Experience

Midwest Energy Efficiency Alliance

• United States
• Renewables & Environment
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Marketing Associate

  • Nov 2019 - Present



Bubbly Events

• United States
• Events Services

• Planning assistant

  • Jan 2019 - Apr 2019

  • Styled and photographed setup at weddings and events, lending my eye for design and affinity for art direction to execute an aesthetically appealing experience in-person and online• Attended styled shoots to assist with staging and collect professional content to share across digital platforms• Consulted owner on image curation for social media—especially Instagram—to ensure brand consistency, and shared to my personal page via Stories• Marketed The Bubbly Truck's services to potential clients in person at wedding expos, etc. to capture new business• Interacted with bloggers and influencers, business owners, venues and vendors to build a strong network in the event industry



Alliance for the Great Lakes

• United States
• Non-profit Organizations
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Engagement coordinator

  • Apr 2018 - Oct 2018

  • Identified and interviewed notable volunteers, captured or sourced photos, and strategically drafted blog and social media features to coincide with the Communications team's action alerts for advocacy and activism. Collaborated with VP of Communications & Engagement to compile a content calendar that ensured a diversified selection across the Alliance's geography and demography.• Supported the work of the Alliance's education and volunteer efforts, including the Adopt-a-Beach program, on-the-ground volunteer opportunities, and other local projects in and around Chicago and remotely in my affiliate states Michigan and Minnesota. Worked closely with the Volunteer Manager and Education Manager on communications, event planning, research, data management, and very thorough program evaluation.• Expanded the Alliance's volunteer programs by conducting outreach to new and returning volunteers• Organized and accurately imputed constituent data from Adopt-a-Beach, advocacy, and special events using a combination of Salesforce and Excel• Led local Adopt-a-Beach events and acted as a representative and spokesperson of the Alliance, especially when donors and sponsors were involved• Attended community tabling and speaking events to recruit potential volunteers, share Great Lakes curricula with educators, and expand the Alliance's presence in the community• Orchestrated in-person and online trainings for volunteer team leaders• Coordinated with beach and land managers to secure proper permits for Adopt-a-Beach events• Supplied logistical support to the Adopt-a-Beach program by organizing and maintaining inventory and mailing all supplies according to schedule; offered help with administrative and office tasks as often as possible• Conducted online research to improve Alliance volunteer programming, with a focus on efficient volunteer management technology and active community engagement in communities not yet engaged by the Alliance



National Park Service

• United States
• Government Administration
• 700 & Above Employee

• Interpretive ranger

  • Aug 2017 - Oct 2017

  • Brought on as emergency temporary hire at conclusion of internship to complement park communication efforts at Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore• Organized and led place-based environmental education programming, ranging from scientific experimentation for college coursework, guided dune hikes for elementary, middle and high school field trips, and Nature Tots lesson planning for youth and parents• Aggregated lesson plans, books, worksheets, activities, crafts, games and more—with varying degrees of difficulty dependent upon K-12 grade level—into a Great Lakes-themed "Traveling Trunk," to be requested by teachers to use independently in their classrooms. Developed the online description, facilitated the check out and return process, and kept a detailed schedule of bookings • Assisted the Stewardship team in gathering and training volunteers to groom and upkeep park land, carefully considering pros and cons on the ecosystem's biodiversity• Stood in as Supervisor at the Paul H. Douglas Center for Environmental Education, monitoring the premises, greeting guests, and providing direction and resources to park visitors• Tracked number and nature of contacts reached by a team of 5-10 rangers working under the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative• Represented the National Park Service at Indiana Dunes' seasonal festivals and events, and by collaborating with Canoemobile—a "floating classroom" connecting thousands of youth to the outdoors by putting them in canoes on local waterways—to man an environmental activity station• Underwent Content Management System training with the park's Visual Communication Specialists to update Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore’s education webpages, ensuring adherence to web accessibility standards



Great Lakes Research & Education Center

• Science communication intern

  • May 2017 - Aug 2017

  • Defined and sourced an appropriate audience for optimal engagement with Great Lakes Research & Education Center social media• Accumulated media and marketing material, compiled a content calendar, and scheduled posts to see to a seamless launch• Founded Great Lakes Research & Education Center Facebook page and promoted a following of more than 1,000 in approximately one month• Cultivated a sustainable network of researchers, resource managers, and communicators in the Great Lakes Network who continue to collaborate• Spent time in the field with researchers and resource managers to immerse myself in their projects and collect captivating footage of their work• Captured and edited photographs, interviews and video and developed an extensive database for future use. Implemented processes for obtaining and sharing footage from research at remote parks • Created content for the Great Lakes Research & Education Center and Great Lakes Inventory & Monitoring Network websites• Traveled from Indiana Dunes to three more of the 11 Great Lakes national parks: Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, St. Croix National Scenic Riverway, and Mississippi National River and Recreation Area. Partnered with park personnel to plan, prepare and ascertain I interacted with and recorded important researchers, rangers and scientists while on site



U.S. Forest Service

• United States
• Government Administration
• 700 & Above Employee

• Social media intern

  • Jan 2017 - May 2017

  • Wrote and scheduled the top-performing tweets the Northern Research Station had seen to date• Submitted the Northern Research Station’s first-ever photo and caption to be posted to the greater, nationwide U.S. Forest Service Instagram profile• Keyed in on important, on-brand campaigns for the editorial calendar: i.e., Arbor Day, Earth Day, John Muir's birthday• Sourced new studies and pulled from Forest Service online archives for seasonally relevant content to share across Northern Research Station communication channels• Reduced complex scientific information to easily digestible language for public understanding. Produced written content in the form of webpage summaries and blogs, then rendered down further into social captions• Brainstormed creative solutions for synthesizing studies and statistics into visuals and infographics• Liaised with scientists across Northern Research Station territory to procure photos from their projects; compiled and captioned photo galleries for the website• Facilitated travel accommodations for the Northern Research Station's Communications & Science Delivery conference



