Molly Gilbert Email & Phone Number

TOP PERFORMER• 2024 Ragan Communications Award Winner (2x) • Received the 2019 Award of Merit from PRSA V TEAM BUILDER • Found efficiencies for the team's daily work efforts; supervisor said I was "integral" and a “ray of sunshine”; coworker described me as the "glue for the team" • Improved relationships with internal comms liaisons for 6 business brands by implementing monthly feedback meetings, regular emails, and sharing upcoming initiatives in a timely manner with added clarity, instructions, and transparency• Self-taught Microsoft Office 365 SharePoint, Teams Live Events, and Yammer and conducted personalized trainings for other functional area teamsCONTENT PRODUCTION• Responsible for internal communications efforts for employee base of 24,000+ (~150 per year)• Co-manager of the external website using Episerver CMS (self-taught)Dura-Line (an Orbia business): Senior Marketing and Communications SpecialistFebruary 2018 - June 2021B2B CUSTOMER-CENTRIC CONTENT• Generated global content for all customer-facing channels (writing ~64 articles per year = 115,103 words), contributing to the best financial year in the history of the company’s 49-year historyBUILDING SOCIAL MEDIA AUDIENCES• Developed first corporate global social media strategy extending the company’s audience reach: LinkedIn (+7,059 Followers organic growth in 2 years) and Facebook (+650 Likes in 6 months with targeted advertising; hosted several employee training sessions; coordinated $20,000 recruiting advertising campaigns on behalf of the HR (People) team.CRISIS COMMUNICATIONS• Responsible for first global internal communications strategy, implementation and employee engagement, including COVID-19 pandemic crisis communication globally for employeesCROSS-FUNCTIONAL TEAM PROJECT MANAGEMENT• Hosted an 8-workshop series with key stakeholders to design and implement Dura-Line’s first one-stop informational hub for all global employees (2,000+)

REPORTER, WRITER, PROOFREADER, EDITOR• 7 issues per year with ~10,000 words each read by 1,700 industry decision-makers throughout Tennessee• Covered stories related to Public Works employees and community servicesNATIONAL AWARD-WINNING STATE CHAPTER APPLICATIONS• Wrote successful annual application for national award for 6 consecutive years (2015-2020)

AWARD-WINNING• PR News "PR People: 2019 Volunteer of the Year Award"SOCIAL MEDIA• Managed Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter for 24+ tourism and small business clients in Knoxville, Pigeon Forge, Gatlinburg, Sevierville, Townsend and Hartford, Tennessee (~3,500 posts per year)• Documented each post, fan engagement and likes in a monthly analytics reportTRAVEL BLOGGER•Travel blogger for several clients in Knoxville and the Smoky Mountains region (~40,000 words per year)• Created a family-friendly WordPress blog combining travel with education, "Travel and Homeschool"B2C ADVERTISING AND TRAVEL BROCHURES• Handled all advertising, reporting, and marketing collateral for Rafting in the Smokies (2013)• Copywriter for the “The Long and Winding Road”, “9 Lakes Regional Mapguide”, “Where Mountains Reign and Rivers Roar”, "Agritourism" brochuresSMALL BUSINESS WEBSITE DESIGN AND CONTENT• Website design and text for Clabough’s Campground (Pigeon Forge, Tennessee), Carolina Cargo (York, South Carolina) and Megram Construction/JA Edwards of America (Winterpark, Florida)LEADERSHIP AND COMMUNITY VOLUNTEERING2016-2018 Knoxville Office of Neighborhoods Neighborhood Advisory Council (NAC)2014-2015 Knoxville Community Action Center (CAC) Leadership Class2014 East Tennessee Regional Leadership Program2013-2016: Tennessee Governor’s Tourism Committee, Communications Subcommittee Member2013-2015: East Tennessee Quality Growth, Communication Committee Chair2013-2016: Ramsey House Executive Board, Finance Committee2013-2016: Chapman Recreation Center Executive Board2013 Knoxville League of Women’s Voters Citizen’s Academy2012-2018: Dogwood Trail Co-Chair for Chapman Highway Trail2011-2016: Co-chair of the Tennessee Trails and Byways Rocky Top Trail2011-2016: National Geographic/East Tennessee River Valley Geotourism Mapguide Council2011-2016: Junior League of Knoxville – Tenn Minutes Committee Chair2007-2019: President of Lake Forest Neighborhood Association

Knoxville, Tennessee, United States

UNIFIED TOURISM BRANDING FOR 16 COUNTIES IN EAST TENNESSEE• Part-time Director of the Middle East Tennessee Tourism Council, non-profit organization• Developed cooperative marketing initiatives for the region (which had a large disparity among the larger CVBs, mid-size, and the smaller ones) under two common themes of "9 Lakes" and "Motorcycle Rides"• Scaled pay-to-play marketing opportunities for targeted advertising campaigns• Established a photo library of 7,500+ new images, copyright released, and created over 30 regional themed stories which also served for future product development • Wrote and produced multiple iterations of tourism brochures, securing corporate sponsors, creating the most successful outreach efforts in the history of the Middle East Tennessee Tourism Council’s nearly 30-year history, doubling the economic impact for all 16-countiesDIGITAL MARKETING• Grew Facebook Likes to 7,000 through a targeted eight-week advertising campaignWEBSITE STORYTELLING• Overhauled website design and content 2x (self-taught CMS)• Coordinated with vendor and project managed on behalf of 16-person board and subcommitteeGRANT WRITING AND STATE FUND DOCUMENTATION• Submitted annual grant applications and corresponding financial records required for funding by the Tennessee Department of Tourist Development• Maintained non-profit status and annual tax records, responsible for all administrative tasks• Co-hosted the Annual Regional Legislative Brunch

