Leading high-level communications strategy development and implementation

I was the Communications Director for the Democracy and Open Government team at Demand Progress/Demand Progress Education Fund. I increased their media footprint and elevated national news coverage of the growing movement to modernize Congress through revamped technological systems and improved personnel policies to boost pay and benefits, diversity, and organizing rights for congressional staff.Demand Progress is a progressive organization that mobilizes the public to challenge entrenched power and promote freedom. It focuses on issues of civil liberties, civil rights, and government reform.

A new anti-doxxing service designed for people running for office, counting votes, advocating for vaccines, and otherwise working to save our democracy.

During a sabbatical, I managed a local food hub, aggregating fresh fruit and vegetables to sell via an online farmers market with physical pick-up location, and I also organized donated bags of fresh produce for local elders. I also led communications for the Kohala Food Hub, including website design, email marketing, social media, and print graphic design, and I wrote grants to support the Food Hub's efforts increase local food security on the Big Island of Hawaii. I provided excellent customer service as the online and real-time liaison between market customers and farmer producers; ran virtual trainings of market software to new producers and provided ongoing tech support assistance; ensured quality control of produce sold to customers; coordinated volunteers to receive, pack and distribute orders; and managed order payments while supporting bookkeeping.

During a sabbatical, I assisted in practicing agroforestry, organic, and regenerative agricultural techniques on a seven-acre, off-the-grid farm and retreat center. I tended to the main vegetable garden, cooked healthful meals for guests, harvested bananas, assisted in digging trenches and laying down water pipes, helped build a meditation temple and provided housekeeping support.

During a sabbatical, I volunteered at a world renown holistic retreat and leadership development center. This work required physical stamina and working several hours at a stretch with a cheerful and selfless service approach.I provided myriad support activities during the busiest period of Hollyhock’s summer season, including:-Kitchen: Food prep and dishwashing for a vegetarian/pescatarian gourmet facility that provided 3 meals a day for up to 125 attendees;-Catering: Special event food and beverage service, including oyster shucking;-Hospitality and hosting: Greeting guests, providing courteous service in registration, programming and dining hall activities; -Gardening: maintenance of organic vegetable and flower garden;-Housekeeping: attentive cleaning and maintenance of guests’ sleeping quarters;-Retail: general support for on-site boutique.

I developed strategies to promote the District of Columbia’s public library system of 26 campuses; served on municipal government agency’s senior management team, leading efforts to foster interdepartmental collaboration and to standardize internal and external communications procedures managed a team of nine professionals responsible for public relations, digital marketing, video storytelling, printing and community engagement; and evaluated and improved the communications department's capacity to effectively promote partnerships, system-wide and hyperlocal neighborhood library programs and special events.

As Issue One’s Chief Communications Officer, I defined the organization’s brand identity and reputation, leading the development and execution of all communications and programmatic activities, with an emphasis on tying strategic communications to political advocacy and grasstops engagement. Additionally, as a member of Issue One’s executive team, I led internal communications efforts and collaborated with the Chief Operating Officer on optimizing editorial procedure, staff retention and interdepartmental collaboration.

I led Issue One's communications and strategic initiatives to make money-in-politics reform the core civic cause of our time. Issue One works as a bridge-maker so policymakers and advocates reach across the aisle to reduce the power of money in politics and restore trust in our democratic institutions.

I led strategic communications for the Sunlight Foundation as a whole, and was responsible for managing all of Sunlight's external affairs - from media outreach to partnerships to social media engagement to special events to video storytelling. I am an expert in tying strategic communications to political advocacy, including through integrated media relations campaigns, online marketing, public engagement, social media campaigns, thought leadership and persuading editorial boards in taking an opinion in concert with my organization's mission or specific public policy outcomes. Under my leadership at Sunlight, the organization's footprint grew exponentially: it earned several thousand media mentions annually under my leadership, including hundreds of editorial and columnist endorsements; its public engagement community was nearly 100,000 strong at its peak, not counting the tens of thousands of engaged supporters on social media.Moreover, I am an experienced manager, and supervised a team of several junior to mid-level communications staff while serving on Sunlight's Senior Management team. During my tenure, I positioned Sunlight as the go-to source for leadership on government transparency and generally helped ensure the "trains run on time" internally by focusing on successful internal communications and cross-department collaboration at Sunlight. In that work, I made certain Sunlight successfully tied strategic communications to fundraising and organization-wide mission-related goals.

I secured media coverage for the philanthropic sector, at a time of increased interest in the role of foundations and charitable giving. I wrote press releases, pitched stories, organized resources about Council members for journalists to highlight in their reporting, distributed a daily "press clips" report for members and edited a conference daily.

I organized grassroots campaigns for the APA's Public Policy Office, helping to persuade Congress to pass legislation for mental health services. I also maintained its website, assisted in advocacy trainings and helped organize lobby days.

I conducted research on then-nascent online marketing practices targeted toward children and teens informed enforcement of online privacy protections enforced by the Federal Trade Commission and also the Federal Communications Commission's understanding of marketing practices being developed for interactive television and wireless media. I also met with congressional and agency staff, spoke at press conferences and assisted in writing comments for rulemakings about children's educational media and children's online privacy.