Lara Wade Email & Phone Number

Washington, DC, US

• Developed and led various PR, communications, and media relations projects including op-ed and thought leadership development and placement, strategic communications planning, and conference publicity/coverage for.
• Executed media outreach, executive media training, and op-ed writing/placement for research projects and grants with higher education institutions.

750, District Of Columbia, US

• Led media strategy for 45+ accounts in education, technology, healthcare, non-profits, and trade associations – constructed multi-platform, integrated communication plans. Analyzed data/metrics and produced client.
• Built and managed the media relations practice including recruiting, hiring, supervising, mentoring, training, and evaluating a professional media relations team, and junior staff members.
• Maintained year-to-year and monthly media hit trackers and achieved a 60% increase in media coverage from 2021 to 2023, averaging 50,000 hits and syndications a year.
• Created client proposals and made presentations to secure new business opportunities.
• Developed and conducted workshops, media training, and mock interviews for national organizations and C-Suite executives.
• Prepared strategic messaging/talking points for client press outreach and rapid response. Wrote, edited, and placed thought leadership pieces and media announcements in top-tier publications.

Annandale, VA, US

• Implemented a new structure and led the department to create a cohesive, integrated team responsible for media relations, external PR, stewardship, and corporate communications.
• Designed and executed a strategic plan and measurable goals for outreach and content creation for the communications, marketing, and development division of NOVA and the NOVA Foundation.
• Worked closely with Government Relations, Workforce Development, and deans/provosts across six campuses to share the NOVA story with the region, politicians, donors, and other stakeholders.
• Built/maintained relationships with reporters in the D.C. region, pitching and placing stories in the nation’s sixth-largest media market with various pieces on CNN, NBC, ABC, CBS, FOX, NPR, Inside Higher Education.
• Created editorial calendar for communications and marketing initiatives; developed internal newsletter; oversaw the budget and allocated departmental assets for social media, photography, videography, the website, and.

Tampa, Florida, US

• Managed the department, set university-wide communication policies, and conducted media training/prep for C-Suite administrators. Served as the designated spokesperson, primary media contact, and chief public.
• Proactively secured local, statewide, national, and international publicity to advance the university’s priorities and strengthen its brand with a top 50 ranked medical school and state-of-the-art healthcare facilities.
• Placed 500+ print and 200+ TV stories per month in U.S. and international outlets.
• Managed all crisis communications planning, strategy, and response for on and off-campus incidents; primary/on-call contact for the University Police Department. Emergency issues included a fatal campus shooting.
• Facilitated press conferences and executed high profile media events on campus including:o NBC “Today” show, broadcast live in October 2012.o NBC “Republican Primary Presidential Debate” hosted by Brian Williams in.
• Developed an international media campaign for the anthropological and exhumation work of Erin Kimmerle, PhD, at the Arthur G. Dozier School for Boys, securing front page/lead stories in tier one outlets including the.

• Served as chief public relations officer and primary media contact/spokesperson for the largest independent, community-based, not-for-profit hospice in the nation, which cared for more than 10,000 patients on a daily.
• Managed all aspects of public relations department including the coordination of community outreach activities and special events and created/executed a strategic community relations plan to include diverse populations.

• Publicized/promoted Florida Department of Transportation program aimed at promoting commuting alternatives to Tampa Bay business community – developed and delivered large scale presentations and met one-on-one with.
• Served as a liaison for senior management to present commuting options and alternative transportation benefits to company employees.

• Designed/implemented educational and outreach programs for the Florida program, created by Governor Lawton Chiles, to improve healthy birth outcomes and decrease infant mortality rates.
• Made presentations to physicians, medical facilities, and healthcare organizations about the importance of prenatal care and Florida's goals to improve access to services, the agency’s mission, and voluntary enrollment.
• Generated media coverage/publicity for fundraisers, programs, and special events.
• Planned, managed, and led annual “World’s Greatest Baby Shower” – an expo in three locations over the course of three days with 100+ vendors, educational sessions and trainings, community resource information, free.

• Created innovative concepts, fundraising initiatives, and messaging for community outreach and AIDS prevention/education programs for one of the largest not-for-profit AIDS service organizations in Florida.
• Managed national partnerships, special events, volunteers, and fundraising staff; proactively pitched media to obtain coverage for leadership, community initiatives, and awareness efforts; and securedin-kind donations.