Wordsmith. Explainer. Communications professional.
HIGHLIGHTS
Ace writer & editor
Creative, innovative, digital-savvy
Solid leadership skills
Highly organized
Multi-lingual (English mother-tongue, fluent Spanish, strong Italian, basic Greek, basic French)
Experience reporting on impact/ROI
EXPERIENCE
Planning Editor, Technical Communications
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
Rome, Italy: January 2022-present
Facilitate coordinated communications work at the UN’s largest specialized agency, aiming for strategic “One FAO” treatments spanning a diverse set of technical offices and teams delivering against FAO’s broad mandate. Work with FAO knowledge units and technical offices to extract content, impact stories, news, and more.
Communications Coordinator, Emergencies and Resilience
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
Rome, Italy: November 2018-December 2021
Coordinated communications related to FAO’s humanitarian work aiming to address the root causes of acute hunger. Provided strategic advice to management, coordinated work by communications teams, developed key messages and shaped advocacy campaigns.
Media Relations Officer
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
Rome, Italy: November 2016-October 2018
Wrote news releases, op-eds, talking points, features, web content, media alerts and fact sheets related to high-profile FAO activities. Pitched stories to journalists; fielded media queries. Assisted in the formulation of FAO messages and corporate communication plans. Oversaw media monitoring. Mobilized May-June 2017 to FAO’s Somalia office.
News Coordinator, ad interim
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
Rome, Italy: November 2014-October 2016
Helped set corporate news coverage priorities. Edited work by writers. Oversaw news production to guarantee quality, timeliness, and impact. Managed a team of multilingual journalists, translators, and support staff. Authored chapter on media relations in FAO corporate communications policy.
Media Relations Officer
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
Rome, Italy: January 2006-October 2014
Wrote news releases, op-eds, talking points, features, and other content. Pitched to journalists and fielded media queries. News team lead for web publishing. Managed FAO’s flagship twitter account; wrote FAO’s first policy on Twitter; created FAO’s media monitoring program.
Assistant Web Editor
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
Rome, Italy: March 2003-December 2005
Wrote online and news content, with a focus on in-depth, issue-driven articles. Undertook documentary missions to the field. Helped manage the online FAO newsroom.
Senior Program Associate
International Relations Center (IRC)
Silver City, NM: January 2000-February 2003
Authored analysis of policy issues related to U.S.-Latin American relations. Assigned work to writers and edited their output. Helped develop institutional strategy and messages. Supervised production of publications. Wrote grant proposals; liaised with donors.
Writer & Editor
International Relations Center (IRC)
Silver City, NM: October 1997-December 1999
Managing editor and lead writer for dual-language monthly bulletin on NAFTA integration, U.S.-Mexico border issues and U.S.-Mexico relations.
Freelance journalist, various outlets (US, Spain, Paraguay)
January 1999-August 2000
Writer / Clippings Desk, Ohio University News Service (Ohio, USA)
January 1996-June 1996
Writer/Associate Editor, Montage Magazine (Ohio, USA)
June 1993-January 1996
EDUCATION
Master of Arts, International Affairs, Center for International Studies, November 2000
(Major: Latin American Studies | Minor: Contemporary History | Concentration: Journalism)
Kalamazoo College, Kalamazoo, Michigan, USA
Bachelor of Arts, Department of English, June 1993 (Major: English | Minor: Biology)
Universidad de San Francisco de Quito, Quito, Ecuador
Year abroad, 1992
St. John’s Jesuit High School, Toledo, Ohio, USA
College prep: June 1989
SKILLBUILDING & TOOLSHARPENING
Achieving Results through People (11-week bespoke UN training for team leaders, Franklin-Covey, March-June 2021)
Fundamentals of UN Communications (1-month certificate course, online via the UN Staff System College, June 2016)
Strategic Communications for Non-profits (3-day certificate course, Non-Profit Management Association, March 2014)
Making Effective Presentations (UN training seminar, September 2012)
Ragan Communications Social Media in PR Summit (December 2010)
Strategic PR Planning (online MediaBistro course, March 2010)
Ragan Communications Best Practices in Media Relations Summit (April 2010)
Annual Conference, International Association of Business Communicators (June 2008)
Basic & Advanced Adobe Photoshop (UN training seminar, Dec. 2005/June 2006)
Basic & Advanced HTML (UN training seminar, May/June 2006)
Basic and Advanced DreamWeaver (UN training seminars, April/Sept. 2005)
Introduction to XML (UN training seminar, May 2005)
Adobe Acrobat (UN training seminar, March 2005)
Legal Issues for Webmasters (International Webmasters’ Association online course, Nov-Dec. 2004)
Search Engine Optimization for Webmasters (IWA online course, July-Aug. 2004)