College of William & Mary
Bachelor of Business Administration (B.B.A.) in Marketing, minor in Music

Northwestern University
Master of Science (M.S.) in Journalism, New Media concentration

The Thomas Jefferson High School for Science & Technology

New York University
Professional Certificate in Digital Media Marketing, School of Continuing and Professional Studies

Head of Communications, United Nations University (UNU)
United Nations |
 Managed the Office of Communications at the headquarters of UNU, a global think tank and postgraduate teaching organization.  Supervised team members whose responsibilities included editorial projects; website content and multimedia management; social media marketing; outreach across Japan; project management; information technology and design. Created additional roles covering web development, graphic design, event marketing and management of online publications.  Led the pre-development overhaul of all UNU digital properties, including the main corporate website at unu.edu, as part of the organization’s Web Platform Development Project.  Triple role as a project strategy champion; a lead for the User Experience (UX) working group responsible for consensus and sign-offs on UX milestones; and a representative at key senior management meetings, notably as a presenter at UNU Council and Conference of Directors (CONDIR) meetings as well as a moderator for Project Board decision-making sessions.  Oversaw the completion of the research and strategy phase of the project – including blockframes and high-fidelity designs; the approval and development of a new suite of UNU logos; and website taxonomy – preceding the final development phase consisting of a Drupal 9 content management system (CMS) build.  Led the development of communications products and services across various channels, including:  Print and online publications, including the Our World web magazine in English and Japanese, the 2020 and 2021 UNU Annual Reports, and the 2021 ECOSOC (United Nations Economic and Social Council) Report of the Council of the United Nations University on the work of the University;  INSIGHTS email newsletters in English (monthly) and Japanese (quarterly) curating the organization’s best research and distributed to a combined subscriber base of more than 30,000 readers;  The UNU Conversation Series and the Senior Vice-Rector’s “Big Ideas” Series, which features question-and-answer sessions with experts on issues related to the Sustainable Development Goals;  UNU Collections (collections.unu.edu), an online research and publications repository, following an ownership shift to the Office of Communications. Revised management of Collections after identifying gaps between this resource and other online records. Specified pre-migration tasks related to the Web Platform Development Project and recruited focal points to locate missing UNU publications from various sources, including libraries, other UN websites, CD-ROM and floppy disks, and print archives dating back to the 1970s. Tasks included the mapping and elimination of thousands of taxonomy terms, as well as publishing new publication records.  Press and publisher requests, resulting in coverage in outlets such as The Japan Times, The Financial Times, The Conversation, IPS (Inter Press Service News Agency) and The BMJ (British Medical Journal). Worked with partners on events and editorial content syndication, including Nikkei, Elsevier, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government and the Government of Japan.  Competitive and comparative analysis of UNU, which had never been done in the organization’s 45-year history. First version began as part of Business Opportunity Accelerator Program - Insights Virtual Project, for which six King’s College London master's degree student interns collectively produced a 36-page report. The report analyzed the organization from a global standpoint as well as its context in Japan (as the only UN entity headquartered there). Subsequent versions of this report revised by Office of Communications team members.  Ongoing rebranding of UNU, including the creation of first-ever visual identity guidelines for entire organization, new logos, and templates for print and online materials.  Oversaw UNU’s communications and marketing initiatives across its institutes and programmes in 12 countries.  Ran teleconferences for more than 40 UNU communications colleagues, which included information on key headquarters initiatives as well as updates from various institutes and departments. Select updates were also shared with the UN Secretariat to distribute to fellow heads of communications departments across the entire United Nations system.  Trained colleagues on various tools and services available across the UN to promote their work to new audience segments.  Curated and shared resources provided by other UN entities and IGOs. Documentation included guidelines on photos, videos and other multimedia permitted for UNU usage, and UN-approved lists of translators and copy editors whose services cover all six official languages plus several others in the Asia-Pacific.  Created and managed a UNU-wide Crossref account that centralizes DOI (digital object identifier) registrations for journal articles, book chapters and other publications.  Speaker, Sciences Po (Paris Institute of Political Studies) East Asian Days, “Career Workshop: Working in East Asia.” (2021-2022)  Speaker, IE University (Instituto de Empresa) Intergovernmental Organizations Day. (2022)

