WORK EXPERIENCE

MSNBC, New York, N.Y.
Multiplatform Editor, July 2019 – January 2021

  • Edited and created social media posts, video titles and descriptions, and headlines for accuracy, clarity, grammar and engagement. Wrote engaging and actionable copy for MSNBC social accounts to promote scheduled and breaking news programming. Monitored analytics and capitalized on trending topics.
  • Curated MSNBC homepage and optimized images and text during two years of record-breaking site traffic. Major stories included Trump’s impeachment, the pandemic, the 2020 elections and rioting at the Capitol.
  • Kept digital producers apprised of changes in AP and NBC style and posted regular tips aimed at eliminating common style and spelling errors.
  • Assigned topic, wrote text and clipped footage for daily “Day That Was” video feature. Scheduled freelancers to produce it. Supervised interns during prime time hours.
  • Wrote text and selected the best prime-time video clips for daily newsletter.
  • Collaborated with prime-time production staff to clip material optimized for social media and web platforms.

The New York Times, New York, N.Y.
Social Media Strategy Editor, July 2018 – February 2019

  • Created engaging and informative posts for The New York Times’ flagship Twitter, Facebook and Instagram accounts. Promoted visual and text coverage on topics ranging from the death of George H.W. Bush to the 2018 midterm elections to investigations into the use of landmines in Yemen.
  • Created extensive promotion plans for all major sections and departments, including the 2018 Thanksgiving recipes, incorporating Twitter threads around themes like last-minute recipes and vegetarian dishes.
  • Monitored, analyzed and reported stories’ performance on social media platforms and integrated real-time data on search and social media trends into social media strategies.
  • Collaborated with writers and editors on social promotion and reader callouts for stories, suggested changes to headlines or text to maximize SEO and minimize risk of misinterpretation.

The Associated Press, New York, N.Y.
News Producer, November 2012 – June 2018

  • Wrote posts for AP’s Facebook and Twitter accounts about breaking news such as terror attacks, mass shootings, and the 2016 election, all optimized for maximum spread and engagement. Regularly created posts that ranked among the most-clicked for the AP Twitter account.
  • Copy-edited content on AP’s website and troubleshot problems with AP material on the wire.
  • Found, vetted and secured permission for user-generated content (photos, video, social media posts) about breaking news stories such as the Ferguson protests and a terror attack thwarted by three young Americans on a train in France (culminating in interviews with two of the heroes).
  • Created training documents with guidelines for authenticating and obtaining usage permissions for social media images and video in sensitive situations (e.g. terror attacks, mass shootings, etc.).
  • Wrote and executed social media promotion plans for feature stories and investigative projects.
  • Monitored and relayed information about trending topics and social performance to writers, desk editors and management. Interpreted social media metrics using Google Analytics and Facebook Insights.
  • Curated stories and photo galleries for AP’s mobile applications.
  • Led working group to develop hyperlinking formats and best practices for AP text stories.

International Women’s Media Foundation, Uganda and Rwanda
African Great Lakes Reporting Initiative Fellow, February 2015

The In America blog, CNN.com, Atlanta, Ga./Berea, Ohio.
Full-time Freelance Writer/Producer, October 2011 – May 2012

  • Wrote original news and feature stories which collectively garnered more than 3.5 million views over seven months. Wrote five of the blog’s top 15 posts of all time.
  • Shaped coverage and helped guide tone for new blog, CNN.com/inamerica, about the ways Americans define themselves, on topics including race, ethnicity, gender, generation, class, sexuality, disability status, etc.
  • Monitored the news for possible “In America” angles; adapted CNN TV and CNN.com content to suit the In America blog; cooperated with other CNN.com sections to share content and resources.
  • Selected and built multimedia features to add depth to online storytelling.
  • Interacted with our audience through online comments, Twitter and Facebook.

Deutsche Welle, Bonn, Germany
Writer, Editor, Multimedia Journalist, August 2009– July 2010

  • Produced global online, audio and photographic content for DW’s English news website and radio programs on tight deadlines for an international audience.
  • Updated and edited site homepage and topical pages with photos, infographic features, audio and video stories, articles, links and interactive quizzes or games using the content management system.
  • Translated German content, and condensed and edited content supplied by correspondents, including non-native English speakers.

Der Spiegel Online International, Berlin, Germany
Fulbright Journalist, March – June 2009

  • Produced interactive features and articles for Der Spiegel’s English website.
  • Translated German content into English; copy-edited English content for grammar, spelling, accuracy and readability.

The Boston Globe, Framingham, Mass.
Staff Reporter, November 2004 – June 2008

  • Covered municipal government, immigrant communities, and cultural life in Boston’s western suburbs, including investigative stories about nepotism and mismanagement in a local police department and an in-depth series about land use and development.

SKILLS

  • Social Media: Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, SocialFlow, Geofeedia, SAMDesk.io, Storify, Google Analytics, Card Kit, user-generated content verification and authentication
  • Content Creation: Content management systems, Blogger, WordPress, Drupal, Sailthru, SEO.
  • Multimedia: WildMoka, radio voicing and production, audio editing, Adobe Photoshop Elements.
  • Languages: Native English speaker, proficient in AP Style, fluent in German and conversational in Spanish

EDUCATION

Fulbright Young American Journalist Grantee, Johann Wolfgang Goethe Universität, Frankfurt, Germany, 2008-2009

  • One of six American journalists chosen to participate in a yearlong academic and professional exchange. Attended classes relevant to my research project on multiculturalism in Germany.
  • Served as guest speaker for German audiences on topics such as racial diversity in the United States, the impact of race on the 2008 U.S. presidential elections and online journalism’s impact on print media.

Bachelor of Science in Journalism, Ohio University, Athens, Ohio, June 2003

  • Major: News Writing and Editing sequence. Degree conferred cum laude.
  • Specializations: German and Political Science. Certificate: European Studies.

PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS