Experience

University of Utah

• United States
• Higher Education
• 700 & Above Employee

• Special Assistant for Strategic Initiatives/Chief of Staff to the VP for Student Affairs

  • Nov 2021 - Present

• Director of Administration, Office of the Chief Safety Officer

  • Apr 2020 - Nov 2021

  Supported inaugural Chief Safety Officer with developing vision for new University Safety Department, including creating an organizational structure, writing job descriptions, interviewing candidates, onboarding staff, and rebrandingCreated a new administrative team from scratch (six full-time and eight part-time positions) to support an evolving department, with responsibility for establishing administrative processes, financial planning and budget management, creating training systems, executive scheduling, strategic communications and marketing, public relations, website development, social media management, program development, etc.Led strategic planning process and facilitated implementation of a new strategic planning software used by the university President’s Office and other campus departmentsOversaw onboarding of multiple software technologies, from research to request for proposal to implementation and roll-outSecured Presidential Interns to assist with program development and embed student voices into the department; collaborated with students to create new student ambassador cohort program Show less

• Associate Director, Communications

  • Jul 2017 - Apr 2020

  Managed team of communications specialists who produced written and multimedia content for the university’s news website and weekly email distribution to nearly 80,000 people, the institution’s social media accounts, media relations and reputation management operations, executive communications, crisis communications, strategic planning, community relations, etc.Served on university’s Situation Triage and Assessment Team (STAT), including advising leadership, researching best practices, writing content for safety messages and emergency alerts, and facilitating message distribution through the university’s content hub and social media accounts.Served on several university committees, including co-chairing the Racist and Bias Incident Response Team.Developed several campus-wide communications tools, including the university’s crisis communications plan, OEO process guide, and quarterly communications reports that are shared with the Board of Trustees, cabinet, deans, donors, etc.Planned, coordinated, hosted, and presented at campus, state, and industry conferences.Responded to media inquiries, especially related to issues concerned with campus safety, sexual assault, disciplinary processes, etc.Oversaw office relocation, including coordinating construction, furniture orders, project budget, timeline, etc.Established a pool of freelance writers to supplement staff work. Show less

• Communications Specialist

  • Apr 2013 - Jun 2017

  Developed strategic internal communications plan using the institution’s accreditation report and implemented new serial content strategy, including the “Humans of the U” series.Managed publicity for Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, Rep. John Lewis, Humans of New York creator Brandon Stanton, and other high-profile guests, as well as several new building openings.Served on the commencement committee, as well as the Sustainable Campus Initiative Fund committee, providing feedback to grant applicants and voting on funding distribution.Served the division of Student Affairs, Academic Affairs, and other areas of campus by providing communications support, including writing, strategic planning, and media relations. Show less

• Interim Director

  • Feb 2017 - Mar 2017

  Stepped up to manage central communications team during national search. Implemented new project management system to streamline workflow and improve efficiencies.Organized and hosted professional development workshops for communications colleagues across campus.Advised on communication and content strategies for issues such as the executive order on international travel, Title IX, and more.Sat on the Request for Proposal committee for an emergency alert system.



Chartwells Higher Education Dining Services

• United States
• Food and Beverage Services
• 700 & Above Employee

• Marketing Manager

  • Nov 2011 - Apr 2013

  Managed marketing plans and asset creation for 10 dining locations on the U campus, as well as strategic communications for the overall brand. Developed and distributed surveys to evaluate customer satisfaction of key products and presented results to leadership. Managed contracted graphic design, web development, and photography. Established, designed, and wrote for monthly newsletter and distributed to appropriate campus locations, university administrators, and corporate officials. Show less



Utah State University

• Higher Education
• 700 & Above Employee

• Public Relations Specialist/Marketing Coordinator

  • Mar 2008 - Nov 2011

  Managed a multiple-year, university-wide web project, which involved customizing a content management system and building a search engine, managing writers, editing content for more than 300 webpages, coordinating with administrative offices to develop a streamlined processes for annual content updates, and presenting results to stakeholders (usu.edu/degrees). Oversaw production process for a variety of materials, including emails, websites, booklets, brochures, banners, flyers, advertisements, etc. This included writing content; collaborating with designers, photographers, and printers; and managing timelines and budgets. Conducted, analyzed, and presented survey data from prospective graduate students and used results to develop a recruitment strategy. Responsible for web content and design for university homepage, top-level web pages and entire School of Graduate Studies website. Wrote and edited press releases, distributed to media, and created tracking reports to analyze effectiveness. Show less