Great Lakes Echo

• Staff reporter

  • Jan 2015 - Dec 2016

  • Contributed written content to greatlakesecho.org, a nonprofit environmental news source operated by Michigan State University’s Knight Center for Environmental Journalism• Identified fresh story ideas and tracked trends for any new takes. These often took the form of what the newsroom dubbed "green gavel" articles about environmental legislation, "study to story" pieces relaying recent research to the public, and "Catch of the Day" blurbs featuring shorter stories about the Great Lakes• Wrote, rewrote, and rewrote again to avoid technical jargon and simplify the science for our audience• Edited for AP Style with Microsoft Word Track Changes, then posted polished articles, all supporting visuals and links, and suggested headlines on the WordPress site backend. Always used the preview function to catch and correct any layout malfunctions or last-minute revisions before publishing• Compiled an RSS feed to stay on top of relevant environmental and freshwater-related headlines from trusted news sources• Emailed links to sources I interviewed, collaborated with, and/or sourced photos/charts/etc. from once articles went live, and shared via social media• Saw my articles picked up by local newspapers and publications throughout the eight Great Lakes states• Attended the Fate of the Earth Symposium hosted at Michigan State University each spring to further educate myself on pressing environmental issues, gather more story ideas and sources, and network with the diverse and highly-acclaimed panels of presenters • Researched, designed, and led a presentation at the University Undergraduate Research & Arts Forum on the topic of environmental reporting tactics. The abstract asserted that determining by trial and error which stories and formats gained the most traction and generated the most successful response on greatlakesecho.org helped develop a sounder understanding of human investment in environmental issues and a stronger foundation of reporting tactics



Spartan Online Newsroom

• Photo editor

  • Jan 2016 - May 2016

  • Captured photos as first shooter and edited all newsroom photos as necessary• Assessed articles and coordinated shoots to ensure each online item included a relevant visual component• Uploaded and captioned images and photo galleries• Selected top photos to be displayed in the homepage image slider to capture attention immediately and compel visitors to click• Captured studio portraits of all contributors for website's "About" page and for their personal use as professional headshots• Supported editorial process by pitching and authoring articles



MSU Vermicomposting

• Media manager

  • Oct 2012 - May 2016

  • Wrote and received a grant from the Office of Campus Sustainability to establish the “Worms Eat My Garbage at MSU!” vermicomposting initiative to divert food waste from campus cafeterias• Launched its social media accounts for both internal communications and external promotion• Served as graphic designer for web as well as print brochures, a banner for display above the facility, and informative plaques to be mounted on the equipment• Collected food scraps from cafeteria, transported back to hoophouse, and composted with worms to generate castings to be used as fertilizer for plant beds• Organized and publicized educational workshops to empower other students to continue our legacy in the hoophouse and beyond• Surveyed dorm residents' perceptions of sustainability at start and conclusion of school term to assess the effectiveness of our efforts • Made front-page feature in Michigan State University's Campus Sustainability Report



Traverse Magazine & MyNorth Media

• Marketing intern

  • May 2015 - Aug 2015

  • Contributed to the Kids Up North and occasionally Get Outdoors blogs on mynorth.com• Compiled biweekly e-newsletters featuring kids' activities and content as well as advertising for MyNorth's children's apparel for an email list of primarily parents. Edited copywriting of text ads• Maximized click rate from MailChimp and traffic to WordPress site using Search Engine Optimization key words and meta tags• Shared on social media with brand and corporate purpose in mind• Updated marketing team's assignment logs in Basecamp• Drafted event strategies outlining team approach (logistics and staffing), supplies needed from inventory, and goals for engagement, then executed at premier festivals like the National Cherry Festival, Traverse City Film Festival, Microbrew & Music Festival, Leland Wine & Food Festival, and Festival on the Bay. Evaluated successes and shortcomings after the fact• Followed up on entry forms from events to gain new contacts• Loaded product descriptions into ShopMyNorth.com and fulfilled online orders• Contacted winners of contests, facilitated their prize, recapped their story• Acquired insight on both writing and utilizing press releases• Distributed publications and posters to local storefronts to pique interest and increase tourist attraction• Assisted in curating creative editorial assets for the lifestyle magazine, including styled product shots in a studio using professional lighting and equipment



MSU School of Journalism

• Research assistant

  • Sep 2014 - May 2015

  • Selected as an undergraduate research assistant by Michigan State University Professor Bonnie Bucqueroux to coauthor her eBook Saving Civilization One Tomato at a Time• Conducted in-depth research and interviews on Prof. Bucqueroux's behalf, and tagged along to events as a photographer• Designed a poster presentation to relay our findings at the University Undergraduate Research & Arts Forum • Selected as an undergraduate research assistant by Michigan State University Professor Bonnie Bucqueroux to coauthor her eBook Saving Civilization One Tomato at a Time• Conducted in-depth research and interviews on Prof. Bucqueroux's behalf, and tagged along to events as a photographer• Designed a poster presentation to relay our findings at the University Undergraduate Research & Arts Forum



The State News

• General assignment reporter

  • May 2014 - Aug 2014

  • Pitched story ideas and contributed at least one article a day for Michigan State University's campus newspaper, covering breaking news, evergreen content, and a couple opinion pieces about happenings in the East Lansing community• Shot and edited video for statenews.com using Final Cut Pro• Uploaded stories and embedded video and supporting visuals on the website's backend, inputting all metadata and SEO tags• Assisted with the transition from the print publication's newspaper layout to tabloid format, and attended discussions regarding what that would mean for design and page ratios of image to text