Leadership philosophy

I think leadership is an important quality in any industry. My leadership philosophy has developed over many years as a leader and team member. I've been impacted both positively and negatively by others’ leadership. I've also learned many lessons while serving as a leader. When those lessons where the most difficult, it meant that I was required to grow. Through the years I have learned, the cornerstone to my leadership philosophy is hope. Not the sort of hope that is perpetually optimistic or always effervescent, rather it is the sustaining hope that there is always another opportunity to try again, to get it right, to improve. It is resilience and the commitment to not give up in the face of obstacles or even failure. Life is about self reflection, a lifelong continuous improvement project.

Professional History

Past Positions

Director of Communications, Marketing, and Community Engagement

As the Director of Communications, Marketing, and Community Engagement at E3 Alliance, a data-driven non-profit organization focused on transforming education systems for equity and student success, I led the strategic development and execution of communication, marketing, and community engagement efforts. My responsibilities included:

Strategic Communications and Marketing Plan: Developed and executed an annual plan with outreach strategies for key constituents, defined goals, and KPIs for assessing effectiveness.
Messaging and Storytelling: Crafted compelling narratives and visuals to inspire target audiences to commit and take action based on our data and research findings. I ensured alignment with brand guidelines and messaging strategies.
Media Relations: Directed comprehensive media relations strategies, including media outreach, writing press releases, op-eds, and talking points, and on-camera interviews. Leveraged relationships with media (local, regional, national), partners, and community influencers, as well as social media platforms to amplify our messaging.
Digital Strategy & Content Development: Directed the digital strategy, including web content, development, newsletters, and social media plans. Translated E3 initiatives and research into engaging content through storytelling, presentations, infographics, print collateral, and digital media, demonstrating my ability to write compelling messaging for diverse audiences. Ensured consistent and effective content for collateral, graphic design, website, public reports, and presentation materials.
Brand Strategy: Led the organization's rebrand, brand roll-out, and brand standards development. Collaborated with internal and external stakeholders to strengthen partnerships and amplify the organization's impact. Tracked and analyzed communication metrics to assess effectiveness and inform future strategies.

My role required a visible and authentic commitment to diversity and inclusion, cultural intelligence, and effective collaboration. I successfully balanced strategic planning with hands-on execution, establishing a strong foundation for E3 Alliance's ongoing communication and engagement efforts.

Corporate Communications Marketing Consultant

I served as the City of Austin's first Homelessness Initiative communications lead, program manager, and product owner, convening internal and external communications professionals and the public to shape/change public opinion on the Austin City Council’s top priority: homelessness. Previously, I served as the Communications and Public Information Office liaison to Mayor and Council and liaison to the Intergovernmental Government Relations Office. I was responsible for creating communication strategies and content for web, print, radio, social, intranet, digital signage, and television for major change projects including: 10-ONE transition, COA Budget engagement, the Spirit of East Austin Initiative, City Manager Search, Colony Park Neighborhood Master Plan, Homelessness, and more.

Event Marketing Manager

While on a Marketing Team at Dell Inc., I was responsible for developing and implementing local and international marketing programs including industry expositions, trade shows and product launches to support sales goals and branding strategies. I led an initiative to record the ROI of new and difficult-to-track marketing programs resulting in budget savings. I developed and executed national and international marketing programs and events including executive lunches, team-building events, recognition parties, quarterly kick-off events, international expos, and product launches. working with a budget of roughly $4.8 million/year. The programs and relationships I managed with the Dell partners helped to create transparency, improved processes, and increased collaboration.

Steering Committees, Boards, Memberships

Co-Founder /CEO

I co-founded consulting company and developed a Trade Marked methodology which helped organizations and teams understand how small tasks connect to larger personal, organizational, and universal goals, strategies, and values. We worked with organizations to uncover operational issues, quantify and prioritize findings, and implement systems to improve operational outcomes.
My business partner and I eventually parlayed the initial venture into a software company. I co-wrote SAAS start-up business plan, wrote market segmentation strategy, marketing plan, and developed branding for the company.

Mayor’s Task Force on Institutional Racism and Systemic Inequities, NextDoor Advisory Board, Board President - City of Austin Stonewall Equality Employee Network (SEEN), 12th and Chicon Business Incubator Steering Committee, Colony Park Steering Committee, City of Austin Social Media Committee, City of Austin Equity Action Team

Memberships: – International City Managers Association, American Marketing Association, Alliance for Innovation.

Certifications:

Six Sigma - Green Belt
Basic Mediation
FEMA ICS 100
FEMA ICS 800
Dive Master