Looking for a challenging role and to make a difference in my community, this job aligned with my goals. After encouragement from a previous colleague and friend, I applied and was accepted. It’s been a learning experience; nutrition assistance spans a wide range of programs and nuances that are not easily understood without extensive experience working within the space.Luckily, I have amazing coworkers that are happy to provide subject matter expertise for my communications projects. Collaborating with the team and learning what makes sense for our audiences is extremely rewarding.I increased our social media brand awareness by 34% and fan engagement by 20% within my first year. I elevated our newsletter content and increased our open rates by 15% within my first three months. I develop and implement brand guidelines across the organization’s communications, coach team members on their own projects, engage with diverse audiences, drive measurable actions, and fortify our brand reputation.Finally, I was fortunate enough to be selected for and completed The Oklahoma Center for Community and Justice’s Inclusive Leadership Institute in the fall of 2023, enhancing leadership and diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice awareness. I am acutely aware and constantly looking for ways to increase equity, usability, and accessibility in my communications efforts.

This opportunity found me after looking for a calmer, more positive environment. The people here were fabulous and easy to work with. The job itself wasn’t the most engaging, however it suited me well. I contributed to the success of the pharmacy student program by monitoring project management timelines and milestones, and ensured national accreditation standards were met. I also juggled student rotation schedules and coordinated the residency program.

In the summer of 2018, another animal-related opportunity came my way – a new fancy dog daycare. I was able to get in on the ground floor of this business, working with the owners before they opened to help guide their programs.I worked there on the weekends, providing canine behavior evaluation and playroom monitoring services, as well as administrative support to the new location.

After three years as Education Director, a new initiative took form at OAR to help area disaster victims with housing needs. I led the Oklahoma Housing Foundation in collaboration with a member-led committee in developing processes and policies to provide financial assistance to those with housing difficulties because of inclement weather, for example. I also led the Young Professionals Network, increasing membership by 500% within its first year, and resulting in the prestigious Network of the Year Award given by the National Association of REALTORS.My outreach duties also included many in-person presentations across the state to increase awareness of our offerings and to gather program donations and members.

After the emotional role in animal welfare, the job of Education Director was up for grabs, so I jumped at it. During my first three months, I grew revenue and REALTOR designation course attendance by more than 250% using my marketing and communications talents in social media, targeted emails, and in-person presentations across the state. And I didn’t forget about the student experience once I got them there. Our REALTOR students were extremely engaged and enthusiastic about the relevant value they received from their courses.

During my time as Communications Director at Oklahoma Association of REALTORS, an opportunity arose in the animal welfare space – my passion. So, I took the opportunity and spent six months, equivalent to a figurative two years in the animal rescue field (if you know, you know), evaluating, performing medical and behavioral intake, and promoting for adoption more than 1,500 animals from the local shelter partner. I also lead volunteers at the clinic to help with intake and cleaning tasks. The most heart-wrenching part of my job was to see owner surrenders – clients that could no longer care for their animals for various reasons – and evaluate them for approval or denial into the adoption program. While I wanted to take them all, we just couldn’t. Telling an owner that their nervous, aggressive dog is not suitable for an adoption program was one of the hardest things I had to do. After six months of this emotional, albeit rewarding job, I went back to the Oklahoma Association of REALTORS, longing for a “regular” job again.

After a four-year stint in Dallas, TX, I moved back to Oklahoma and began my tenure at the Oklahoma Association of REALTORS as Office Manager. I was quickly promoted to Communications Specialist, then Communications Director, after exhibiting a natural affinity for the role. For the next 7 years or so, I planned and implemented marketing and communications strategies that aligned with the strategic plan and measured success through analytic benchmarks, program growth, and event engagement.