Customer Service Management
Resume:
JANET K. SMITH, APR
Lee's Summit, MO 64064
*****@******************.***
Synopsis
For the past 12 years, I have been self-employed as a public relations and
employee morale consultant. Previously, I was with Blue Cross and Blue
Shield of Kansas City for nearly 15 years and was the assistant vice
president of public relations when I resigned near the end of 1998 to heed
the call of entrepreneurship.
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
2007 - 2010: Self-employed as an employee morale and reputation consultant
with The Power of Goodwill, LLC, a company that I founded. Services include
conducting employee morale assessments using proprietary software, focus
group research, and one-on-one interviews; management training and
leadership mentoring; strategic
planning facilitation; team building workshops; disaster preparedness
planning; employee communication programs; onboarding programs; gossip
management and minimization; assistance with difficult workplace situations
including terminations, layoffs, mergers, reorganizations, changes in
leadership, co-worker conflicts, crisis situations, lawsuits, and negative
media coverage; development of employee value statements; redefining
workplace norms; and social media policies. Major accomplishments include:
. Assessed the level of employee morale within client organizations using
qualitative and quantitative research methods; developed comprehensive
reports with recommendations for increasing morale and addressing other
key organizational issues; met with CEOs to review and discuss findings
and solutions; assisted with implementing recommendations.
. Facilitated nearly 100 focus groups on behalf of a variety of clients.
. Provided one-on-one management mentoring to CEOs and other members of
management in client organizations on issues including organizational
structure; employee communications; hiring, performance appraisals and
performance improvement; recognition and rewards; conflict resolution;
anger management; and leadership skills.
. Received about 25 invitations to speak or hold workshops for
organizations including the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce,
Lee's Summit Chamber of Commerce, the National School Public Relations
Association, YouthFriends, Unity World Headquarters, The Foundation
Workshop, Lee's Summit Cares, the University of Iowa, and various
chapters of Rotary and The American Business Women's Association. Topics
included, "An Introduction to Employee Onboarding," "The Power of
Employee Morale," "Reputation 101," "Demystifying Publicity," and "The
Dirt on Workplace Gossip."
. Facilitated strategic planning meetings for the management teams of
client organizations.
. Led a client's employee crisis planning team through a three-month
process to develop an in-depth disaster preparedness manual, which also
included a crisis communication plan.
1999 - 2009: Self-employed with Expansion Communications, a full-service
public relations firm and sole proprietorship that I founded. Services
offered included issues management, special event planning, non-profit
management, strategic planning, focus group facilitation, media relations,
online and social media; publications and
copywriting, counsel to leadership, crisis planning and management, and
internal communications. Clients included
Cramer Products, La Strada dell'Arte Street Painting Festival, First Downs
for Down Syndrome, Mr. Goodcents Subs and Pastas, The Kansas City Teaching
Fellows, the Midwest Institute of Natural Healing, Applebee's, 7-Eleven,
Harrisonville, Mo. School District, Jefferson City, Mo. School District,
Kansas Action for Healthy Kids, TC Dance Club International, Vivius, City
of Blue Springs, Blue Springs WellLink/Dental For Kids, and StandUp Blue
Springs. Major accomplishments include:
JANET SMITH - PAGE 2
. Pitched story ideas to print and broadcast media on behalf of more than
50 clients, resulting in nearly 1,000 positive newspaper and magazine
articles as well as coverage on radio and TV.
. Served as executive director of Kansas City's La Strada dell'Arte Street
Painting Festival for three years (2001-2003). I worked year around
planning all aspects of this two-day event held at Union Station that
attracted several hundred artists and thousands of visitors, and received
significant media coverage.
. Successfully completed all documentation necessary for achieving
501(c)(3) status for Blue Springs WellLink--a new non-profit
organization; developed and established Dental for Kids which was
WellLink's primary program. This unique model for providing free dental
care to low-income children received significant attention from non-
profits, school districts, and dental organizations throughout the
country, many of which hoped to replicate this extremely successful
program.
. Created the Princess Party, a signature annual fundraising event for the
Dental for Kids program, and planned and oversaw the event for four
years. (The seventh annual Princess Party took place October 2, 2010, and
is still going strong!)
. Wrote successful grant proposals for La Strada dell'Arte and Blue Springs
WellLink/Dental for Kids.
. Planned and successfully launched a consumer-driven healthcare company
named Vivius, achieving media coverage in almost every major national
healthcare publication.
. Wrote a health and wellness column, "Blue Springs WellLink," that ran
every other week in the Eastern Jackson County Examiner for two years.
