William R. Email & Phone Number

Olympia, Washington, United States

I am the communications manager for the Forest Resilience Division of the Washington State Department of Natural Resources. The programs I work closely with include: prescribed fire, urban and community forestry, insect and disease monitoring, and forest health. I also assist with wildfire season needs and support the communications needs of the Commissioner of Public Lands.During my tenure, I have spearheaded media outreach for and led the planning and execution of multiple high-profile launch events for new programs and initiatives. I also led development of a new strategic communications plan for prescribed fire. I was promoted in June 2023 and have had a direct report since September 2023.

Portland, Oregon Area

Freelance game and feature stories for The Oregonian. Other freelance work during this time included city council coverage for The Olympian and features for Oregon Jewish Life.

Centralia, Washington

Grants Pass, Oregon

I covered six high schools in a small town that can't get enough prep sports. I also covered horse racing in the summer as well as community sports and occasional spot news. I took the majority of my own photos, and pitched in with page design.My time in Grants Pass ending on a high note: winning the 2018 Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association award for best sports story among newspapers with circulations between 10,001-25,000 subscribers. The story examined the impact of the Oregon Scholastic Activities Association not mandating that trained medical professionals be in attendance at football games.

Bend, Oregon

Earned an internship through The Charles Snowden Program for Excellence in Journalism at the University of Oregon. The newspaper extended the internship end date from early September to mid-January. I wrote human interest stories, event previews, data-driven enterprise packages and the occasional hard news piece.

Eugene, Oregon

Played a significant role in the changeover to new a coverage format. We saw a subsequent increase in page views of more than 80 percent, multiple page views and website participation (year-over-year). Year-round coverage of Oregon Ducks football as well as increased in-season focus on Oregon basketball and baseball. In-depth coverage of significant news such as the spring 2014 investigation into sexual assault allegations involving multiple Oregon players. Creating, maintaining, and moderating message board discussion of Oregon Duck current events and recruiting efforts. Pushing content and interaction on social media.

Chautauqua, New York

Near-daily coverage of the 2014 Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra, Logan Chamber Music Series, Chautauqua Community Band and Chautauqua Symphony Partners lectures. Intermittent coverage of guest speakers, outside entertainment acts, human interest stories and other spot news. Responsible for quickly building reliable source list for information on search for permanent music director and for background material on day-to-day events.

Bachelor Of Arts (B.A.), Journalism, 3.2 Gpa (3.4 In Journalism Classes)

Activities and Societies: Oregon Hillel, Oregon Intramurals, Campus Band

High School Diploma

Activities and Societies: Athletic band, school newspaper, football, golf.