My experience creating and implementing strategic communications initiatives in the nonprofit world, as well as the public and private sectors, has provided me with a solid knowledge of operating effectively in complex environments with a broad diversity of constituents.

In 2018, I founded my consulting firm, On Message Communications, to give high-level strategic guidance and support to nonprofits and foundations. I have worked with a diverse client base on projects that I believe can help accelerate positive social change.

Lever for Change, a nonprofit founded by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, connects donors with bold solutions to the world’s biggest problems—including issues like racial inequity, gender inequality, lack of access to economic opportunity, and climate change.

When I joined the team, I was tasked with developing marketing and communications plans to enhance the reputation and impact of our small start-up. This meant aligning the brand, messaging, and goals to make them consistent across channels and campaigns. I have provided strategic guidance to our executive leadership, our clients and our partners. During my tenure, Lever for Change has influenced over $2.5 billion in funding and provided support to more than 500 organizations.

Strategic Communications Planning

As communications lead, I have served as the point person for planning across departments, working with dozens of teams on different portfolios, each with specific issues and goals. These kinds of collaborations require a high level of diplomacy and an understanding of audience perspectives, as well as a skill for proposing creative solutions that meet multiple needs at the same time.

As a member of executive leadership teams, reporting to presidents and CEOs, I have helped shape organizational goals, while ensuring the alignment of communications and marketing strategies to achieve high-level objectives.

All strategic communications plans begin with the same building blocks: highlighting goals, identifying stakeholders, crafting messages, choosing channels, defining actions, and selecting measurement tools. This approach has shaped my philosophy that communication is both a science and an art—informed by research and executed with passion.

Digital Design

Website designs and re-designs are among the most challenging projects for an organization, involving numerous stakeholders, each with their own priorities and aesthetic sensibilities. Yet, these projects can also be rewarding experiences. Over the course my career, I have been the point person on numerous website overhauls and re-designs.

Developing integrated digital plans informed by data and analytics, I have improved the reach of websites and social networks. I put the most critical information front-and-center and create cross-platform solutions to provide the most up-to-date and compelling content. As a result, visitors spend more than 40% more time on sites that I have helped design and I have multiplied the reach of some platforms by as much as 1,000%.

By promoting a continual cycle of improvement and innovation, I have also increased engagement on social media channels and via email campaigns. Through a process of audience segmentation, I have honed in on specific audiences and potential influencers with tailored content. I have nurtured and grown social media platforms through organic interaction and online promotions. In addition, I have redesigned email campaigns, resulting in 50% increases in sign-ups and actions.