Experience

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  World Travel Holdings

  • Lake Mary, Florida, United States

  • Director, Public Relations and Corporate Communications at World Travel Holdings

    • Feb 2012 - Present
    • Lake Mary, Florida, United States

    Responsible for all company-wide internal and employee engagement communications initiatives including oversight of the company’s intranet, executive communications, and a bi-weekly company e-newsletter and blog. Plan and execute company-wide MeetUps twice monthly where an executive, employee and/or supplier host a 30-minute Q&A to provide updates and information about the business and the travel/cruise industry.Direct, implement and manage the Public Relations strategy and initiatives for World Travel Holdings and its brands including Villas of Distinction, CruisesOnly, CruiseOne and Cruises Inc. This includes writing press releases, media pitches, and arranging and monitoring media interviews.Within the first year of employment, was instrumental in the design and launch of a new intranet as well as leading the successful crisis communications response to a large-scale industry crisis. Led a complete redesign and launch of the company’s internet – WorldTravelHoldings.com – that resulted in increased web traffic to the site. Created a Crisis Communications Plan for the company to keep our executive and leadership teams informed, and assist our travel professionals, franchisees, independent agents during industry crises. Proven success resulted in the opportunity to hire and manage a Communications Specialist to oversee internal communication and engagement strategy for Customer Care, the company’s largest department consisting of more than half of the company’s 900 employees. Manage two employees virtually, one in the Ft. Lauderdale office who oversees public relations for our CruiseOne and Cruises Inc. brands and one working from home responsible for communications to our Customer Care agents.Manage the education and support of franchisee and independent agent Public Relations’ efforts.Responsible for creating and overseeing the Corporate Communications department budget.

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  Cruiseline.com & Shipmate

  • Contributing Writer

    • Sep 2020 - Jan 2021

    Writes news and feature articles for Cruiseline.com, a social platform and community with more than 800,000 cruisers who can ask and answer questions, get to know each other before upcoming cruises through forums and roll calls, and who regularly submit photos and reviews of their latest cruise experiences. Cruiseline.com has more than 200,000+ verified reviews from community members – that means real reviews by real people.

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  Wyndham Vacation Ownership

  • Orlando, Florida Area

  • Manager, Corporate Communications

    • Mar 2008 - Feb 2012
    • Orlando, Florida Area

    Managed and oversaw print and social media communications to more than 350,000 owners of Wyndham Vacation Ownership.Built and sustained relationships with resort managers and business partners to ensure seamless and consistent communications to owners.Created story ideas and wrote articles that sold and enticed owners to visit specific resorts or destinations. The articles appear in printed and electronic owner publications as well as the owner website. Managed and oversaw all communications to the resort employees of Wyndham Vacation Ownership at more than 75 resorts in the United States and Caribbean.Worked closely with the resorts to resolve issues to ensure owner satisfaction during their resort experience.Administered the Pre-Arrival Letter Program, a program designed to provide owners with arrival and resort-specific information as well as to set the owner’s expectations 35 days before the date of arrival.

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  Self-Employed

  • Lake Mary, FL

  • Public Relations Consultant

    • Jun 2003 - Mar 2008
    • Lake Mary, FL

    Consulted and performed all aspects of Public Relations including strategic planning, writing releases and producing press kits, pitching stories and creating status reports for diverse client base.

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  Orlando/Orange County Convention & Visitors Bureau

  • Orlando, Florida Area

  • Public Relations Representative

    • Jul 1995 - Jan 2003
    • Orlando, Florida Area

    Managed all aspects of public relations for the domestic and Canadian integrated marketing campaigns including writing press releases; pitching story angles; participating in international and domestic media missions; serving as a television spokesperson; planning media events; arranging and monitoring executive media interviews; and organizing satellite media tours, video news releases and photo shoots.Also, managed and planned media activity for: United States, Canada, Latin America, Mexico, France, Belgium and Germany markets.Assisted more than 400 journalists with their research trips.Arranged and hosted more than 30 group press trips. This involved creating an itinerary based on story angles, booking airlines and obtaining complimentary accommodations, attraction passes, transportation and meals as well as escorting the group.Created and implemented annually the public relations plans and budgets pertinent to my markets.Oversaw internal communications efforts including writing executive speeches and the member newsletter; key member on crisis communications team; managed two public relations seminars and multiple press rooms at conventions.Trained and supervised daily activities of more than 15 college interns and provided guidance to the associate representative, secretary, convention assistants and ambassadors.