From Intern to Director of Public Affairs, my career with the City of Auburn has been dedicated to public service, focusing on public administration, communication, governmental and legislative affairs and technology.I was hired as an intern to assist in launching a new city newsletter, Open Line. Twenty years later, Open Line still ranks as a primary source of information for local residents according to our biennial citizen survey. After my internship, I worked as part of the city’s Information Technology Department. As an IT professional, I achieved some of the industry’s leading certifications. During this time I served as a computer and network technician for the City of Auburn and Auburn City Schools. I took the lead in producing and maintaining the city's website content as well as creating the city’s “eNotifier” email notification system for residents, and our digital process for producing and posting council agendas. As Director of Public Affairs, I served on City Manager Duggan’s Executive Team, which met regularly to discuss current city issues and brainstormed the first iteration of a re-organization that introduced business units to the city’s organizational structure. For almost fifteen years and under two city managers, I was also a member of the city’s management team. This team membership enabled relationships and access to information that has been key to my success in the role. With the creation of Public Affairs in the Office of the City Manager, I formally began to coordinate the city’s public affairs efforts, focusing on effective communication with residents as well as governmental and legislative affairs. I have also played a key role in working alongside the Assistant City Clerk and city management on the administration of local municipal elections. In 2016, I became Alabama's first and (as I write this) only Certified Public Communicator (CPC) through the Bob Schieffer College of Communication at Texas Christian University. Of course, all of this is only possible through the great team of Public Affairs professionals that I lead and work alongside daily. Thanks to the work my team is doing, I’ve truly learned the value of hiring talented professionals, and enabling them to do their best work. Many of my professional duties are also personal hobbies and passions, especially writing and photography. I’m thankful to have had the opportunity to use these skills in community service as a former member of the Board of Directors for Leadership Lee County and a current board member for the Food Bank of East Alabama.