Frances Anne Hardin

**** – **th Street, NW #*

Washington, DC 20009

M 202-***-**** / 202-***-****

STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS. WRITING & EDTING. MEDIA RELATIONS. VIDEO PRODUCTION & SCRIPT WRITING. EVENT PLANNING. C-SUITE TRAINING.

VOICE-OVER ARTIST & COACH.

ACTIVE SECRET CLEARANCE

Strategic communications and media expert, writer/editor with a record of success in international and domestic arenas

USAID projects: newsletter writer/editor for American Schools and Hospitals Abroad; developed/implemented communications strategy for agricultural land reform (Tajikistan), communications strategy for education project – Nigeria; International report writing for policy and message development; media relations, journalism training, and event planning. Stood up communications section for project in Afghanistan.

DoD experience: communications strategy for the African Center for Strategic Studies – a National Defense University think tank.

Additional expertise: public policy, politics, award-winning video production (writer, producer, director); layout, design, writing, and editing of brochures, newsletters. Coach for public speaking and interviews.

Experience in fast-paced newsrooms and war zones (Afghanistan). CNN White House correspondent. Media and presentation trainer whose clients frequently appear on broadcast media. Voice-over artist. Active secret clearance.

Legislative Aide U.S. Congress (Senior. staffer on labor legislation.)

Recent Consultancies

DoD - National Defense University: Africa Center for Strategic Studies (research center affiliated with the NDU – Fort McNair). Consultant. Revised & updated the ACSS communications strategy. August 2021 – March 2022.

American Schools and Hospitals Abroad (ASHA - USAID). August 2020 – April 2021. Communications Advisor. Writer/Editor for ASHA Newsletter, ASHA Bulletin. Edited biennial report. Reviewed and advised on content of ASHA website and intranet. Wrote speeches and coached the presenters.

Eccalon LLC February – May 2020

Communications strategist and writer for high-tech firm’s cyber-security division. Job eliminated during COVID 19 pandemic.

USAID Data Services Consultant August 2019 – March 2020

Marketing and communications consultant to USAID Data Services

Significant Positions

Senior Press Officer. International Monetary Fund (IMF). 1992 to 2007.

Developed, implemented long-range communications strategies for Africa and ad hoc objectives, including roadshows for major IMF research papers. Traveled internationally with IMF Managing Director and c-suite executives to presidential and ministerial summits. Conducted press conferences in French and English. Developed and conducted training seminars for African business and economic reporters in Tanzania and the Republic of Congo. Cultivated relations with reporters and editors for story development and op-ed placement. Worked closely with economists to clarify complex financial packages for both specialized and general media. Tracked economic development plans for borrowing countries; wrote and disseminated press releases. Wrote, directed, and produced award-winning $2million video series on economic issues.

White House Correspondent. CNN. 1984 to 1992. Covered the administrations of Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush. Significant assignments included coverage of the Moscow Summit of Bush and Gorbachev - nuclear arms pact, July 1991. Guest commentator: C-SPAN, BBC, National Public Radio.

Other Experience - Private Sector and USAID Experience

(reverse chronology – recent first)

Development Outreach and Communications Specialist (DOC). USAID Mission Southern Africa (Pretoria, South Africa). October – November 2017.

Wrote/edited success stories, fact sheets, speeches, talking points and presentations for division chiefs. Prepared briefings for top management. Wrote and edited the mission’s weekly newsletter. Liaison to YALI (Young African Leaders Initiative), attended and tracked events. Revised mission’s stylebook. Tutored foreign service national (FSN) staff in English writing. Coached front office staff on public presentations. Liaison to U.S. Embassy. Developed itinerary for new U.S. Consul General to visit USAID projects in the Cape Town area.

Strategic Communications Consultant – USAID Land Reform and follow-on Market Reform Project. Tajikistan. 2014 – 2017 intermittent missions

Collaborated on development and implementation of communications strategy for USAID land market reform. The successful strategy included media outreach, television and radio broadcasts, agricultural newspaper, theatrical performances, journalism workshops, dispute resolution strategies, development, and implementation of survey research and focus groups.

Strategic Communications Consultant – USAID Northern Education Initiative Plus (Nigeria). January 2016

Developed program launches for NEI-Plus (reading program for children) in northern Nigeria. Developed the project’s 5-year communications strategy.

USAID –Director of Communications. Kabul, Afghanistan. 2011 (9 months).

