Jumped from the frontlines of journalism to the frontlines of communications for one of the premier research universities in the U.S. and the world - Purdue University. I brought along my seasoned news writing and storytelling skills to help amplify Purdue's strategic, innovative partnerships and industry collaboration.Highly skilled at identifying, researching, writing and promoting some of the university's most strategic stories.Strong at collaborating with external global and industry partners.

On time. On budget. On point. Hallmark characteristics of a creative & dependable communicator who knows how to deliver - whether it’s a reporter on deadline or a client in a quandary.

Brainstorm, Story Concept, Research, Interview, Write, Edit, Proofread, Tweak, Re-write, Edit...again. There are no shortcuts when it comes to writing stories that touch the heart of the heartland. Love to collaborate but just as capable to independently manage projects. Deliver to clients what they want and when they want it. Some of my work can be seen here. Enjoy!

The state of Indiana is Open For Business and the team @ Inside INdiana Business is covering all aspects across the Hoosier State. As content manager I help determine which business stories will get our attention and distributed via our multi-platform of statewide subscription newsletter service, daily radio newscasts, web content, podcasts and our weekly, award winning TV show-Inside INdiana Business with Gerry Dick.In addition to managing daily business news, I also write, produce, voice and edit newscasts heard across the state of Indiana on our network of NPR and commercial radio stations, including Indianapolis powerhouse radio station WIBC. Reach me at wmills@growindiana.net.

Following a successful trek in local news, I seized an opportunity to manage two nationally syndicated TV news programs: AgDay and US Farm Report. They are among the longest running TV shows in the country, regardless of genre. The team covers and serves the men and women who put food on our tables, clothes on our back, and fuel in our autos.In this role I maintained editorial control of the news content, responsible for determining which stories have the most impact on our viewers – the nation’s two million farmers and ranchers. I allocated the necessary resources to cover agriculture issues ranging from Washington DC policy and laws to crop conditions and field production from the nation’s heartland.Every day I drove our programs from concept to completion under the strictest of deadlines as we faced a nightly distribution of the program. Some of the key actions included:- Grasp and interpret technical government data and precision technology.- Assigned daily and long-term news reports, special projects and sponsored content.- Authored original content for web.- Wrote, reviewed, critiqued and edited news scripts.- Selected and wrote news content for web and social media distribution, skilled at Content Management Systems (CMS) operations- Led production of video segments and social media content.- Communicated with and managed news material from freelance/contract reporters and outside clients, vendors, agencies and consultants.- Creative branding, message development and social media marketing opportunities to broaden the footstep in the agricultural space.In cross functional collaboration with the production staff, we delivered daily content that represented the Farm Journal brand. At 141 years young, it’s one of the longest lasting and most respected publications in the country.

Leave a Legacy TV was the cornerstone of Farm Journal Media's award-winning campaign, "The Legacy Project". This monthly nationally-televised show covered succession-related issues for America's agricultural community. In my role as producer, I managed the content, created the monthly format, edited scripts and gave final approval before distribution. The comprehensive nationwide effort to help farm families plan for the next generation of farmers was awarded the 2005 Grand Neal award – a coveted award in the B2B industry. Farm Journal is the only agricultural publication to ever win that award.

As a member of the Executive team, I played a vital role in driving the day-to-day operations of a newsroom judged as the Best News Operation in the country. That management role required the ability to guide staff, maximize resources, and exercise strategic planning. ensuring the timely dissemination of market leading news content.I worked in conjunction with the News Director to lead philosophy and direction. Collaboration with production, promotion and sales staffs to support station branding and business goals was also a vital function. - Manage staff of 50 news anchors, reporters, producers and photojournalists.- Oversee six daily live television broadcasts.- Write, edit and critique copy for broadcast and web.- Effectively communicate with internal and external stakeholders on highly visible station campaigns.When I was still a show producer, the Indiana Associated Press declared me as Best Producer in 1995 & 1996.Beyond my leadership responsibilities in the newsroom, I also helped create and implement station-wide special projects, such as the annual collection drive, Toys for Tots. The campaign grew 900% during a 5-year period during my tenure.

Local news loves their weather coverage. During my time there, we got hit by a double-whammy - a blizzard and widespread flooding at the same time! Under my leadership we kept the community informed about the threatening conditions. We did such a good job, the Associated Press called my newscast the Best in the State of Illinois that year. Awards are great, but the real satisfaction comes by knowing we served the region during this crisis.

My first weekend on the assignment desk and there's a mob hit in the city! I had always enjoyed reading true crime, but this was a real "Godfather" moment. Welcome to the world of big city news. For the next two years I managed evening and weekend news crews for the top-rated NBC station. This position required the ability to multi-task, respond to spur-of-the-moment changes, manage schedules and personnel issues. Routinely communicated with NBC network counterparts to deliver coverage of local news to a nationwide audience.

Just three years after college, I was charged with running a newsroom as the Interim News Director. Managing staff, guiding daily news coverage, keeping a lid on spending. A lot of responsibility but the New York Times (group owner) felt confident in my skills.Launched my career as an on-air reporter, covering a host of topics including court and legal matters, city and county government, and human interest topics. I was a One-Man-Band (OMB) before MMJ (multi-media journalist) became the popular parlance. Transitioned to a producer role, where my career headed down the management track. I managed the daily news content and generated the top-rated newscasts in the market.My journalism prowess eventually landed me in the role of Executive Producer at KFSM. With the promotion I was concurrently running the shop as Interim News Director.

News anchor-Prepare and deliver news, sports, and weather reports, gathering and rewriting material so that it will convey required information and fit specific time slots.-Gather information for news stories.-Edit written materials.-Report news to the public.Night shift Announcer-Hosted country music program-Announce musical selections, station breaks, commercials, or public service information, and accept requests from listening audience.-Keep daily program logs to provide information on all elements aired during broadcast, such as musical selections and station promotions.-Operate control consoles.-Basic audio production skills