EDUCATION

• M.A. in Strategic Communication + Innovation
  GPA 4.0
  TEXAS TECH UNIVERSITY
  August 2017 - December 2018 | Lubbock, TX

• Graduate Certificate in Advanced Digital + Social Media
  TEXAS TECH UNIVERSITY
  August 2017 - December 2018 | Lubbock, TX

• B.F.A in Creative Writing + Music
  summa cum laude
  STEPHEN F. AUSTIN STATE UNIVERSITY
  January 2011 - December 2014 | Nacogdoches, TX

  • Academic Activities + Societies:
    Phi Beta Kappa | Sigma Tau Delta | President of communication arts organization |
    Editor of undergraduate literary journal | First violinist for Symphony of the Pines

  • Coursework Highlights:
    Strategic Comms. Planning + Writing | Multimedia Storytelling | Research Methods | Production of Digital Media Content | Advanced Social Media Practice | Strategic Comms. in a Global Environment | Seminar in Mass Comms. Theory | Comms. in Organizations | Multimedia Management, Entrepreneurship + Consulting

WORK EXPERIENCE

FULL-TIME

• Senior Communications Specialist
  TEXAS MUTUAL INSURANCE COMPANY
  Austin, TX | November 2021 - Current

  • Operates as a strategic IC advisor vs. execution only, beating ambiguity through narrative development, risk assessment and audience-centered recommendations

  • Serves as a trusted HR comms partner, advising leaders on EX, messaging frameworks, and engagement while translating complex people initiatives into clear, timely deliverables

  • Builds and scales repeatable IC frameworks and systems that enable leader visibility and measurable engagement, including mentorship program liftoff recognized with a Simpplr Employee Experience Excellence Award for Best HR & Comms Partnership

  • Leads people-centric change comms across enterprise, garnering high-yield message clarity and engagement through organizational transformation efforts

  • Executes across core IC network including companywide Town Halls, leader and CEO comms, strategic intranet content, employee listening tools, HR and benefits campaigns, leadership programs and critical event messaging

• Communications Manager
  MEMORIAL PARK CONSERVANCY
  Houston, TX | August 2019 - October 2021

  • Managed comprehensive PR strategy, campaign creative, and communications calendar for public-private partnership by working with executive leadership, the City of Houston, and other stakeholders

  • Prepared press kits/written and visual assets for deployment across external communications channels to steward 1,500-acre park

  • Increased awareness by helping organization earn over 85 million impressions across print, broadcast and digital media outlets, a PR value worth over $3.5 million

  • Project managed website optimization and social/digital media engagement opportunities, leading to yearly doubling of web page views (of which 80% were new visitors)

  • Identified key messages for executives and partner stakeholders participating in events, live interviews, or other forums with media presence

• Communications Specialist II, Managing Editor, Marketing
  AMERICAN NATIONAL INSURANCE COMPANY
  Galveston, TX | April 2018 - August 2019

  • Led corporate magazine staff; increased readership of over 3,000 field associates and home office employees by 20%; maintained printer relationships and supported distribution

  • Oversaw marketing campaign content strategy with team of copywriters, graphic designers, and market managers to achieve B2B, B2C, brand awareness, and product launch goals

  • Edited video content, radio scripts, print materials (flyers, postcards, on-site signage), webinar assets, social media content, newsletters, digital ads, blog posts, and more

  • Maintained inter-departmental relationships with marketing, field support, and UX teams operating across New York, Missouri, and Texas

• Communications Specialist, Marketing
  AMERICAN NATIONAL INSURANCE COMPANY
  Galveston, TX | January 2016 - April 2018 |

  • Developed national marketing campaign multimedia communications for specific target audiences and contributed articles to company magazine

  • Drafted and edited standardized language for corporate brand book and internal style guides

  • Served as key contact for editorial and compliance review of brand sponsorship and marketing collateral

• Writer, Marketing
  AMERICAN NATIONAL INSURANCE COMPANY
  Galveston, TX | March 2015 - January 2016

  • Collaborated with product specialists and industry researchers to draft and edit product descriptions and technical training briefs

  • Simplified complex product profiles and industry concepts into key messages for ease of use by clients, agency field force, and home office employees

  • Composed, copyedited, and launched internal marketing newsletter distributed to over 3,000 subscribers

PART-TIME / VOLUNTEER

• First Violinist
  GALVESTON SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA
  Galveston, TX | August 2015 - August 2019

• Violin Instructor
  FANFARE! MUSIC ACADEMY
  Galveston, TX | August 2016 - August 2017

SKILLS + COMPETENCIES

• Marketing + PR communications

• Writing + editing
  (APA, AP, Chicago, MLA styles)

• Data-driven project management

• Web editing + SEO
  (WordPress, HTML, Google Analytics)

• Mass email + newsletter composition
  (Constant Contact, Mailchimp)

• Internal communications

• Adobe Creative Suite + Canva

• Social/digital media campaigns
  (Hootsuite, Facebook + Instagram Ads)

• Brand identity development

• Public speaking + building relationships

• Microsoft Office products

PUBLICATIONS

• Rogue Agent
  (May 2022): “Poem with Limb Loss”

• Saltfront Literary Journal
  (Winter 2015, print): “Apology to a Grackle” and “Lycanthropy”

• The Adroit Journal
  (August 2015): “Refusing the Eucharist” and “Thanatopsis”

• Gravel Literary Journal
  (June 2015, print): “You Have Harnessed Yourself Ridiculously to a Mountain with No Name”

• Ruminate Magazine
  (Summer 2015, print): “Swallowing the Body”

• Best New Poets 2014: 50 Poets from Emerging Writers
  (January 2015, print): “After the Funeral”

• Spillway Magazine
  (December 2014, print): “Intermezzo”

• Borderlands: Texas Poetry Review
  (June 2014, print): “June in Oakwood, Texas”

• Cider Press Review
  (April 2014): “Adagio di molto”

• Rainy Day Magazine
  (Spring 2014, print): “Our Flooded Street that Summer”

• Southern Humanities Review
  (Spring 2014, print): “Land of Enchantment”

• Heron Tree Poetry Review
  (2014, print): “Transfiguration”

• The Lake Poetry Magazine
  (November & December 2013): “Hercules and the Hydra”
  and “After the Funeral”

• Diverse Voices Quarterly
  (July 2013, print): “Songs My Mother Taught Me”

• Psaltery & Lyre
  (April 2013): “Boy Raised Gorgon”

• Portland Review
  (April 2013): “Separation”

• Steam Ticket Review
  (Spring 2013, print): “Burning Hand, Take Me Back”