ReliefWeb Editor, Head of Office in Asia-Pacific, Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)
United Nations |
(Note: Held this role from 2012-2020, resumed from 2022-present) Management and Operations:  Head of ReliefWeb operations in the Asia-Pacific region, overseeing the Bangkok duty station for www.reliefweb.int, the largest digital service for humanitarians worldwide.  Manages Bangkok-based and off-site staff whose responsibilities have expanded from editorial content management, resulting in my creation of specialized positions in marketing, finance and administration, information technology, and UI/UX (user interface/user experience) design.  Collaborates with ReliefWeb’s other offices in New York and Nairobi to achieve around-the-clock news coverage 24 hours a day, seven days a week, collating and featuring reports from hundreds of content partners, including NGOs, IGOs, media outlets, academic institutions, Red Cross chapters, national governments, and entities across the United Nations system.  Personally trained staff members in ReliefWeb homepage management, Google Analytics and social media. Brought in online marketing and Web design instructors to train team members in areas such as Adobe software programs, analytics and UI/UX.  Represents ReliefWeb as part of the United Nations Communications Groups (UNCG) in New York (2022) and Tokyo (2022-present). Related UNCG documents and meetings cover key public information priorities across the United Nations system from a global and Japan perspective. Marketing and Public Relations:  Introduced projects on top of content management work, ensuring that all direct reports ran major initiatives such as:  Review of public Asia-Pacific historical archives dating back to the 1980’s. Conducted additional research and statistical analysis on disasters and epidemics. Added and revised records.  Overhaul of various webpages (Training and Maps/Infographics sections, corporate ReliefWeb “About Us” page);  New products and services (UI/UX research and design for FAQ and Training sections – personas, user testing, prototypes);  Social media (Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and LinkedIn; analysis of current processes; and analytics);  Promotions (video trailers and interviews with ReliefWeb users, print brochures, branded items, blog entries on new features);  Editorial guidelines for monitoring natural disasters and conflicts in Asia-Pacific countries and sub-regions;  Content partner additions and outreach, including presentations and training workshops;  Research and recommendations related to ReliefWeb Labs (technology-focused community projects with various partners).  Oversees the Training section (reliefweb.int/training), which is solely managed by the Bangkok office and promotes events, webinars and academic courses run by hundreds of ReliefWeb humanitarian partners.  Secured first event partnerships for the Bangkok office, including the University Scholars Leadership Symposium (USLS) (2017, 2018); various UNESCAP (United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific) events; the AIDF (Aid & International Development Forum) Asia Summit (2015-2016, 2018); the Peace Summit of Emerging Leaders (2018, 2020); and the Intelligence-Sec Disaster Relief Asia 2016 conference.  Ran workshops for hundreds of youth delegates, educators and observers using ReliefWeb content at the USLS 2018 and the Peace Summit of Emerging Leaders (2018, 2020). Key areas covered in these competitions included research, teamwork and public speaking. Published toolkit from Peace Summit workshop materials and ReliefWeb resource lists on key humanitarian topics for educators to use at conferences and schools.  Represented organization as a speaker and moderator at the 2014 Pacific Humanitarian Team Regional Meeting (Fiji), AIDF Asia 2016 & 2018, USLS 2018, and the 2018 Peace Summit of Emerging Leaders (Opening Address).  Represented organization as a delegate at the ACM SIGCHI (Association for Computing Machinery – Special Interest Group on Computer-Human Interaction) Conference on Designing Interactive Systems 2018 (Hong Kong).  Pitched and co-facilitated design challenge with the Lappeenranta University of Technology at “Designing for Effective Interactions with Data in the Internet of Things” workshop. Challenge focused on how to “use civic and open data and new technologies/services to improve the provision of humanitarian assistance to people in an earthquake-affected area,” using reports published on ReliefWeb on the 2018 Papua New Guinea earthquakes.  Guest lecturer, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, BSSc in Global Studies – Global Communications course (2019).  Executive Committee member, 1st International Academic Conference on Why it Matters as part of the Decade of Action for the Sustainable Development Goals, co-sponsored by host site Utah Valley University and the United Nations Academic Impact initiative. Advisor of the Asia-Pacific Youth Sub-Committee. (2020-2022) Awards and Honors:  Scholarship winner, OCHA Leadership Development Programme – Cohort 3 (Hong Kong, 2019).  Attended Nielsen Norman Group UX Conference on a United Nations OCHA Leadership Development Programme – Self-Learning Initiative full tuition scholarship, which provided 18 staff members across the organization opportunities to gain executive leadership skills. Winning proposal included coursework run by the Nielsen Norman Group in their new management specialization on leadership and service design.  Scholarship winner, OCHA and Centre for International Peace Operations – ZIF, IMPACT (Information Management Preparedness and Coordination Training) (Berlin, Germany, 2019).  Received foundational training in the five key areas of information management in disaster response: coordination, data visualization, mapping, content management and data analysis.  Selected as team leader for simulation exercise, which comprised overseeing a group of information management officers’ products and services during an earthquake response.  Certificate, “Building a Better Response” e-learning course, The Harvard (University) Humanitarian Initiative, International Medical Corps & Concern Worldwide

