Experience

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  Iowa state university

  Jan 2013 - May 2014

  I led exercises in a lecture hall setting designed to engage students in the areas of speech communications. This class was centered around the concept of listening and using meaningful, engaged and intentional listening as a means of communication. I held office hours where I worked individually with students while grading and providing feedback for close to 100 student peers. I received 100+ hours of leadership training from the office of New Student Programs at Iowa State University. I was on a team of 34 people who assisted with all the new student programs throughout the summer like orientation and freshman welcome week. Duties ranged from checking new students in and being the first to welcome them to campus to communicating information in front of 400 family members in a panel format.

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  National ffa organization

  Aug 2013 - Aug 2014

  National collegiate agriculture ambassador

  I received two weeks of facilitator training from the National FFA Organization in North Carolina and Florida. I gave presentations and workshops to a variety of audiences ranging in ages from 5 to 65. My presentations covered different components of the industry such as biotechnology, transportation and organic and conventional agriculture. I also led workshops at Iowa's State FFA Convention empowering students to be voices for the industry using social media.

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  Spencer radio group

  May 2015 - Jun 2018

  Associate director, ag business news

  I delivered live, up-to-the-second market updates 14 times throughout the market day. I also produced and maintained the agricultural programming on multiple stations and collaborated with several industry leaders and elected officials regarding issues impacting agriuclture.Outside of the farm department, I was involved in the commercial writing and production process as well as designing and producing several promotional images and client advertisements in a fast-paced digital marketing environment. I led several projects year-round, from videography and social media management, to the editing and self-publishing of a 75th anniversary book. I became proficient in several Adobe programs and learned several other software systems quickly and efficiently. Show less

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  Iowa state university extension and outreach

  Aug 2015 - Dec 2015

  Communications specialist

  I designed and implemented media tutorials for program leaders to utilize in their own social media analysis and strategy. I created and distributed information for proper social media usage on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. Ultimately, I enabled the Agriculture and Natural Resources (ANR) office to better analyze and improve their outreach efforts.

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  Iowa soybean association

  Jul 2018 - Aug 2021

  Public relations manager

  The Iowa Soybean Association is the largest commodity group in the country representing 38,000 soybean farmers across the state. I was responsible for enhancing and elevating their voice when it came to representation in media, consumer engagement, policy advocacy and more. To better achieve this, I developed and executed a communications training program for farmer volunteers to represent the industry each year. Facilitating more than 2,000 media requests in three years from reporters all around the world, each opportunity was a chance to strategically implement ISA messaging for greater purpose. I was also involved in creating and hosting "The State of Soy", ISA's flagship video series. In addition to video, I led interviews and produced audio pieces each month highlighting the work of the organization, with emphasis on conservation and agronomic research. Outside of video and audio, I authored articles for the widely read Iowa Soybean Review. Most of my work was on behalf of farmer checkoff dollars, requiring stewardship of their funds and operating within budget. Ultimately, every day was a chance to serve farmers, educate consumers and support agriculture. Show less

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  Lessing-flynn

  Aug 2021 - Apr 2024

  Public relations strategist

  At the nation's oldest independently owned advertising agency, I'm responsible for leading and executing PR plans and strategies to our wide array of B2B clients. I do media relations, press release strategy, spokesperson coaching, strategic planning and a whole lot of (excellent) content development.

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  Wellmark blue cross and blue shield

  Apr 2024 - now

  Corporate communications manager - health equity