Communications, Public Relations, Media Relations

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE:

Netradyne – San Francisco, CA April 2022 – Present

Senior Communications Manager

As the first in-house communications professional, I lead all global communications, public relations, and media relations initiatives, consistently achieving a 94% positive increase in brand awareness, reputation, media coverage, and industry share of voice.

•Corporate Communications: Lead and execute Netradyne's Series D funding news, securing top-tier media coverage in Axios, TechCrunch, Fortune, WSJ, Quartz, Forbes, and MarketWatch, positioning the company as a unicorn and industry leader in AI-powered fleet safety. Working with investors and the CEO to craft messaging, write the press release, media train, coach, and prepare the CEO for tier one press briefings, conducted media outreach, secured the exclusive and garnered top tier business coverage.

•Strategic Product Launches: Successfully lead critical product launches, resulting in an impressive 87% surge in media exposure and a substantial 73% increase in product sales.

•Global Media Relations: Establish and nurture relationships with key media, press, and industry influencers to ensure consistent and positive global coverage across industry trades, technology, and business outlets.

•Compelling Content Creation: Develop impactful content, including press releases, media pitches, media kits, byline articles, and social media posts, that effectively communicate key messages and achievements.

•Crisis Communication Expertise: Manage all crisis communication strategies during high-stakes situations by preparing leadership to serve as the primary spokesperson during sensitive situations and mitigating reputational risks while maintaining a positive brand perception.

•Thought Leadership: Drive thought leadership initiatives, positioning executives as industry experts through speaking engagements, bylines, awards, and media interviews—Forbes Councils expert, securing executive placements on all Forbes Councils.

•Cross-Functional Collaboration: Collaborate cross-functionally with marketing, sales, and product teams to ensure consistent messaging and alignment across all communication channels.

•Media Monitoring and Measurement: Monitor media coverage and implement measurement strategies. Evaluate the success of PR initiatives and adjust tactics accordingly.

•Award Wins: Identify and craft winning submissions for multiple industry awards, including Forbes Top AI50, Forbes Best Startup 2023-2025, Gold Stevie American Business Award for Transportation Product of the Year (twice), Heavy Duty Trucking Top Product (three times), API:WORLD Best Automotive API, AI Breakthrough Award, and more.

Vidyard – San Francisco, CA April 2021 – April 2022

Senior Public Relations and Communications Manager

Demonstrated proven expertise and leadership by orchestrating global external and internal communications, media relations, public relations, corporate communications, and analyst relations for Vidyard, an enterprise SaaS startup specializing in video messaging and analytics.

•Strategic Growth: Cultivated 100% YoY growth in PR programs, propelling Vidyard to first place in industry share of voice, securing top-tier media features, mentions, and broadcast interviews.

•Campaign Excellence: Orchestrated over fifteen original PR campaigns in under six months, generating $16 million in earned media coverage and reinforcing Vidyard's market presence.

•Executive Communications: Directed all executive communications programs, crafting ongoing Forbes byline submissions and thought leadership content. Edited news releases, web content, handbooks, pitches, and related materials.

•Crisis Management: Successfully managed corporate crisis communications, navigating issues related to restructuring, legal matters, HR concerns, disaster preparation, and security.

•High-Impact PR Programs: Developed and executed impactful PR initiatives, including new product launches, media tours, virtual and in-person events, awards, and speaking engagements.

•Brand Equity Building: Focused on PR programs designed to drive business growth and build brand equity, securing consistent coverage in tier-one business and business-tech outlets, including Forbes, Fortune, NYT, WSJ, Business Insider, TechRepublic, eWeek, TechCrunch, Diginomica, and VentureBeat.

Cisco Systems – San Francisco, CA September 2020 – February 2021

Executive Communications Manager

Contract to define and execute strategic executive communications, thought leadership, social media, and communications strategies for the VP and Head of Customer Experience and Digital Transformation.

•Holistic Communication Strategies: Led the definition and execution of a comprehensive four-pillar communications strategy for the VP and Head of Customer Experience and Digital Transformation.

