STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS / EDITORIAL LEADERSHIP
Download my full CV in .pdf format
Profile
Strategic communications leader, writer and editor with 25+ years of experience spanning international organizations, public policy and journalism, including over two decades with the United Nations.
I currently lead FAO’s Global and Technical Coordination Branch, helping a complex international organization communicate more strategically, coherently and effectively across its global network.
My experience combines strategic communications leadership, global planning and coordination, audience-led campaigns, crisis communications and organizational capacity development with a longstanding commitment to strong writing, compelling narratives and editorial excellence.
At heart, I’m a wordsmith, thinker and doer. I enjoy making sense of complex issues, identifying opportunities and translating ideas and evidence into communications that connect with the audiences that matter.
Professional Experience
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
Rome, Italy | 2003–present
2024–present | Officer-in-Charge, Global and Technical Coordination Branch
Lead a seven-person team and coordinate communications across FAO’s technical divisions and worldwide office network. Oversee corporate communications planning, strategic prioritization, audience-led approaches and capacity development. Have expanded and operationalized global planning and coordination systems to strengthen the effectiveness of FAO’s communications.
2022–2023 | Planning Editor / Technical Communications Coordination
Re-established FAO’s corporate communications planning process across more than 20 technical divisions, developed centralized planning and forecasting systems, and managed a team responsible for coordinating technical communications, corporate messaging and major institutional initiatives.
2018–2021 | Communications Coordinator, Emergencies and Resilience
Directed communications for FAO’s global humanitarian and resilience portfolio, including during the 2019–2021 Desert Locust crisis. Worked with UN and humanitarian partners on major food-security emergencies, led communications for flagship publications and collaborated on international initiatives involving Netflix and the European Commission.
2014–2018 | News Coordinator, ad interim / Media Relations Officer
Led FAO’s multilingual corporate news operation and handled international media relations on high-profile, technically complex and politically sensitive issues. Supported FAO’s emergency response in Somalia during the 2017 food-security crisis.
2006–2014 | Media Relations Officer
Wrote and pitched international news, features and opinion pieces on FAO’s work. Helped pioneer the Organization’s early social-media presence, introduced media-monitoring capabilities and contributed to digital publishing systems and communications policies.
2003–2005 | Assistant Web Editor
Produced in-depth journalism and explanatory content on scientific, technical and development issues, reported from field projects and helped establish FAO’s early digital newsroom and publishing systems.
International Relations Center (IRC)
New Mexico, USA | 1997–2003
Senior Program Associate / Writer & Editor
Researched, wrote and edited policy analysis on U.S.–Latin American relations, migration, human rights and sustainable development. Managed a bilingual publication, coordinated external contributors, supported institutional strategy and secured grant funding through successful proposals.
Earlier Journalism
Worked as a freelance journalist in the United States, Latin America and Spain, and as a writer and editor for Ohio University News Service and Montage Magazine.
Education
Ohio University — M.A., International Affairs
Latin American Studies, Contemporary History and Journalism
Kalamazoo College — B.A., English; Minor in Biology
Universidad San Francisco de Quito — Study abroad, Ecuador
Languages
English (native) / Spanish (fluent) / Italian (advanced) / French and Greek (basic)