Manager Insurance
Resume:
James P.T. Jennings Jr.
**** ***** **** **** ***************@*****.***
Hume, VA 22639 540-***-****
Background: Skilled media/public relations professional with extensive
contacts and the ability to coordinate and execute multiple
tasks in the media, general public, membership, or
legislative arenas. I possess excellent written and oral
communication skills and other media talents (photography,
graphics, publication design).
Experience
AMERICAN SOCIETY OF CIVIL ENGINEERS (ASCE), Reston, Virginia (
March 2011 - March, 2013
Oldest civil engineer organization with more than 140,000 members
worldwide.
Senior Manager - External Communications: Direct all facets of external
communications, liaising with media representatives nationwide, including
Washington, DC press corp. Provide strategic support to assist Society
members with managing local media relationships. Serve as an instructor in
ASCE's PR University training program, providing media and news business
overviews and outlining management tactics.
Achievements:
. Spearheaded highly successful media campaign, placing economic reports on
civil infrastructure with key members of the press, including
representatives of The Washington Post, Reuters, Bloomberg, and Politico,
negotiating embargoed terms and securing highly favorable coverage.
. Orchestrated ENR Magazine cover story on ASCE accident investigation
teams that were deployed to Japan in the wake of the tsunami, generating
high-profile coverage.
August 2006 - Senior Communications Consultant
March 2011 Allstate Insurance Company
Capital Region Fairfax VA
Allstate's Capital Region represents the states of Virginia, West Virginia,
Maryland, Delaware and the District of Columbia. As Senior Communications
Consultant, I am responsible for all media relations outreach for Allstate
in these five states, as well as all legislative media and public affairs
outreach.
In addition, I am a member of Allstate's National Catastrophe Team which
responds when disasters such as hurricanes or flooding strike the country.
In this position, I also worked extensively with the Marketing Department
on special events such as high school sports sponsorships, and I work
closely with the Allstate Foundation and its philanthropic arenas.
I work closely with Allstate Exclusive Agents to secure earned media for
their businesses, and through them and their staff pitch op-eds, letters to
the editor, and guest columnists. I also coordinated a free gas giveaway
in Alexandria, Virginia, to highlight the most improved drives in America.
The event was carried live beginning at 6 a.m. on WRC TV, WTTG, WJLA, Fox
Network, WTOP, with additional coverage from WUSA. A second event in
Alexandria involved the donation of a "bait car" for auto theft, which also
was covered by WRC, WJLA, WTTG and WTOP.
On the legislative side, I was responsible for generating Allstate's
Regional CAPlac electronic newsletter in which agents and Allstate staff
are updated on the various activities of the General Assemblies when they
are in session, or during special session, or providing election results. I
also wrote and coordinated an ad campaign in Delaware to defeat legislation
which would have prohibited insurance companies from using credit scores to
determine insurance premiums.
December 2004 - Media Communications Manager
August 2006 Northeast Regional Office
National Federation of Independent Business
Silver Spring, Maryland
NFIB is the nation's largest small-business advocacy organization. In this
position, I was responsible for all media relations and communications
issued from the 11 states that comprise the Northeast Region of NFIB,
ranging from Maryland to Maine. This includes pitching stories to
reporters and issuing news releases, state reports, state member ballots,
web content, fax alerts, PAC solicitations and many other pieces of member
information. The position also edited state publications to ensure they
subscribe to NFIB style. The position also generated talking points for
NFIB members and NFIB's sales force. I also set up editorial board
meetings for NFIB state directors to discuss legislative issues.
In the first year of this new position, I generated 570 clips with a
circulation of 32.3 million in the first year. Among other highlights was
the use of web page banner ads in New Jersey's gubernatorial race and in a
campaign to defeat a proposed constitutional amendment in New York; and a
first-ever gubernatorial forum in Trenton, N.J. where seven out of eight
candidates for New Jersey's governor's race participated. The event
generated tremendous media attention in New Jersey as well as in the New
York and Philadelphia media markets.
Another highlight was the battle over the so-called Wal-Mart bill in
Maryland which requires businesses with 10,000 or more employees to pay
eight percent of payroll on health insurance or pay into a state fund.
Small-business owners oppose such mandates, and when the General Assembly
voted to override the governor's veto NFIB generated media coverage on
ABC's Good Morning America, CNBC, PBS' Nightly Business Report, the New
York Times and others.
November 1998 - Public Relations Coordinator
November 2004 Virginia Department of Transportation -Culpeper District
Responsible for arranging all media activities relating to VDOT operations
in nine Central Virginia counties (from Fauquier to Albemarle); primary
spokesperson for the department conducting interviews with local TV
stations, radio and newspapers; coordinate publication of monthly
newsletter; produce annual calendar and other internal public/media
relations. I organize special events for VDOT, ranging from ribbon
cuttings to a Civil War-era bridge opening ceremony at the Rappahannock
River, the site of the largest cavalry battle of the war.
January 1987 - Public Relations Specialist
August 1998 National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB)
In this position I coordinated political outreach throughout the country,
including organizing weeklong statewide media/political tours in Montana
and Missouri. I traveled with the President of NFIB to organize interviews
and speaking engagements, and acted as his liaison with local and state
officials. Prior to my promotion to national political/media outreach and
special events, I was responsible for generating as much print and
electronic media exposure as possible for the legislative and membership
activities of 17 NFIB state directors on the East Coast. The "earned"
media is generated by news releases based on surveys, testimony, membership
meetings, and op-ed pieces proposing legislation or reacting to legislative
initiatives.
October 1979 - U.S. Small Business Administration
June 1986 Washington, D.C.
Hired to conduct media and Congressional relations for SBA's disaster
assistance program, I was promoted to special assistant in the Office of
Public Communications where I was one of two principal spokespersons for
the SBA
April 1977 - Elmira Star-Gazette Newspaper
September 1979 Elmira, N.Y.
General assignment reporter with emphasis on feature stories. Specific
beats included police, courts and City Hall. Other assignments included
auto racing at Watkins Glen Grand Prix, music and drama reviews.
Education Virginia Commonwealth University
BS, Mass Communications May 1977
Member National Press Club and Society of Professional
Journalists
Contact this candidate