•Strategic Partnership: Aligned, advised, and collaborated with executives to design and implement holistic communication strategies, focusing on executive communications, external communications, and thought leadership.

•Integrated Business Communications: Developed strategic programs for integrated businesses, spanning traditional and social media relations, digital communications, and marketing initiatives, ensuring synergy between internal and external communication efforts.

•Project Management: Oversaw all aspects of executive communications, driving content creation and messaging that effectively communicated top-level messages to diverse audiences, including customers, partners, employees, and influencers.

•Standards Development: Championed insights-driven standards for communications efforts focused on measurement, collaboration, and continuous growth.

•Data-Driven Approach: Utilized data and analytics to inform approaches, gain insights into performance, and evolve strategies.

•Dynamic Presentations: Delivered dynamic, strategic, and persuasive presentations that conveyed key ideas to internal and external audiences.

Piper, Inc. – San Francisco, CA January 2019 – February 2020

Head of Communications

After an extremely successful Q4 2017 as a consultant heading up communications and public relations, a new CEO offered an in-house role as Head of Communications in 2019. Managing a team, Piper was elevated to an industry leader in education, ed-tech, and direct-to-consumer STEM education toy markets.

•Sales and Business Growth Media Coverage Impact: In Q4 2019, orchestrated proactive media relations campaigns that garnered over 700M impressions with a media value exceeding $115M and tripled sales year over year.

•Comprehensive Communication Leadership: Led all facets of communications, including public relations, media relations, marketing communications, social media, content development, external, internal, executive, and corporate communications campaigns such as product launches, influencer programs, funding announcements, investment relations, and thought leadership initiatives.

•Strategic Event Participation: Initiated and led the company's debut at major industry events—including CES 2020, SXSW EDU, TechCrunch Disrupt, ISTE, and four additional high-profile press and industry gatherings—strategically positioning the brand for maximum exposure and credibility.

•Award Recognitions: Successfully identified, submitted, and won accolades, including Newsweek's Best in STEM product, Best in Show ISTE 2019, STEM.org's The EdTech Awards, and Best STEM Toy 2019. Recognized as PC Mag's Best STEM Gift 2017-2021 and featured in TechCrunch Holiday Gift Guide 2019-2021.

•Top-Tier Media Coverage and Recognition: Established evergreen storytelling and fostered enduring press relationships, resulting in consistent coverage in prestigious publications such as WIRED, The New York Times-Wirecutter, New York Magazine's The Strategist, PC Mag, Business Insider, IEEE Spectrum, Parenting, Huffington Post, The Wall Street Journal, and national/local broadcast spots on ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, CW, CNN, and more.

Unison – San Francisco, CA January 2018 – September 2018

Corporate Communications Manager

Executed a project-based contract role focused on cultivating brand awareness through strategic public relations, corporate communications, public affairs, media relations, thought leadership, investment relations, and social media initiatives.

•Innovative Customer PR Programs: Established and led the inaugural customer PR program, resulting in over 150 top-tier media hits, enhancing the company's customer-centric narrative.

•Media Placements and Campaign Success: Established and nurtured vital press relationships and industry influencer connections, resulting in media placements across business, news, financial services, finance industry trades, and consumer lifestyle publications and orchestrated PR and communications campaigns that consistently secured coverage in respected outlets such as Domino, Forbes, MarketWatch, NYT, WSJ, TechCrunch, VentureBeat, CNBC, and relevant tech, fintech, and finance trades.

•Leadership Preparation and Messaging: Prepared senior leadership with ongoing media training for press briefings and speaker training programs and developed key messages, narratives, and talking points to ensure consistent and impactful communication.

•Content Creation: Drove online content creation initiatives, including annual reports, blog posts, newsletters, webinars, videos, and case studies. PR campaigns achieved a 93% increase in content downloads, subscribers, and views.

