Professional
Experience

Communications Director — Texans for Andrew White

·    Lead all communications strategy for a statewide gubernatorial campaign, including media relations, digital communications, messaging, and rapid response.

·    Serve as principal spokesperson and press contact; draft and place press releases, statements, op-eds, and media advisories with local, state, and national outlets.

·    Develop and manage campaign narrative, talking points, and executive messaging for the candidate across press, events, debates, and digital platforms.

·    Oversee social media strategy and digital content to drive engagement, fundraising, and voter outreach.

·    Coordinate closely with campaign leadership, consultants, and field teams to ensure message discipline and alignment across all channels.

Marketing Specialist, University of Texas at Austin School of Law – Austin, TX

Managed integrated marketing campaigns for ~15 annual conferences and digital education products. Led email,

print, and digital communications; coordinated vendors and sponsors; executed digital data-driven audience

targeting. Tools included Adobe Creative Suite, Canva, WordPress, Emma, Qualtrics, and Microsoft 365.

Assistant Director, Communications and Marketing– Harris County, Houston, TX

·    Oversaw all communications, digital communications, digital targeting, rapid response, technical writing, and media services for the third largest county in the United States.

·    Worked closely with all County partners and stakeholders to ensure the communication initiatives, community service programs, public health campaigns, educational materials and all forms of media created by CSD are readily available, easily understood and culturally sensitive.

·    Employed a comprehensive, innovative approach to support and advance the goals and overall mission of HCCDD: to build and sustain a provide information on the array of services we provide that allow living to be more affordable and easier to manage for all residents of Harris County.

·    Directed social media efforts on various social networks, including Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Nextdoor.

·    Planned and spearheaded press and strengthen press and media events and conferences to strengthen CSD’s mass media presence and maximize persuasive messaging about CSD programs, all in an effort to increase reach and achieve the scale they deserve.

·    Kept track of the resources needed for proper long-term and short-term scheduling

·    Tracked both performing and non-performing aspects of our marketing strategy

·    Prepared all statements for the Executive Director

·    Utilized my statewide list of nurtured relationships with local reporters, news producers, bloggers and other members of the media

·    Composed talking points and messaging for the Executive Director for various press hits, statements, speaking events and engagements.  

Senior Policy Advisor– Harris County, Houston, TX

·    Oversaw and support the operations of the Harris County Housing Policy Advisory Committee (HPAC) and perform associated housing policy research as needed.

·    Provide staffing to support the 21 member HPAC, and annual reporting on work of Committee to Commissioners Court.

·    Worked with Rice Kinder Institute of Urban Research in drafting and conducting a housing study by Harris County to examine the types and prices of homes needed in the greater Houston area.

·    Prepared and facilitate agenda, reports and maintain communication with members and committee work groups: Opportunity and Accessibility, Funding and Finance and Land Use/Resiliency.

·    Worked in a supportive capacity to the Executive Director, Deputy Director and Intergovernmental Global Affairs Department to provide policy research, produce written materials from start to finish including policy briefs, memos, commentary letters and white papers.

Creative Content Director– Outreach Strategists, Houston, TX

·    Oversaw all communications, digital communications, digital targeting, rapid response, technical writing, and media services for one Texas’ largest news media nonprofits.

Communications Director–Texans for Andrew White, Texas, United States

·    Oversaw all communications, digital communications, public relations, technical writing, and media objectives for Andrew White’s 2018 gubernatorial run. 

Communications Director–Mauro Archer & Associates, San Antonio, TX

·    Oversaw all communications, digital communications, public relations, technical writing, and media services for the firm’s partners and high-profile clientele. Managed several successful political and crisis communications campaigns from 2015 to 2017.

Communications Director–OneSA Bond Campaign, San Antonio, TX

·    Successfully passed the largest bond in San Antonio’s history - $850 million

·    Utilized all earned press, communications, digital communications, field and messaging strategies to educate voters of all proposed propositions and projects.

Campaign Manager – El Paso Rising, El Paso, TX

·    Successfully passed the largest bond in El Paso's history - $668 million benefiting the schools and children of El Paso Independent School District.

·    Utilized all earned press, communications, digital communications, field and messaging strategies to educate voters of all proposed projects.

Director of Crisis Communications– Mikal Watts Trial, Gulfport, MS

·    Spearheaded crisis communications strategies to combat negative press during the biggest federal trial of 2016.

·    Built and managed mikalcwatts.com, an informative website and blog to combat false, leaked stories by the United States Government and Secret Service.

·    Acted as press liaison, actively seeking out opportunities to get Mikal Watts’ message out to the masses.  

·    Built goodwill among existing Facebook community through aggressive digital engagement.

·    Successfully mitigated the impact of negative publicity and generated, maintained and informed our audience of good perceptions of Mikal Watts.

·    Pitched Mikal’s federal trial story to The Rivard Report, and covered the trial

Communications Director – State Representative Barbara Gervin-Hawkins, San Antonio, TX

·    Led the communications shop for Barbara Gervin-Hawkin’s successful 2016 campaign.

·    Worked jointly with the policy and political directors to execute an efficient, effective and strategic communications plan.

·    Composed talking points for the candidate for various speaking events and engagements.

·    Prepared all statements for the candidate and campaign manager.

·    Managed, composed, and copy edited all mayoral email campaigns, media releases and online material.

·    Oversaw policy, digital/social media directors.

·    Managed interviews with reporters and members of the media.

·    Developed an effective, strategic communications plan to reach media and various target audiences.

·    Composed copy and acted as copy editor for campaign collateral.

·    Ensured the candidate received as much earned media as possible. 

Communications Director – Leticia Van de Putte Mayoral Campaign, San Antonio, TX

·    Worked jointly with the policy and political directors to execute an efficient, effective and strategic communications plan.

·    Gathered information and opposition research for the candidate and campaign manager.

·    Prepped candidate for 44 debates during the 2015 mayoral race.

·    Composed talking points for the candidate for various speaking events and engagements.

·    Prepared all statements for the candidate and campaign manager.

·    Managed, composed, and copy edited all mayoral email campaigns, media releases and online material.

·    Oversaw policy, digital/social media directors.

·    Managed interviews with reporters and members of the media.

·    Developed an effective, strategic communications plan to reach media and various target audiences.

·    Composed copy and acted as copy editor for campaign collateral.

·    Ensured the candidate received as much earned media as possible.

·    Built and nurtured relationships with local reporters, news producers, bloggers and other members of the media who covered the city hall beat.

·    Executed an extremely successful Latino media outreach program

Communications Director – State Representative Justin Rodriguez, San Antonio, TX

·    Developed and composed district newsletters, constituent email blasts, memos, press releases, media advisories and special projects and assignments.

·    Ensured the public viewed the representative through a favorable lens at all times.

·    Managed interviews with reporters and members of the media.

·    Developed an effective, strategic communications plan to reach media, constituents and various target audiences.

·    Designed campaign and state banners, fliers, and digital collateral for campaign and state use.

·    Composed copy for state and campaign collateral.

·    Built and nurtured relationships with constituencies, including reporters, news producers, bloggers and other members of the media.

Editorial Assistant/Reporter – San Antonio Express-News, San Antonio, TX

·    Acted as support to editorial staff in all activities, including personally assisting commissioning editors.

·    Liaised with other in-house teams, writers, photographers, printers, designers and production staff during all stages in the publishing process.

·    Pitched creative story ideas using specialist knowledge as a San Antonio Native.

·    Wrote 3-4 feature obituary stories weekly.

·    Composed metro, religion and community news briefs.