Website Specialist, Office of Communications, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
United Nations |
Content Strategy:  Primary English editor for www.undp.org in the office’s Internal & Online Communications department at UNDP’s headquarters. Served as Officer-in-Charge of department.  As part of UNDP’s first-ever Online Communications department, established corporate guidelines for the organization on Website maintenance and development. Trained communications officers and information technology associates on best practices in writing, editing and multimedia.  Developed and enforced quality assurance measures for UNDP’s websites in more than 130 countries. Responsible for scoring all sites in the Asia & the Pacific and English-language sites in the Arab States region, providing one-on-one feedback and virtual training to colleagues. Reviewed sites for accurate corporate branding, transparency, editorial quality and search engine optimization. Website assessments and performance reports contributed to country offices’ overall annual audits.  Worked with colleagues from various program and policy departments to create sections on undp.org. Coordinated launch of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) section with the UNDP DPRK country office, the Regional Bureau for Asia & the Pacific, and a writing consultant.  Created partnership with the East-West Center to send journalists on a fellowship and study tour through Asia (2006).  Received Certificate of Special Recognition from the UNDP Administrator “in acknowledgment of exceptional contribution to the MDG (Millennium Development Goals) Monitor Project.” (2007) Procurement and Product Management:  Product manager for content management system (CMS) implementation. Responsible for gathering editorial requirements for migration of content into UNDP’s first-ever CMS. Worked with vendor developers and departments across UNDP using Agile project management methodologies, during a simultaneous redesign and online branding strategy for UNDP’s websites. Wrote Request for Information (RFI) and contributed to Request for Proposal (RFP) documents for prospective vendors to submit bids.  Project lead on Web analytics code implementation migration. Recruited and managed full-time consultant for project duration. Worked with vendor to customize code and conduct quality assurance testing.  Oversaw video streaming and hosting, Web analytics and site up-time performance tracking services. Procurement processes included market research, in-house trials, feedback solicitation and vendor proposal reviews.  Served on procurement panel to select information technology vendors for the entire organization. Reviewed vendor proposals and wrote evaluations based on global sourcing models, range of services provided and experience. Knowledge Management and Internal Communications:  Conducted in-person training sessions to staff members across the organization on UNDP’s CMS.  Writes blog entries on web analytics for UNDP’s extranet.  Created and moderated network for UNDP Webmasters to exchange best practices in Website development.  Member of UNDP’s avian flu internal communications team, which included colleagues in Human Resources, Security, and Crisis Prevention & Recovery departments. Developed corporate strategy and business continuity plan, built Intranet site, and wrote document advising staff members on health tips and safety measures. Marketing and Public Relations:  Taught colleagues how to create and understand Web analytics reports.  Re-launched corporate jobs site.  Ran UNDP’s social media outreach efforts on Twitter and Facebook.  Mentor, AAJA National Convention online student project (2005-2006).  Speaker, Northwestern Alumni Association Career Boot Camp, “Mid-Career Job Changers: Find/Create Your Next Role” (2006).  Represented UNDP at United Nations System Web for Development (Web4Dev) Conference in Brasilia, Brazil (2010).  Interviewed by Ken Pittman (live, WBSM – New Bedford, Mass.) and Jon Elliott on “Talk Radio Day at the United Nations” co-run by the United Nations, the UN Foundation and Talkers Magazine (2010).

Producer, The New York Times on the Web (nytimes.com)
The New York Times |
 Managed editorial and multimedia content for sports, national, metro, politics, international, opinion and business sections.  Developed special sections (including Iraq war coverage, World Series, U.S. elections, 2004 Olympics).  Created audio slide shows and graphics for various sections.  Organized forum discussions between sports reporters and readers.  Recruiter at the UNITY: Journalists of Color and AAJA Conventions.  Speaker, National Association of Hispanic Journalists National Convention, “Telling a Good Multimedia Story” panel (2003).  Speaker, UNITY: Journalists of Color National Convention, “Surviving the First Five Years of Journalism” workshop (2004).

Associate Producer, CNN/Sports Illustrated Interactive
CNN |
 Managed editorial and multimedia content for several sports, including tennis and soccer.  Wrote online columns for the tennis section.  Developed coverage plans for special event sections.  Ran Women’s United Soccer Association and New York Power corporate Websites. Wrote and edited articles. Interviewed athletes for post-game video clips.