JAMON A. SMITH

302-***-**** (cell)

EXPERIENCE

The University of Montevallo

January 2022 – March 2023

Montevallo, Ala.

Communications Specialist

●Edits all university-written content for internal and external audiences

●Writes press releases

●Writes articles for the university website

●Writes weekly newsletter content

●Writes alumni magazine content

●Writes announcements

●Writes president’s letters and announcements

●Writes marketing communications content such as donor pieces and one-sheets

●Writes niche publications

●Manage student workers

●Manage quarterly magazine

●Follows local, state, national and world news and to identify trending topics in order to offer the media University experts in those areas to interview

●Serves on the crisis communications team

●Interviews faculty, staff, students and alumni

●Represents the University at various functions

●Collaborates with photographers, marketers, graphic designers, videographers, social media and web design team

●Contributes to brainstorming sessions

●Researches information for content

●Duties as assigned

The University of Montevallo

August 2022 – Present Montevallo, Ala.

Adjunct Professor

●Teaches Introduction to Mass Communications and Features Writing

●Edits papers

●Leads classes in current events discussions

●Creates lesson plans, AP Style exams, quizzes on current events, PowerPoint presentations

●Teaches journalism style, reporting, interviewing and various news writing techniques such as feature writing, writing for the web, social media, press releases, writing for broadcast and print media

●Utilizes textbooks, newspapers, staff resources, the internet and technology in creating and implementing lesson plans ● Manages students

The University of Alabama January 2016 – January 2022 Tuscaloosa, Ala.

Communications Specialist

●Wrote brand-color articles for The University of Alabama News Center

Wrote press releases

Wrote articles for Research magazine and Alabama Alumni Magazine

●Wrote content for University websites such as the new Commencement, Where Legends Are Made and Strategic Plan pages

●Wrote niche publications for the University such as the history of Boone Cabin brochure

●Conducted daily media reports on University global news hits using Meltwater and Google Alerts

●Led special projects such as campus 2020 Census and voter registration communications efforts

●Used the Merit system to send student achievements to their hometown newspapers and create student brag/praise pages that compile their media-worthy achievements while at the University

●Contributed to brainstorming sessions

●Researched information for article content

●Interviewed faculty, staff, students, alumni and a variety of other people

●Took photos for News Center stories

●Collaborated with photographers, graphic designers, videographers, social media team and web developers to create multimedia content such as with the Tiny House project

●Pitched media

●Connected media to University faculty for interviews

●Formed and maintains relationships with University faculty members to identify their research and generate content that’s promoted to the media

●Formed relationships with media professionals to invite coverage of positive University news

●Hosted media at University events

●Followed local, state, national and world news and to identify trending topics in order to offer the media University experts in those areas to interview

●Served on the crisis communications team

●Served on the diversity committee

●Used Microsoft Sway and Adobe Spark to create visual stories

The University of Alabama

August 2011 – May 2022

Tuscaloosa, Ala.

Instructor

●Teaches a journalism 311 and 303 news writing and reporting lab

●Edits papers

●Leads classes in current events discussions

●Creates lesson plans, quizzes on AP Style, quizzes on current events

●Teaches journalism style, reporting, interviewing and various news writing techniques such as feature writing, writing for the web, social media, press releases, writing for broadcast and print media

●Utilizes textbooks, newspapers, staff resources, the internet and technology in creating and implementing lesson plans

●Teaches hybrid online/in-person classes via Zoom

●Manages students

The University of Alabama

August 2018 – 2019 Tuscaloosa, Ala.

Commencement Event Staff

●Set up commencement check-in area

●Greeted and directed graduates

●Led graduates into the coliseum

●Served as security during commencement ceremony

●Cleaned commencement grounds after ceremonies ended

The Tuscaloosa News

October 2004 – December 2015 Tuscaloosa, Ala.

