Solid Professional Background
Freelance Writer
- Providing and managing online content and e-newsletters, for The Budget Fashionista and related sites through Simply Good Media; other duties include site editing, community management, and forum management using WordPress and ExpressionEngine
- Contributing writer, North County Journals (St. Louis metro area)
- Staff writer, Illinois Business Journal
- Providing press materials, newsletter, grant-writing services for local non-profit organization, The River Bend Self-Development of People Community
- Providing news, feature, and column work for various publications including The Homesteader (Florida) and Petoskey Area Parent Magazine (Michigan)
O'Connor & Partners, Inc.
Account Manager, Public Relations
- MarCom Gold Award for Website Writing, Oct. 2009
- Professional Advisor, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville PRSSA, 2009-10
- Proposal writing
- Media relations
- Client counsel
- Critical communications
- Internal communications
- Brand creation
- Reputation management
- Award submissions
- Writing and editing press, customer-oriented, and business-to-business materials
- Website and blog writing and editing
Communications, branding and public relations responsibilities for a wide range of clients include:
Editor/Staff Writer
The Citizen-Journal, Boyne City, Michigan
- Five years as the sole full-time editorial employee for a weekly, content-heavy community newspaper
- Duties included developing short- and long-term editorial lists; writing news, feature, opinion, and sports pieces on a weekly basis; copy editing; proofreading; design and layout
- Developing and executing special publications (including tabs and guides) as needed
- Maintaining positive on-going relationships with citizens and community leaders
- Extensive experience managing freelance writers and other staff
Exceptional Student Education (ESE) Teacher
Triangle Elementary School, Mount Dora, Florida
- Worked with ESE students with varying exceptionalities, as well as mainstream students, in third and fourth grade regular education classrooms
- Helped establish inclusion classroom practices in elementary school setting
- Skill areas: planning and implementing lessons based on state and federal benchmarks, maintaining Individual Education Plans, developing activities for diverse learners, maintaining parent/teacher relationships, participating in ongoing professional development
