Professional Experience
The idea that strong communications programming has the power to influence behavior and create change for good has driven me through every step of both my career and my passion projects. As part of the FINN public affairs practice, I have been privileged to have spearheaded advocacy and communications campaigns spanning from important health and safety issues to senior care to the arts. These are campaigns designed to mobilize audiences, engage influencers and elevate ideas to drive results for organizations. My work has included media relations and crisis management as well as a robust collection of signature events, including cross-country media stunts, galas, Capitol Hill press events and fly-ins, commemorations, and conference and panel planning and execution. My experience and passion for work in the health advocacy space has carried over into my personal life – I volunteer both with the American Stroke Association and the INOVA Fairfax Hospital to elevate the impact that strokes have on survivors and their families and raise awareness for risk factors to the larger community. As part of this work, I have had the honor to co-lead a support group for caregivers since 2018.
Trust is not built in big, sweeping moments. It’s built in tiny moments every day.
- Brene Brown
How'd you get here?
When exploring various majors to study in college, I was intrigued by the traditional description of public relations: “building and maintaining a business’s reputation and brand, while fostering relationships with the media and the public.” I decided to study public relations and political science yet wasn’t sure where this career path would take me considering my competing personal interests. I dabbled in book publicity, classical music PR, beauty and lifestyle, and then landed with the American Kidney Fund for an in-house gig. It was with this organization where I fell in love with issues-based work. The public affairs practice at FINN has allowed me to continue to focus on the many issues I care about rather than requiring me to focus on one area of expertise. The flexibility of my role within public affairs has led me to spearhead the development of award-winning campaigns for a variety of clients and industries, including best in public affairs for clients in the music and retail space, to best in community engagement in the environmental space, to assisting a client on their path to win a Tony Award. I love that one day I might work with a GRAMMY-winning musician and another day I might be working with a U.S. Senator or an NPR reporter – it’s always an adventure.