As a marketing and communications professional, I am dedicated to promoting the attributes of organizations I represent. I am a writer, photographer and designer who puts these skills to use in social media, administering websites, and managing printed and digital publications. Throughout my career I have worked as a newspaper reporter and editor, managed media relations, coordinated events and wrote business proposals. After starting my career as a reporter and editor with the Northwest Herald, a daily newspaper in McHenry County, IL, I worked for more than a dozen years in media relations and communications with the Illinois Retail Merchants Association. I served as media spokesperson for the state’s retail industry and regularly collaborated with legislative leaders throughout the state and executives of some of the world’s largest retail corporations.I also served for four years on the marketing team at Strang, Inc., an architectural, engineering and interior design firm in Madison, WI. During my time at Strang, the company continued its string of six consecutive years being named the top Commercial Architectural Firm in the Greater Madison Area by the executive readers of In Business Magazine.For two years, I worked as the Public Information Coordinator for Park Ridge-Niles School District 64, a K-8 district just northwest of Chicago. I am currently the Director of Public Relations at both Elementary School District 75 and High School District 120 in Mundelein, IL. My responsibilities include overseeing the website, directing both external and internal communications, writing, designing and producing both digital and print publications, directing social media efforts and media relations.