I help organizations clarify what they want to accomplish, understand what their audiences need, and communicate in ways that give people a reason to act. The projects below show how I approach that work, from recruiting students for an interdisciplinary program to helping senior leaders explain organizational change.
Recruiting for an interdisciplinary program
The Hoeft Technology and Management Program | Marketing strategy
The Hoeft program brings business and engineering students together to solve problems across disciplines. As program director, I wanted to reach more students who would thrive in that environment and make it easier for them to decide whether the program was right for them.
I repositioned recruitment around what students would do and learn in the program, then redesigned the application process to support that strategy. I used application data and feedback to guide recruitment decisions. Applications in targeted categories increased by 35%, and annual enrollment grew from 68 to 80 students.
Helping leaders explain organizational change
National Center for Supercomputing Applications | Executive communications
During an organizational realignment, senior leaders needed to explain what was changing and why. Managers needed guidance for conversations with their teams, and employees needed clear answers about what the changes meant for their work.
I advised senior leaders on messaging, timing, and what each audience needed to hear. I developed leadership briefing guidance, an all-staff announcement, employee FAQs, and follow-up communications. Each piece served a different purpose. The announcement explained the decision, the manager guidance prepared supervisors for team conversations, and the FAQs gave staff a place to return to as questions came up.
Measuring What Matters
Research impact framework | Strategic counsel and measurement
Research organizations can count computing hours, publications, and partnerships. It takes a different kind of evidence to show what those activities make possible. I developed a proposed framework that starts with the outcomes an organization exists to advance and works backward to identify the evidence that could support each claim.
Using a complex research center as the example, I mapped seven dimensions of impact, from access to advanced computing to research outcomes and workforce development. For each dimension, I paired a strategic storyline with measures of operational performance and potential indicators of impact. The framework gives communications teams and senior leaders a way to identify which stories the evidence can support and where they need to ask better questions.
Making statewide resources easier to find
Illinois Extension | Digital marketing strategy
Illinois Extension serves every county in the state. Its digital presence had to help residents find practical, research-based information while giving local offices and program teams a way to serve their own communities.
As director of communications, I used audience data to guide the modernization of a portfolio of more than 300 websites. I coordinated with communicators across the organization and used shared editorial standards, training, and workflows to support a more consistent experience. The redesign contributed to a 40% increase in content engagement.
