breaches; crafted pre-approved messages for rapid response to alert the public via web, digital, and print material drawing from existing Emergency Action Plans, Foreign Affairs Manuals and After Action Reports.• Conducted extensive research pertaining to standard operating procedures for social media during a crisis by interviewing multiple stakeholders; identified existing flaws within the system and provided recommended actions in the areas of training, expertise, and flow of information

-Wrote and edited correspondence on behalf of the Ambassador responding to Australian citizens’ inquiries and concerns. Correspondence ranged from gun control policy to sentiments on foreign and domestic terrorism. These letters were used by the Ambassador in his day-to- day relations with the host nation.-Regularly participated in Country Team meetings and senior staff briefings to advise on subject matter, target audiences, tone and desired messages for our media presence; incorporated higher leadership preferences and practices into written material such as press releases, memos, and fact sheets, along with output for social media and web platforms.-Drafted international media reactions to various U.S. Government policies, noting regional interests of opinion leaders, scholars, and politicians.

-Managed the following social media platforms for Syracuse University: the Student Veterans Organization (SVOSU), the Office of Veterans and Military Affairs (OVMA), and the Institute for Veterans and Military Families (IVMF); Planned, directed, and coordinated digital content activities: created messages, disseminated information, organized events, and used multimedia platforms for outreach and engagement of regional and national audiences.-Developed, managed, and maintained the content of all external Web sites for the organizations, ensuring the content was substantive and well written.-Examined analytics from various social media outlets to determine peak times to post most engaging material, assessing the most effective communication approach for specific audiences. -Incorporated multimedia skills to shoot promotional videos that highlighted the organization, using high tech film and sound equipment.

-Protect classified information vital to national security. -Served 3 years as a Marine Security Guard at American embassies in Mozambique, Austria, and Cuba; entrusted to handle and protect classified material vital to national security-Led 13 man team as the Assistant Detachment Commander in Vienna, Austria; responsible for the administrative oversight, operational readiness, and development of subordinates-Meticulously organized three annual ceremonies; responsible for the allocation of more than $80,000; duties included scheduling, coordinating security, advertising, fundraising and overall aesthetics

-Installed, tested, and repaired multichannel communications equipment used for high capacity, point-to-point communications; supervised maintenance activities and subordinate instruction-Conducted routine maintenance including: tuning and aligning systems, adjusting audio and data levels; used test equipment to make checks on circuit quality, replacing faulty parts