Amanda Hacio

Experience

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  Firedog Communications

  May 2013 - Aug 2013

  Public Relations & Communications Assistant

  - Wrote and obtained approval for event plans, corporate newsletters/bulletins, website content, PowerPoint presentations and blog posts.- Managed a client's employee relations by writing an internal memo, corporate newsletters and bulletins during a period of corporate change.- Given high level of responsibility in response to quality of work.- Assisted in coordination of Shoes & Champagne 2 (300 people), a high-profile local event, managing sponsors such as Le Chateau and prominent local sponsors.- Assisted in press conference preparation.- Organized a direct mail drop to 10,000 houses in Thunder Bay to generate interest for a client's campaign. Show less

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  Northern Policy Institute

  May 2014 - Aug 2014

  Public Relations Intern

  - Planned and executed events including an out-of-town information session (30 people) and a speaker’s breakfast (100 people).- Contacted Northwestern Ontario business and community leaders to set meetings with NPI management.- Created a comprehensive stakeholder contact database in Excel to be used to better engage with key stakeholders.- Improved internal workflow by creating an internal issues monitoring strategy. Achieved 100% participation.- Successfully managed key stakeholder relations and engagement by sending out personalized email invitations for NPI events. Show less

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  I Can! Kids

  May 2015 - Aug 2015

  Junior Marketing Officer

  - Assisted in the creation of a marketing strategy to increase brand awareness at a local level.- Assisted in developing a promotional package (i.e. letter and information sheet) to mail to prospective buyers. Promotional package resulted in an increase in sales and partnerships.- Tasked with learning new software, including Asana, iBooks and MailChimp to ensure product quality and correspond and connect with customers and sales representatives.

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  Liberal Party of Canada

  May 2015 - Oct 2015

  - Collaborated with the candidate and core team to plan events, including a rally and a debate watching party. Increased community engagement by suggesting live tweeting during the event.- Acted as a media liaison and established relationships with media to ensure news coverage. - Assisted in writing press releases and media advisories.- Created weekly issues monitoring documents so the candidate and core team would be up-to-date on national, provincial and local news and events.- Used interpersonal skills to assist with weekly door-to-door canvassing and data collection for the campaign. Show less

  • Campaign Communications Assistant to The Hon. Kirsty Duncan

    Sept 2015 - Oct 2015

  • Communications Officer for Hon. Patty Hajdu Federal Liberal Candidate for Thunder Bay-Superior North

    May 2015 - Aug 2015
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  University of Toronto

  Jun 2016 - Jun 2021

  The Department of Chemical Engineering & Applied Chemistry at the University of Toronto is Canada's top ranked department of chemical engineering. It is home to leading health care, environment and energy engineering researchers and a vibrant and connected student and alumni community.In my role as Communications Officer & External Relations Liaison, I supported senior leadership, faculty, staff and students by providing strategic communications advice for messaging, external relations, alumni engagement, social media, event advertising and web content strategy and development. I also wrote a series of diverse content that aligns with the Department's strategic priorities including news stories, blog posts, newsletters, messaging for senior leadership, award nomination letters and applications, marketing and recruitment materials, web copy, social media posts and landing pages. While in this position, I increased monthly social media impressions by 100 per cent and increased followers by 900 within a 12-month period. By applying best practices, I also increased referral rates to the Department website from social media posts. I also conducted a social media audit of the Department's channels (Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter) to develop new strategies that would better engage key stakeholders. Show less - Managing editor of a $100K+ multi-stakeholder stewardship project: researched, wrote and edited all content, identified and collaborated with key stakeholders, organized photo shoots with faculty members, students and alumni, negotiated vendor contracts and managed a timeline and budget. Selected to present project key takeaways in a two-minute lightening round talk to over 300 communicators at the University of Toronto in 2019.- Writing and ideating diverse content including news stories, event plans, profiles, web copy, recruitment material, invitation copy and social media posts.- Conducting interviews and writing news stories for U of T Engineering News to reflect the Faculty’s key research priorities and activities. Two of my stories have appeared in U of T News and in the University-wide alumni newsletter.- Designing and updating Faculty webpages to enhance user experience and ensure brand consistency.- Created the social media strategy for the Faculty's Dean.- Developing and executing event plans with Faculty's strategic priorities in mind. Events included Doors Open Toronto 2019 (Myhal Centre) and an outdoor garden party.- Developed and executed event plan and programming for the Faculty's participation in Door's Open 2019. - Selected relevant and effective guest speakers to enhance the professional development component of a monthly engineering communicators meeting.- Wrote and edited feature stories for the 2016 edition of The Civilian, the departmental magazine for the Department of Civil & Mineral Engineering. Show less

