Profile

Experienced Director of Communications: a professional with deep experience in crisis communications, community and public relations, team management, speech writing, social media, message development, project management, on-camera presentation, and video production.

Experience

Media and Communications Director 

City of Tacoma

April 2023 - Present

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Director of Strategic Communications

Seattle Police Department

2020 - April 2023

Director of all Seattle Police Department internal and external messaging, which includes the responsibility of managing eight sworn and civilian Public Affairs employees.

Achievements and Highlights

Focus on Social Media Messaging. The Seattle Police Department’s social media platforms reach more than 600,000 followers. During my time at the SPD, I’ve increased its news-based Twitter focus to include dangerous weapon recoveries, arrests made, cases closed because it’s important to show the community that officers are committed to public safety. On the SPD’s Facebook and Instagram platforms, the focus is more community based, to include posts about fundraising efforts, food and blanket drives, the important civilian work of our Community Service Officers, and honoring all SPD officers who have died in the line of duty.

Create Multiple New SPD Projects. I have increased the SPD’s transparency by publishing all Significant Incident Reports online, redesigning work hours of sworn employees to increase on-duty staffing to better accommodate 24/7 reporter inquiries, writing/producing weekly Chief’s Video messages shared with all Department employees to increase internal communication and shared on social media, and ensuring all Public Affairs employees have the tech tools they need to respond 24/7.

Provide Leadership and Communications Expertise: Because of my decades of experience in journalism, I am strategically equipped to provide the Department “outsider” insight on how decisions, discipline and policy will be viewed by the public. I also provide the Chief and Command Staff members media, social media, and public speaking training.

Excellent Transparency Skills. Also because of my journalism experience, I routinely provide the Chief of Police and Command Staff members insight on how to ensure everything the Department does is 100% transparent and accountable to the public.

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JOURNALIST – INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER, ANCHOR, PRODUCER

KIRO 7, Seattle, WA

1988 – 2020

Achievements and Highlights

National and Local Award-Winning Journalist: Met multiple daily deadlines with excellence. Built a respected journalistic reputation for responsible, factual reporting and valued relationships with a diverse group of local, state, and national law enforcement officials, confidential sources, community leaders, elected government officials and newsmakers of all kinds while accurately telling their stories and covering their events.

Deadline Skills: Established a skill set of factual writing under intense daily deadline pressure for broadcast, digital and social media platforms, distilling complicated issues into understandable terms, development of social media strategies, public speaking, on-camera delivery, and the ability to quickly respond to late-breaking changes and challenges.

Team Management: Managed the project development of multiple award-winning, long-format TV and digital reports that required months of investigation and scheduling of team members while balancing daily responsibilities. Led a flexible team of news gathering professionals, including photographers and engineers, as we covered major news stories throughout Washington state and beyond.

Flexibility: When assignments changed because of breaking news, it was my responsibility to quickly adapt, create a new coverage plan, manage the crew, disseminate the new focus to my team, gather the additional elements and execute on deadline. Reported live, unscripted coverage of major breaking news while honing my skills in rapidly digesting and summarizing developing news stories. Managed forward-thinking social media reporting and messaging on all platforms. Thrived under multiple deadlines and wrote and reported for multiple newscasts per day.

Community-Focused: Developed and presented KIRO 7's community affairs coverage, wrote keynote addresses and served as Mistress of Ceremonies for dozens of fundraising events benefiting the Fulcrum Foundation, Violent Crime Victim Services, Seattle Preparatory School, and many others.

AWARDS

Winner of the National Edward R. Murrow Award for anchoring breaking news coverage of Seattle's Monorail fire, 2004.

Two-time Emmy Award winner, National Academy of Arts and Sciences: "Carpool Judge Caught On-Camera" - 2014, "Flaming iPods" - 2009.

Winner of the National Michael DeBakey Journalism Award for science reporting: "Animal Research Saves Woman's Life" - 2004.