K-12 Education Reporter

●Served as the paper’s K-12 education reporter from 2008 to present

●Covered two large school systems comprised of 53 public schools as well as several private and religious schools

●Covered hundreds of school board meetings and school events

●Wrote in-depth articles on school issues, curriculum, programs, finance, progress and accountability

●Built relationships with state and local school administrators, board members, parents, teachers, education organization member heads and community members

Religion Reporter

●Served as the paper’s religion reporter from 2008 to present

●Covered events, religious holidays, community events, religions new to the area, sermons, the mayor’s Hope Initiative, religion’s response to controversial issues, pastors struggles, in-depth stories on religious conversion and more

●Built relationships with local religious leaders and experts on religion

Crime Reporter

●Served as the paper’s crime reporter from 2004 to 2008

●Covered fires, murders, live hostage situations, wrecks and numerous other crimes

●Went through a Fire Ops 101 training class to find out what it’s like to be a firefighter

●Wrote the daily cops blotter

●Built relationships with fire and law enforcement officers and heads, lawyers, ex-felons, community members and city officials who are pro-active in abating crime through creating policy and working with at-risk groups

Community Service Reporter

●Voluntarily served as the paper’s community service reporter from 2004 to 2008

●Revived a fading beat

●Covered more than one hundred events and activities for community service groups and organizations such as Arts ‘n Autism, Turning Point, Habitat for Humanity and Community Service Programs of West Alabama

●Built relationships with community organization leaders throughout the city and county

General Assignment Reporter

●Served as the paper’s general assignment reporter from 2004 to 2008 and afterward periodically as needed

●Covered everything from the impact of the April 27, 2011 tornadoes on Tuscaloosa to Alabama’s immigration bill to a 10-story series on how the city’s first black police officer, Willie Bies Jr., fought a decades-long battle to win a half-million dollars from the city for being denied his pension due to racial discrimination

●Built relations with residents, local and state government officials, college and university officials and people in businesses throughout the county

Work outside of reporting beats

●Wrote several feature stories for Tuscaloosa Magazine and had articles published in other magazines, such as the Southern Christian Leadership Conference National Magazine and education magazines

●Took photos and video for many of my own news stories

●Tweeted news in real time, including during the April 27, 2011 tornadoes and the inauguration of President Barack Obama, which I covered in Washington, D.C. for the paper

●Posted news tidbits, story teasers and full stories on Facebook

●Used social media to locate, investigate and contact sources

Blogged

Wrote breaking news and short story updates for the website

●Managed an intern and edited his work

Troy University Tropolitan Newspaper

August 2003 – December 2004

Troy, Ala.

Staff Writer

●Wrote columns on various topics such as restoring felon voting rights and campus racism

●Worked as a general assignment reporter covering various topics, including a story about the university’s failure to comply with a decades-old federal court order to hire additional black faculty members

Troy University Athletics Media Relations

January 2004 – December 2004

Troy, Ala.

Intern

●Updated and maintained the university athletics website

●Maintained and categorized athletic records

●Updated statistics in the media sports catalog

●Served as a liaison between the media and the university athletics department

Children’s Beach House May 2002 – September 2002 Lewes, Del.

Assistant Art Director, Teacher and Camp Counselor

●Created an art curriculum, taught art and physical education to elementary and middle school age children and who were at-risk or had special needs

●Planned and implemented field trips, daily activities such as dining etiquette and special projects such as sailing and egg drops

●Monitored children in the evenings and overnight

●Mentored children

●Was solely responsible for the safety and development of several children outside of the main group who were assigned to me 24 hours a day

Gulf Coast Treatment Center February 2002 – May 2002 Ft. Walton Beach, Fla.

Adolescent Substance Abuse Technician

●Supervised incarcerated juveniles who sold controlled substances or had substance abuse addictions.

●Mitigated disputes, fights and issues with juveniles

●Physically intervened when juveniles attempted to harm themselves or others ● Mentored juveniles

EDUCATION

Troy University August 1999 – May 2004

Troy, Ala.

