Experience

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  Rush University Medical Center

  • United States
  • Hospitals and Health Care
  • 700 & Above Employee

  • Senior Media Relations Strategist

    • Nov 2014 - Present

  • Public Relations Specialist

    • Oct 2014 - Nov 2020

    I lead media relations campaigns for Rush University Medical Center.

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  CLJ Media Strategies

  • Greater Chicago Area

  • Owner

    • Aug 2011 - Present
    • Greater Chicago Area

    Currently assisting healthcare clients keep external and internal stakeholders engaged and informed as reimbursement shifts from volume to value.• For public relations firm Burson-Marsteller, conducted media relations and created content (leadership talking points, speeches, press releases, employee and public messages) for hospital system client. • For care coordination consultancy Care Team Connect (CTC), generated press coverage and wrote case studies focusing how CTC’s technology and process redesign helped hospitals, ACOs and commercial payers improve outcomes while reducing costs.

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  University of Chicago Medical Center

  • Chicago, Ill

  • Communications Manager

    • May 2008 - Jul 2011
    • Chicago, Ill

    I led high-profile communication efforts for the prestigious academic medical center, working with senior leaders to better engage and inform employees •Responsible for monthly managerial leadership meetings, keeping managers informed of new initiatives, sharing research breakthroughs and progress towards meeting patient experience and revenue goals. •Prepared and project-managed strategic internal communication plans for senior leaders to share organizational goals, explain complex issues and elicit and process employee input. •Wrote copy, edited and helped redesign employee communication vehicles•Led efforts to communicate total value of employee compensation packages and spearheaded employee survey effort that surpassed goal of 75 percent participation•Responsible for enterprise-wide email message distribution and initiated upgrade of ineffective electronic communication capabilities •Revived quarterly all-employee town hall meetings after a two-year lapse, handling all phases : scheduling, messaging, content creation and processing feedback•Assisted media relations efforts by preparing background material for senior leaders and helping clinical research leaders summarize translational research advances

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  ECIN

  • Greater Chicago Area

  • Marketing Director

    • 2005 - 2008
    • Greater Chicago Area

    For hospital case management software provider ECIN, led a marketing effort that established a strategic brand position, greatly increased target audience brand awareness, and expanded sales pipeline.•Placed or wrote more than 15 articles and case studies, greatly increasing the firm’s visibility and credibility •Positioned company CEO as a national thought leader on how technology more enhances patient care along the continuum of care•Tightened positioning and messaging for a suite of post-acute and hospital-focused software solutions into a single brand•Worked directly with hospital executives to more effectively convey the voice of customers in software that addressed patient flow, reimbursement and regulatory challenges•Improved sales pipeline via direct marketing, trade show follow-up, and up-selling existing clients•Managed trade show strategy, budgets, logistics and staff deployment

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  Walker Sands Communications

  • Chicago, Ill

  • Senior Account Executive

    • 2000 - 2005
    • Chicago, Ill

    For Chicago’s strategic marketing firm Walker Sands and as an independent contractor working from Santa Cruz, Bolivia, I led successful media relations and marketing collateral projects for several clients. Branding/Strategic Marketing • Crafted the branding, market positioning, messaging, competitive analysis and tactical marketing plan for business continuity consultancy Corigelan, garnering numerous media placements and speaking engagements that enabled acquisition by the EMC corporationMedia Relations/Crisis Communications• For electronic payment technology start-up PocketCard, secured coverage on CNN, Good Morning America, Time, Newsweek, the New York Times and page one of The Wall Street Journal• Crafted a crisis communication plan for a prominent Chicago religious organization to guide them through a series of high profile and sensitive crisis situations Strategic Communication Planning• For Gas TransBoliviano S.A. (www.gtb.com.bo), owner and operator of one of the world’s longest natural gas pipelines, created a multi-stakeholder communication plan, wrote and co-designed two annual reports, guided firm through two media relations crises, tightened social responsibility messaging that positioned them for a World Bank award, and drafted all website copy

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  Illinois Attorney General's Office

  • Chicago

  • Spokesman

    • Jan 1995 - Sep 1999
    • Chicago

    As spokesman for the Illinois Attorney General’s Office under Jim Ryan, was the media liaison for Criminal Justice and newly-formed Environmental Bureaus.Media Relations• Wrote over 100 press releases announcing policy initiatives, court decisions, criminal charges and environmental enforcement actions• Developed relationships with key reporters and assignment desk editors