Laura Barr Email and Phone Number

I teach MBA-level classes to working adults attending University of Dubuque's Life Program. My current roster includes classes in Public Relations, Integrated Marketing, and Global Communications.

As a publicly-owned utility, we take our commitment to doing the right thing to heart. I am tasked with aligning our environmental strategy, operational plans, and budgets to meet corporate environmental objectives. I work with a talented team to keep an eye on emerging environmental and sustainability issues, while focusing on accurate reporting and analytics. My background in communications allows our team to partner across business units, working with both internal and external partners, and engaging heavily with plants and operations teams on resource planning and strategy.

When the power goes out, a storm rolls in, or a gas line is hit - my team got to work dispatching crews to diagnose and fix the problem. I also led a team of GIS Editors that kept the maps of our system up to date so that we could restore outages quickly and efficiently.

As a working manager, I was able to help craft external advertising and marketing campaigns for our energy efficiency programs and products. I also led our media teams in both Wisconsin and Iowa to ensure public facing messages were consistent and on brand.

I had the opportunity to work with internal clients to communicate their messages to employees in the most efficient and effective way possible. This included crafting newsletters, emails and marketing pieces. I also took a leadership role in coordinating the company retiree program that encompassed over 3,500 company retirees. I took pride in planning and executing numerous employee, retiree and vendor events.

It is hard to describe the vast experience I gained working for a non-profit like MDA, but it can be easily summed up by saying "at MDA - you do it all". My true passion was working with the clients we served, energizing our sponsors, planning over the top events and mentoring a staff of 26 employees in five offices. Dedicating so much time to a single agency allowed me to develop my customer service, management and marketing skills. In addition to discovering that you have to work hard for each dollar you raise, I also learned the art of managing budgets and spending every dollar where it can make the most impact.