- Leads all strategic planning, development and implementation of the Department’s statewide communications and marketing strategies, branding, vision and public relations activities, both internal and external- Manages daily activities of a 19-person staff - Coordinates with fellow members of Georgia DOT executive management, the State Transportation Board and other officials in setting the communications direction of the Department, a critically important unit of Georgia state government with nearly 4,000 employees- Oversees communications and outreach around Georgia's multi-billion-dollar Major Mobility Investment Program, as well as routine and capital maintenance and bridge projects funded by H.B. 170, the Transportation Funding Act of 2015- Coordinates and oversees media relations efforts, both proactive and reactive; graphic design and development of communications collateral pieces; video production and distribution; website; and social and digital media- Serves as a member of the Georgia DOT senior management team- Created and managed daily execution of crisis communications plan during 2017 fire, collapse and rebuild of the I-85 bridges in metro Atlanta; devised plan to focus on three primary areas - Highway Reconstruction, Traffic Management and Public Engagement and Education; crisis plan resulted in 8,700 news stories, a 30% increase in social media fans and followers, and an overall highly positive trend in coverage and mentions by the time the highway reopened to traffic five weeks earlier than originally projected; these efforts secured a 2017 Public Relations Society of America - Georgia Chapter Phoenix Award for excellence in communications- Developed and introduced new branding and visual identity system, including new logo design; created and executed internal communications plan to ensure successful and thorough implementation throughout the Department

- Counseled a full-service, in-house integrated marketing and communications team, servicing all of MAC’s business units: Economic Development, including Global Commerce and Innovation & Entrepreneurship sectors; Public Policy; Investor Relations; and the Atlanta Sports Council; bridged a temporary gap in leadership of this team and helped manage change during a time of significant organizational transition- Internal clients within the organization included business units that work to recruit companies to Atlanta from all over the world, advocating for pro-growth legislation and public policies, providing members with networking and development opportunities, and recruiting major sporting events to the city- Responsible for building and maintaining relationships with members of the media; oversaw team which conducted regular editorial board visits, media briefings and other outreach - Personally created all executive-level communications for both internal and external audiences- Provided support which included management of media relations, graphic design and development of marketing collateral pieces, photography, video, website and social and digital media- Thoughtfully oversaw management of the organization's brand; managed internal and external processes for the development of a completely new visual identity system and brand architecture, introduced to the public in November 2016- Provided guidance on tactical deployment of the Chamber's "ChooseATL" campaign, conceived and executed to encourage talent to relocate to metro Atlanta; oversaw execution of first-ever ChooseATL activation at SXSW in Austin, TX- Orchestrated successful communications campaign to encourage a veto of potentially devastating "religious freedom" bill during 2016 legislative session; created strategy, selected CEO’s as spokespeople to express concerns of the business community and worked with reporters to place stories in local and national media including The New York Times

- Served as key member of the Georgia Aquarium executive team, working with a group of select department heads to manage daily affairs of the aquarium, as well as its long-term vision and planning- Managed integrated marketing and communications platforms; was responsible for all consumer-focused revenue-generating promotional marketing programs across the company portfolio- Ensured brand integrity for Georgia Aquarium and affiliates through strong brand management; aligned external marketing agency and internal graphics and exhibits teams to ensure brand consistency- Orchestrated local, regional and national public relations initiatives which generated nearly $30 million in equivalent media value annually- Administered targeted marketing program that grew attendance by 10%, revenue by 12%, annual pass holders by 12%, and pass renewals by 10% over projections, realizing a 12-fold return on investment; the program was recognized in the Harvard Business Review- Managed internal production team for the Emmy Award-winning weekly TV series “Ocean Mysteries” which drew nearly two million weekly viewers on 200 ABC-TV affiliates nationwide (2011-2016) making it one of the highest-rated series in syndication at the time- Owned responsibility for all issues and crisis communications, skillfully navigating internal and external communication on controversial topics while successfully maintaining organizational reputation; served as spokesperson during these periods- Oversaw development of internal messaging strategies to ensure alignment with external communications, securing strong support from 600 employees and 2,000 volunteers- Orchestrated lobbyists at the local and federal level; met with elected officials in Washington, D.C. to ensure awareness and support of aquarium programs- Developed key partnerships with influential organizations- Served as primary liaison with federal regulatory agencies, accrediting bodies and zoological facilities around the world

- Established marketing and public relations department, a first on this scale for the company- Worked directly with chairman and executive team to establish strategy and drive revenue growth by developing marketing materials and programs impacting entire company portfolio- Led rebranding of company and redesign of all corporate business-to-business marketing materials- Served as community liaison and spokesperson for company and its various projects- Acted as media buyer, shrewdly negotiating with media partners to obtain best rates and added value- Oversaw public relations initiatives which resulted in extensive local coverage, as well as articles in The New York Times, Los Angeles Times and Women's Wear Daily, among others

- Led team in creation and execution of 2005 grand opening for the one million square foot retail component of this influential 138-acre, $2 billion urban brownfield new-urbanist redevelopment- Established a sense of place within this new project by developing the annual marketing plan, with a focus on community events, activities and civic partnerships; lured high-profile existing events (including the High Museum Wine Auction and Taste of Atlanta) and created calendar of traffic-building new events and promotions (including annual "Lighting of Atlantic Station" event, televised exclusively in a 30-minute prime-time special in partnership with Atlanta's NBC affiliate WXIA-TV)- Worked with retailers on integrated programming designed to generate nearly $100 million in annual sales- Guided development of advertising materials; negotiated and purchased all media- Oversaw effort to generate incremental revenue in excess of $300,000 annually through recruitment of corporate sponsorships- 2006 International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) MAXI Merit Award Winner; 2007 three-time MAXI finalist

- Led all local retail marketing and public relations programs for this signature retail property, one of the most prestigious and productive in the country, with 240 retailers producing annual sales of more than $500 million; annual sales rose an average of 7% during my tenure- Coordinated all public relations initiatives, serving as media spokesperson - Generated incremental property revenue through sponsorship sales, averaging annual increases of 30%- Negotiated purchase of all media, maximizing budget through strategic partnerships and added value- Managed full events calendar, including massive 4th of July fireworks celebration which regularly drew 300,000 patrons, generated $200,000 in sponsorship revenue and $250,000 value in press coverage- Received four company awards of excellence; finalist in 2004 International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) MAXI award competition

- Created and established marketing programs for this two-million square foot retail & entertainment property, one of the nation’s largest, with 225 retailers producing sales of more than $250 million - Executed extraordinary 3-day 1999 grand opening event which drew over 150,000 patrons- Launched and nurtured an event-oriented marketing program which included concerts, festivals, shows and holiday activities, strategically designed and proven to increase patronage and retail sales- Coordinated public relations initiatives, serving as media spokesperson - Directed development of property’s advertising campaign and marketing materials- Negotiated purchase of all media, maximizing budget through strategic partnerships and added value- Generated incremental property revenue through sponsorship sales, averaging annual increases of 20%- Received eight company awards of excellence

- Directed all marketing and public relations efforts for this one-million square foot center, with 125 retailers and annual sales exceeding $60 million during my tenure.- Led marketing efforts throughout a year-long $35 million renovation/remerchandising/relaunch of the center, designing and implementing an award-winning shopper retention campaign- Crafted and executed the center’s grand reopening celebration, drawing highest shopper traffic ever- Served on team which traveled to newly-acquired shopping centers to transition them to Simon ownership/management