Responsible to develop and promote a vision for the public relations function, helping to define its practice for clients and serving as a coach to the PR team.Provide ongoing strategic direction for PR and related efforts. Ensure the identification, adoption and dissemination of PR best practices. Create long-term plan for function/accounts.Oversee the PR function, communicating regularly with team members. Collaborate with PR directors to establish a long-term framework for team/leadership meetings.Guide PR staffing discussions. Work alongside managing directors to formulate and monitor comprehensive short- and long-term plans. Serve as a liaison between PR team and all other agency functions. Collaborate with other department leaders to ensure an integrated approach.Forecast trends in PR and content; drive team members/position agency to meet future needs.Collaborate with PR directors to provide strategic counsel for client and agency initiatives.Lead PR team involvement in new business development efforts and help identify PR team resources to engage and participate in new business activities.Serve as PR functional representative with agency leadership. Participate in/contribute to managing director meetings. Ensure function helps to achieve agency strategic plan.Ensure cross-sharing and collaboration between PR team members across account groups.

As a PR director, I led a team of PR professionals for several key accounts at Two Rivers Marketing. I was responsible to oversee PR budgeting and planning, setting strategic objectives, integrating all team member work, measuring our services and overall client satisfaction.Leadership/Management: Led a team of 6 PR professionals providing support across key account group. Ensured performance in all core service areas, including media relations, ongoing content development, partner and influencer relations, email newsletters and social media. Financial Performance: Managed financials for PR activities on cluster of accounts, including forecasting, budget management and oversight, and overall financial performance of all PR initiatives. Led client conversations on financial performance of jobs.Staffing: Set and adjusted staffing and allocation for all PR associates on account group.Strategic Planning: Led PR strategic planning for all clients on group, including annual plans to support broad PR initiatives, as well as multi-disciplinary campaigns.Integration: Collaborated with other account leaders to ensure an integrated approach across all disciplines and functions. Client Relations: Served as primary contact for director-level and above communications with the client.Measurement: Led the measurement of all PR efforts across account group, demonstrated ROI and provided insight/analysis and strategic recommendations back to clients.Agency PR: Consulted on agency PR efforts and participate as necessary.Business Development: Participated in new business pitches as necessary.

As a PR associate, I managed public relations activities across various accounts in the agency, and was responsible for securing editorial exposure for client products, services and other material news.Annual Planning: Develop and implement annual plan with exposure and coverage objectives, including goals, objectives, strategies and tactics.Media Relations: Manage relationships and communications with all media in key end markets on client's behalf.Feature and Technical Writing: Develop and vet story ideas, interview subjects and write articles for placement in key trade publication outlets (print and online).Press Release Writing and Distribution: Work with client on material news announcements, target relevant media and distribute personally as well as through distribution platforms. Partnership, Influencer and Sponsor Relations: Manage relationship and all communications with client partners, influencers and sponsors, including print and broadcast (television).Reporting: Measure and track exposure from media relations and sponsorships in key trade publications.

As a freelance contractor, I helped companies develop marketing assets for print and web execution, including brochures, company collateral, logos and websites. I handled all planning, project management and execution and invoicing.Web: Spearheaded planning, organization/hierarchy, design and copy development for a client website.Collateral: Conceptualized, designed and wrote promotional booklet for sales associates to use in face-to-face customer meetingsWorkshop Materials: Design and layout of materials for use in client strategic planning workshops.Promotional Flyers: Design, layout and copy for materials used in client promotions.