  • Communications Officer & External Relations Liaison, Chemical Engineering & Applied Chemistry

    Feb 2020 - Jun 2021

  • Communications Assistant, Engineering Strategic Communications

    Jun 2016 - Feb 2020
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  Beanies 4 Brain Cancer

  Jan 2019 - now

  Co-Founder

  Beanies 4 Brain Cancer sells beanies and caps with 100% of profits donated to brain cancer research efforts in Canada.Key achievements include:- Developed partnerships with local businesses to launch new products, increase awareness and sales.- Raised over $55,000 for brain cancer research.- Managed social media content and key messages to ensure brandconsistency and success.- Liaised with local media to increase awareness of fundraiser. Achieved areach of 300,000+ views across print, radio, web and televised news storiesincluding CBC. Show less

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  Council of Ontario Universities

  Jun 2021 - Apr 2023

  Public Affairs Specialist

  During my time at the Council of Ontario Universities, I developed and executed communications strategies and materials to elevate awareness of Ontario universities' advocacy priorities among government officials and key stakeholders.Key achievements:- Led the planning, implementation and evaluation of multi-channel communications strategies that supported COU objectives and sector advocacy. Project managed COU's monthly newsletter, crafting content aligned with advocacy themes and priorities, achieving open rates of 35-50%, surpassing industry averages.- Sourced and summarized news from member universities, writing over 170 SEO-optimized short blurbs that supported COU’s strategic objectives and advocacy efforts.- Wrote and edited diverse communications materials for government, members, stakeholders, and senior leadership, including key messages, presentations, letters, statements, blogs, newsletters, award stories, landing pages, informational handouts, and social media posts.- Managed partnerships with external stakeholders, developing and executing communication strategies and materials to support joint advocacy efforts.- Supported COU’s stakeholder engagement strategy by monitoring, flagging and identifying opportunities to build and strengthen relationships with stakeholders on social media.- Conducted an audit of COU's social media accounts, identifying opportunities for increased engagement. Provided actionable recommendations aligned with current and ongoing advocacy priorities. Show less

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  University of Toronto Robotics Institute

  May 2023 - now

  Senior Communications Officer

  As the communications lead for the University of Toronto Robotics Institute, I lead the planning and execution of multi-channel and multi-stakeholder communications strategies.Key achievements include:- Convened 7+ internal stakeholder groups to enhance awareness and storytelling of robotics research by launching and managing the Robotics Institute Research Tour initiative.- Organized the Robotics Institute Graduate Studies Information Session in collaboration with faculty and a robotics student club, engaging 70+ undergraduate students and promoting graduate studies in robotics at U of T.- Developing a key message repository tailored to 5 core audiences, ensuring consistent and accurate communications for internal stakeholders.- Advising leadership and faculty on communications strategies and best practices, informed by the latest industry trends and aligned with stated goals and needs.- Serving as the subject matter expert in robotics, working with internal teams in government relations, advancement and alumni relations, industry partnerships, and communications to amplify robotics research within the University and to external stakeholders.- Leading the communications strategy, including social media, branding, messaging, newsletters, and web content, for the 2023 and 2024 Canadian Robotics Council Symposium (co-founded by U of T). Focused on supporting research-industry partnerships and highlighting the crucial role of robotics in enhancing Canada’s productivity.- Achieve consistent newsletter open rates of 45-50% for the Canadian Robotics Council Symposium, surpassing industry averages.- Authored a news story for the Canadian Robotics Council that was featured in The Robot Report, a prominent trade publication, expanding the story's reach by over 300,000 page views.- Increased LinkedIn followers by 780 for the Robotics Institute within one year. Increased LinkedIn followers by 580 for the Canadian Robotics Council within one year. Show less