Coursera – Mountain View, CA January 2017 – September 2017 Senior Communications Manager

Spearheaded the establishment of best-practice enterprise PR, media relations, corporate and executive communications, and social media programs for the enterprise business unit of a prominent online education company during a project-based contract.

•Quantifiable Impact: Elevated media coverage in quality and quantity, achieving a 56% increase in the US, a remarkable 94% increase in global coverage, and a substantial 77% increase in tier-one media coverage.

•Global Press and Influencer Engagement: Cultivated and nurtured press and influencer relationships globally across top-tier business, industry trades, consumer, technology, and education outlets and managed four global PR agencies, fostering a consistent global press coverage pipeline.

•Executive Thought Leadership: Created and managed executive thought leadership programs, securing impactful byline placements in outlets such as The Muse, Fortune, Fast Company, Forbes, Inc., and Business Insider: facilitated speaker training and presentation development for keynotes, panel participation, and industry awards.

•Customer PR Programs: Led all customer PR initiatives, collaborating with marquee customers for press interviews, testimonials, and social media campaigns. Achievements included in-person meetings with The Wall Street Journal and placements in top-tier publications like The Economist, The New York Times, Quartz, and CNBC.

•International B2B Enterprise Launch: Orchestrated the PR launch of the new B2B enterprise business in France and the EMEA regions, partnering with marquee customer L'Oréal. Managed a successful launch press tour featuring the CEO in Paris, resulting in extensive coverage across various media outlets.

Adobe – Lehi, UT July 2015 – June 2016

Senior Manager Public Relations

Directed comprehensive external, corporate, executive, product, partner, and customer public relations, marketing communications, media relations, and thought leadership programs for Adobe Analytics, a cornerstone of the Adobe Experience Cloud.

•Media Relations Impact: Leading media and analyst relations efforts, significant coverage was secured across tech, trade, regional, national, and business press in B2C and B2B markets, resulting in a remarkable 175% year-over-year increase.

•Product Launch Excellence: Orchestrated impactful external product communications programs, notably the annual Adobe Analytics product launch, achieving record-breaking press coverage within the Adobe Experience Cloud.

•Executive Branding and Thought Leadership: Elevated market share of voice and executive profiles through strategic communications programs. Secured multiple executive bylines in The New York Times, Fortune, and ongoing Forbes Technology and Business Council submissions, resulting in six keynote speaking opportunities at high-profile events.

•Results-Driven PR Agency Supervision: Efficiently managed two external PR agencies, crafting campaigns for sustained, non-news-dependent, ongoing product and corporate coverage.

•Award-Winning Analyst Relations: Led successful analyst relations efforts, contributing to the first two Gartner Magic Quadrant wins and the inaugural Forrester Wave win.

SDPR, Communications – San Francisco, CA January 2007 – June 2015

Independent Public Relations Consultant

Strategic PR Leadership: Specialized in public relations, communications, and thought leadership programs, encompassing speaking engagements, award submissions, byline creation, media relations, social media, product launches, product reviews, press tours, analyst relations, and strategies driving high-profile media coverage, increased brand awareness, and enhanced sales conversions.

•Diverse Client Portfolio: Catered to a broad client base, including B2B giants like Cisco DevNet, GoodData, Lendio, NComputing, and INRIX, along with B2C leaders such as Dell, Alienware, Motorola, and NitroPDF. Extensive experience with industry organizations like BayBio and the Games Developer Association of Australia.

•Media Coverage Highlights: Consistently achieved coverage in renowned publications like Newsweek, Bloomberg, The Financial Times, Forbes, Fortune, TechCrunch, and many others, solidifying brands' presence in B2B and B2C markets.

•Head of Communications Achievements: Led all communications initiatives for kannuu, Inc., launching the company at the DEMO conference and setting up the first community-supported mobile developer network.

•International Project Success: I headed communications for the startup Adstream and relocated to London for a project-based contract. Directed international media relations campaigns, supporting the launch of four offices across EMEA and in the UK, and orchestrated successful product launches.

EDUCATION: University of Dallas – Irving, TX Bachelor of Arts, English Literature

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