● B.S., print journalism major and human services minor

Graduate school: intergrated communications, public relations

ACHIEVEMENTS

The University of Alabama & The Tuscaloosa News

●Won shared CASE District III awards – Grand Award and Award of Excellence – in 2019 for the fall 2018 “125 Years of Women at the Capstone” Alabama Alumni Magazine issue, which was an historic first for the magazine

●Won a shared silver award in the best of show category in the 2018 America Advertising Awards for the 2017 Research magazine

●Won third-place for best education story in the 2016 Alabama Associated Press Media Editors newspaper Contest

●Won first-place for best in-depth news coverage 2015 Alabama Press Association Better Newspaper Contest

●Won a shared third-place for community service in the 2014 Alabama Associated Press Media Editors newspaper contest

●Won first-place for group project reporting for the 2013 Associated Press Sports Editors Contest ● Won a shared Pulitzer Prize in the breaking news category in April 2012.

●Won first-place in the features news category for the 2012 Alabama Associated Press Media Editors Association awards.

●Won a shared first-place in the breaking news category for the 2012 Alabama Associated Press Media Editors Association awards

●Won a shared first-place in the community service category for the 2012 Alabama Associated Press Media Editors Association awards

●Won a shared first-place in the Best Public Service category of the 2012 Alabama Press Association’s Better Newspaper Contest

●Won a shared Story of the Year for “Survivors Crawl From the Rubble” in the 2012 Alabama Press Association’s Better Newspaper Contest

●Won second-place in the Best Local Education Coverage category of the 2012 Alabama Press Association’s Better Newspaper Contest

●Won second-place in the education news category for the 2011 Alabama Associated Press Association awards

●Won second-place in the education news category for the 2011 Alabama Associated Press Media Editors Association awards

●Received a full scholarship to the Religion Newswriters Association’s (RNA) annual conference in Denver, Colo. in September 2010

●Selected as writer of the quarter by The Tuscaloosa News in July 2010

●Completed the Investigative Reporters and Editors (IRE) Watchdog Journalism workshop in Birmingham in January 2010

●Was added to Troy University’s Hall School of Journalism Wall of Honor in August 2009

●Received a Lilly Scholarship in religion for journalists in August 2009

●Awarded the 2008-2009 Alabama District 6 Media Award of the Year by the Veterans of Foreign Wars

●Awarded the 2008-2009 Communications Award by the Veterans of Foreign Wars Ladies

Auxiliary

●Won first-place in the community service category for the 2008 Alabama Associated Press Media Editors Association awards

●Awarded The New York Times Co. Chairman’s Award for August 2008

●Received a full Ford Foundation fellowship to UNITY Journalist of Color conference in Chicago in July 2008

●Awarded the 2007 New York Times Co. Award for Exceptional Performance

●Selected as The Tuscaloosa News Writer of the Month in November 2006

●Awarded the 2006 Media Award for writer of the year by Turning Point, a nonprofit domestic violence organization

●Won a shared Associated Press Managing Editors Association’s First Amendment Award “in defense of a free press” in 2005 for pursuing the sheriff’s office in court

Completed a journalism bio-terrorism workshop in May 2005

Attended the UNITY Journalists of Color conference in D.C. in July 2004

ACTIVITIES

●Member of the Public Relations Council of Alabama from February 2016 to present

●Member of the Diversity Communications Committee from June 2018 to present

●Member of the Communication & Diversity Forum with the College of Communication and Information Sciences from September 2013 to present

●Member of the BFSA (Black Faculty and Staff Association) from November 2020 to present

●Volunteered as a mentor of the College of Communication and Information Sciences’ Oakley Society 2016-2017.

●Member of The Ochberg Society from April 2012 to present

●Member of RNA from January 2009-2013

●Member of IRE from January 2010-2012

●Member of NABJ from 2000-2003 and September 2010-2012

●Chaired The Tuscaloosa News diversity committee from January 2005-2015

●Was a mentor in The New York Times Co. mentoring program for several years

●Volunteered with the University of Alabama Multicultural Journalism Workshop for more than five years on and off

●Volunteered with Tuscaloosa Youth for Christ’s Campus Life Central High School staff from 2012-2016

●Served as a volunteer and guest speaker at numerous schools, colleges and youth programs such as Oakdale Elementary School since 2004

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