Atlanta, Georgia

AWARDS AND LEADERSHIP• Named Travel Agent Magazine's Top 100 Rising Stars of 2003• 2001 graduate of Southeast Tourism Society Marketing College 3-year program, receiving Travel Marketing Professional (TMP) certification• Represented GDITT at public speaking events: Annual Governor’s Conference on Tourism, Tourism Development Alliance Summit, the Georgia Association of Convention and Visitors Bureaus• Improved communication with representatives of 159 counties and CVBsUNPRECEDENTED ROI FOR MILLION DOLLAR ADVERTISING CAMPAIGN• Economic impact research report documented a $7 return for every $1 spent• Implemented a $1 million multi-state advertising campaign, successfully negotiating an added value of up to $1.5 million in matching free publicity (2x)• Post 9/11/2001 driving distance 5-state regional targeted ad buy• Multi-media with fully integrated print, broadcast, and online components• Without the use of an ad agency, I chose the advertising outlets, negotiated all contracts, and completed additional paperwork for Procurement to allow the Department to make the ad buys as a “Single Source” (saving approximately $150,000), which resulted in a change to State LegislationMONEY-SAVING DOCUMENTATION OF ROI• Wrote documentation that saved the State of Georgia’s Tourism Division from an across-the-board percentage budget cut of all state departments, saving $300,000 in marketing funds • Designed a Pocket Guide and Annual Report that included economic impact information • Streamlined Division’s purchasing of promotional items, saving extraneous vendor feesCREATIVE CONSUMER MARKETING• Coordinated corporate partnerships projects, such as the Kroger and Georgia Host Kit Campaign and the Coca-Cola and Georgia Litter Bags• Administered the Tourism Marketing Co-Op Program, including overhauling the guidelines and application forms, assembling a panel of expert judges, and awarding $500,000 in funds annually with an estimated total media value of $2+ million

Belmont, North Carolina, United States

LEADERSHIP• 1999-2002 York County Regional Chamber of Commerce Marketing Advisory Committee• 2001 Leadership Gaston Advisory Board• 2000 Leadership Gaston Graduate• 1999 Leadership York County Graduate• 1999 Leadership York County Marketing Task Force• Represented DSBG at public speaking eventsMANAGEMENT OF BUDGET AND DIRECT REPORTS• Managed an annual budget of over $400,000 and a staff of five • Developed and implemented an intern programSUPPORTED RAPID TEAM GROWTH• Staff doubled in size within one year and physical office space was split among three locations on 110 acres• Established a master calendar, a monthly staff newsletter, and hosted staff social eventsRESULTS-DRIVEN MARKETING• Grew attendance from 35,000 to 70,000, drastically impacting membership and fund-raising efforts • Coordinated 22 annual special events, the largest drawing 10,000 visitors in a single day• Produced bimonthly newsletters for 27,000 households• Increased free media coverage to an estimated value of $600,000• Created an ad campaign to increase awareness within the tri-county area• Originated a group tour marketing plan, a tour kit, a direct mail campaign and built relationships with tourism professionalsBRANDING DEVELOPMENT• Created a unified image and consistent brand strategy• Compiled research from national, regional, local, and internal resources into relevant statistical data and graphs to help with data-driven customer decisions

Rock Hill, South Carolina, United States

AWARD-WINNING MARKETING MATERIALS ON A $100 BUDGET• First Place Award in the 1999 United Way of America Communications ContestTEAM BUILDING AND MANAGING PARTNER RELATIONSHIPS• Served as a liaison to 29 agencies • Conducted publication workshops• Implementing a quarterly agency roundtable meeting • Created an on-going monthly "internal" newsletter for the partner agenciesBRANDED COLLATERAL AND WEBSITE DESIGN• Produced and oversaw all publications, from design to distribution • Customized a cohesive campaign theme, from branding to content, each year• Designed, wrote, published and maintained the organization's first website (self-taught CMS)PUBLIC RELATIONS• Coordinated all community media coverage• Represented the organization at public speaking events

Rock Hill, South Carolina, United States

Charlotte, North Carolina, United States

Sumter, South Carolina, United States

Sumter, South Carolina, United States

Ba, Mass Communications - Journalism, Minor In Speech - Interpersonal Communications

Activities and Societies: Tatler Yearbook The Johnsonian NewspaperAssociated Collegiate Press Honor Rating of First Class with Three Marks.

Education record

The Knox CAC leadership training program of 10 monthly half-day session touring facilities of government programs and services offered.

Education record

The Class of 2014 included 38 leaders from across the 16-county region of East Tennessee in the Knoxville area who attended all-day.

Travel Marketing Professional

For one week each year, tourism industry professionals from all over the Southeast meet at University of North Georgia for the Southeast.

Bachelor'S Degree, Mass Communication/Media Studies

Bachelor'S Degree, Mass Communication/Media Studies, Cum Laude

Activities and Societies: • Tatler Yearbook • The Johnsonian Newspaper • Associated Collegiate Press Honor Rating of First Class.