. Facilitated more than100 focus groups on behalf of a variety of clients.
. Planned and executed a successful issues management project for 7-Eleven,
resolving a contentious situation brewing between an urban 7-Eleven
storeowner and neighborhood homeowners.
. Planned and facilitated two full-day Publicity Boot Camp workshops.
. Collaborated with another public relations professional to plan,
implement, and oversee the state-mandated public school district planning
process for two Missouri school districts.
. Planned and executed a community street painting festival for the City of
Blue Springs.
. Developed an award-winning media kit for Cramer Products' 90th
anniversary that generated significant media coverage in local media and
trade publications.
. With less than three months' lead time, planned and executed every aspect
of a two-day, state-wide teen wellness event for Kansas Action for
Healthy Kids-including marketing, meals and accommodations, speakers,
activities, media, volunteers, and donations.
1984 - 1998: Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City. I was hired as a
Communications Specialist, and was incrementally promoted to Assistant Vice
President of Public Relations.
. 1984 - 1986: Communications Specialist
. 1986 - 1987: Senior Communications Specialist
. 1987 - 1988: Manager of Corporate Communications
. 1988 - 1997: Director of Corporate Communications
. 1997 - 1998: Assistant Vice President of Public Relations
Major accomplishments include:
. Developed and carried out a detailed plan to introduce a new CEO (brought
in unexpectedly) to 1,600 employees in six locations--simultaneously.
. Led a volunteer employee group through a process to develop a new company
core values statement; introduced the new statement to employees at all
locations; and achieved buy-in and long-term support from employees
through ongoing tie-ins with engaging, interactive events.
. Served as corporate spokesperson during a two-year period when the
company was embroiled in a very visible public corruption scandal that
received relentless negative media coverage.
JANET SMITH - PAGE 3
. Managed a staff of employees that ranged in size from 12 - 25, that
handled media relations, advertising, internal and external
communications, event planning, and community relations.
. Recommended and oversaw a complete overhaul of the company's methods of
internal communication, following research among employees to find out
where improvements could be made.
. Planned and managed a budget that ranged from $500,000.00 -
$1,000,000.00.
. Served as director of the company's charitable foundation and oversaw the
company's charitable donations, community involvement, and philanthropic
efforts.
. Provided ongoing counsel to the CEO on public relations issues, including
recommendations for communicating clearly and accurately with employees,
client groups, individual customers, brokers, the medical community,
regulators, and the public.
. Recommended the convening of 17 focus groups attended by the company's
125 customer service representatives; facilitated the focus groups and
wrote an extensive report for the CEO that detailed research findings and
provided recommendations for work environment changes and enhancements
that would increase company trust and loyalty among customer service
representatives. Over the course of several years, nearly all
recommendations were implemented.
. Was a member of top-level management teams assembled to explore the
feasibility of an IPO and two mergers.
Summer 1991 and Spring 1993: Park College Graduate School of Public
Affairs. As an adjunct professor,
I taught "Communications and Marketing for Nonprofit/Community
Organizations."
EDUCATION and CREDENTIALS
. B.A. degree in management with an emphasis in marketing from Webster
University, St. Louis, Mo. (Kansas City campus). Graduated with
departmental honors.
. Accredited in the practice of public relations by the Public Relations
Society of America.
PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS and VOLUNTEER POSITIONS
. Member, Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce
. Member, Lee's Summit Chamber of Commerce
-Serve on the Ambassador's Committee (new member recruitment)
. Volunteer - Hope House domestic violence shelter, Lee's Summit, MO
. Volunteer - Woods Chapel United Methodist Church, Lee's Summit, MO
-Steering committee member for the church's annual Prom Boutique
. Volunteer - American Lung Association, Kansas City, MO
-Auction chair for the April 2011 Gala
. Member, Public Relations Society of America (PRSA)
-Board positions with the Greater Kansas City PRSA Chapter have
included special events chair,
membership chair, communications chair, professional development
chair, president-elect, delegate to the national organization,
and chapter president.
HONORS AND AWARDS
. 2010: My company, The Power of Goodwill, was nominated as a Top Small
Business for the annual small business recognition program sponsored by
the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce.
. 2006: Recipient of the Distinguished Volunteer award, presented annually
by the Greater Kansas City Chapter of the Public Relations Society of
America.
. 1992: Named Kansas City's Public Relations Professional of the Year by
the Greater Kansas City Chapter of the Public Relations Society of
America.
. 1992: Named Business Associate of the Year by the Happy Rock Diamond
Chapter of the American Business Women's Association.
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