Developed statements of work, interviewed, hired, and trained FSN (foreign service nationals) communications staff. Engaged in strategic outreach to the Afghan financial and entrepreneurial community, telecommunications, academia, NGOs, U.S. and other NATO forces, diplomats, ministries, and the Central Bank of Afghanistan. Addressed women’s caucus of Afghan legislature. Additional responsibilities: branding and marking, media relations, report writing, layout and design of progress reports, video production, event planning, gender mainstreaming, oversight on training programs for women entrepreneurs, advising and financing of woman-owned businesses. Wrote, directed, and produced video on mobile money, which took the top prize in the USAID Chief of Party competition. The video was broadcast on Afghan TV stations. A short version is available on YouTube, search “mobile money Afghanistan.”

USAID – Communications Advisor. Tbilisi, Georgia. 2007. Advisor to the Georgian Minister of Finance and Economic Development. Revised the Ministry’s strategic communications plans; developed a public affairs TV series to inform Georgians of tax and customs reforms. Produced promotional video used by the Ministry of Finance for its “Invest in Georgia” roadshows in Vienna, New York, and London.

Freelance writer.

***

Other Experience

Communications Associate. Africa Center for Strategic Studies (National Defense University -DoD research center, Fort McNair). January 2010 to January 2011. Strategic communications. Raised the public profile of ACSS by cultivating relationships with journalists in the U.S., Europe, and Africa. Wrote and disseminated press releases, advisories, and website content. Coached ACSS academic staff for more effective public speaking and interviews with print and broadcast journalists. Placed subject matter experts on national and international broadcast outlets. Responsible for overall coordination of high-level conference on Sudan for the Department of Defense with speakers from the Pentagon, State Department, and academia.

Vice President. Widmeyer Communications (Finn Partners company – public affairs) Washington DC. July 1992 to July 1993. Developed business with international clients. Event planning: organized reception for the wife of President of the Russian Federation. Supervised the company’s broadcast staff. Seconded to Moscow following the collapse of the Soviet Union for media outreach project to Russian broadcasters.

Legislative Aide, U.S. Congress. Committee on Education and Labor. Lead staff member for hearings, drafting and passage of Age Discrimination in Employment Act.

Short-term Projects

Pew Charitable Trusts. Developed contacts and conducted media outreach campaigns to African news outlets for Pew survey on attitudes towards religion.

American Film Institute. Consultant for AFI’s 2008 Project 20/20, a global cultural initiative of AFI and the State Department. Coordinated film festivals with U.S. Embassies and cinematheques in Lithuania, Peru, and Israel, which featured the works of American, independent directors.

Voice-over Artist. Documentaries, PSAs and commercials.

***

Coach: Media and Presentation Training. Current and former clients include senior officer with major international bank, Harvard faculty member, President of the Republic of Congo, broadcast journalists, academics, Library of Congress staff, Office of the Director of National Intelligence staff, American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers. Clients may be heard/seen regularly on broadcast outlets including NPR, BBC, CNBC-Final Bell.

Education

Master of Science: Journalism. Columbia University. Scripps Howard Fellow.

Master of Science: History. Cornell University School of Industrial and Labor Relations. Cornell and Ford Fellowships.

Bachelor of Arts: Political Science. University of California at Berkeley.

Courses, Seminars, Workshops. Seminars, workshops on Social Media Skills for Journalists (Columbia University- Graduate School of Journalism), Speechwriting (Georgetown University). International Monetary Fund training: Fundamentals of Management; Team Leadership; Negotiating Skills; Giving and Receiving Feedback; Review of Macroeconomics. French, Russian, Spanish

Organizations

Judge for Robert Kennedy Memorial Journalism Awards, National Press Club Journalism Awards, DuPont-Columbia University Broadcast Awards.

Boards of Directors - memberships. National Press Club. International Women’s Media Foundation (founding member), Women’s Foreign Policy Group (founding member), International Center for Journalists. Washington Press Club Foundation. Advisory Board Member: Women in Film and Video. African Press Organization. President’s Council of Cornell Women. Cornell University Councilor. Class Agent – Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.

Memberships: National Press Club. Public Relations Society of America. Women in Film and Video. Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority.

Languages: French, basic Russian and Spanish.

Awards: Cine Golden Eagle for “Inside Money – How the IMF Works” (video). First Place USAID video: Mobile Money – Afghanistan. Awards from various international film competitions.

-30-

Contact this candidate