Storytelling + Strategy
In my work across higher education, nonprofit media, and mission-driven spaces, I focus on crafting editorial strategies and digital experiences that amplify meaningful voices and spark real engagement.
Here’s a selection of projects that show where strategy meets story.
Digital Content Strategy + Audience Engagement
In addition to leading monthly and weekly analytics reporting (Google Analytics, Sprout, and Google Search Console), I’ve developed SEO and GEO content guidelines, created training resources, and optimized websites for UX, SEO, and web accessibility best practices. I also use audience engagement methods, including social listening, surveys, and in-person tabling, to better understand community needs and inform content strategy. I’ve studied audience engagement since 2011 and in 2013, I wrote my Master's thesis on how engagement editors assess the success of their work, uncovering the different motivations for doing community engagement work.
While much of that foundational work isn’t easily visualized, the campaigns below (conceptualized and executed across web, social, and email) showcase the impact of those strategic frameworks in action.
Campus & Community
Brainstormed, iterated, and developed a new section of Columbia News to focus on student and campus life. Working with graphic designers and our newsletter specialist, I conceptualized and designed a new visual identity, web landing page, new style for a weekly newsletter, and wrote/produced content to keep the area fresh.
Back-T0-SChool CAmpaigns
Each year, I spearhead a month-long campaign for Columbia’s back-to-school content, including web stories, landing page, social campaign, and newsletters.
Election 2024
In a crucial election year, I designed a web resource and content to populate it that highlighted Columbia experts, pointed students and staff to voting resources, and convened important events and news clips to keep readers informed.
So You Want TO START A PODCASt, STL?
In 2016, at the beginning of the podcast craze, I organized a live radio show and panel called “So you want to start a podcast, St. Louis?” to help St. Louisans start their own podcast. It was attended by 100+ people and included resources to get started in the industry. I also produced the panel into an hour of radio on St. Louis on the Air, social media buzz, and a how-to guide that lives on to this day.
Writing + Editing
Crafting clear, compelling narratives grounded in journalistic rigor and strategic audience insight.
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The History of the Women Who Founded Columbia's Most Prolific Community Service Efforts
This Harlem Prevention Center Peer Health Navigator Made History on the Miss New York Stage
Josefina Báez: Dominican-York Icon, Whose Archive Is Now Housed at Columbia University
Everything Columbia Students Need to Know About Registering to Vote, Absentee Ballots, and More
A Tour of Columbia With a University Staffer of 16 Years Who Knows Every Room on Campus
What Does Intersectionality Mean in 2021? Kimberlé Crenshaw’s Podcast Is A Must-Listen Way to Learn
Sabrina Anastasio: Narrative Medicine in the International Year of the Nurse
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Books N Bros’ 11-year-old founder wants to help boys love reading at an age when they often don’t (later picked up from reddit by Mashable, Huffington Post, CNN, NBC, and more, causing the interview to go viral | also produced)
Curious Louis: City’s last surviving Mississippian mound, Sugar Loaf, to be preserved this summer (also produced)
Overtime rule set to impact nearly 300,000 in Missouri, Illinois blocked by federal judge — for now (also produced)
Meet St. Louis native Harry Edwards, the man behind the Black Power protest at the ’68 Olympics (also produced)
In 1904, St. Louis hosted the first Olympics on American soil. It was kind of a mess.
What is your political mood? St. Louis voters weigh in on Election 2016 (also produced)
What’s a confused, new transplant to St. Louis to do? Well, now there’s an app for that (also produced)
Continuing coverage of the grand jury decision, Ferguson and area business (weeks-long live blog)
6 things to know about the Aug. 21 solar eclipse over St. Louis, from an author who has seen 5 (also produced)
Love in the face of suffering: North St. Louis native Cheeraz Gormon pairs activism and poetry (also produced)
What you need to know about the Oct. 9 presidential debate at Washington University (also produced)
St. Louisans on Islamophobia: ‘The real face of Islam is the face you see in front of you right now' (also produced)
View all writing for St. Louis Public Radio here | View all writing for St. Louis Business Journal here
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Flyover Podcast Newsletter
From 2017 to 2019, I created and wrote Flyover Podcast, a biweekly newsletter spotlighting outstanding podcast storytelling from between the coasts. Designed to amplify regional voices often overlooked in national media, Flyover Podcast curated episode recommendations, interviews, and industry insights.
Through content curation, audience engagement, and editorial strategy, the newsletter built a loyal readership and celebrated the depth and diversity of storytelling taking place outside of big media centers in the United States.
Over two years, it grew to 2,500 subscribers and was even written about in The New York Times and Columbia Journalism Review.
Multimedia Production
Bringing stories to life across formats: producing audio, video, and interactive content that deepens reach and resonance.
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Non-narrated audio storytelling (pitching, facilitating, recording, editing, mixing, writing):
Ginnie Peters and Trent Andrews share how they found support in one another after farmer suicide hit close to home (recorded for StoryCorps in Perry, Iowa)
Tracia and Patrick Kraemer giggle over finding love at a nudist park (recorded for StoryCorps in New Orleans, Louisiana)
Elizabeth Vega and Jamell Spann remember the Pulitzer Prize-winning photo that captured their meeting during protests in Ferguson, Missouri (recorded for StoryCorps in St. Louis, Missouri)
Russ Dixon and Walter Dixon recall what it was like to be reported dead as a Korean War POW — and what happens when you return home alive (recorded for StoryCorps in Waynesville, Missouri)
Mickey Willenbring shares how sheep farming helped her overcome PTSD from her time in Iraq and connected her with her Native American roots (recorded for StoryCorps in Eugene, Oregon)
Adam Roseman and Rick Rosenthal share how a Jewish man from Georgia became Santa Claus (recorded for StoryCorps in Atlanta, Georgia)
Tom Gasko and Donnie Pedrola tackle how you love someone with an insane hobby…a hobby, say, like collecting vaccuum cleaners (recorded for StoryCorps in Rolla, Missouri)
Field recording, editing, mixing:
Interview + editing:
Famed mountaineer Conrad Anker, star of ‘Meru,’ shows U.S. national parks' importance in new film
A noted architect’s journey from Japanese-American internment to Washington University in St. Louis
The refugee perspective you rarely hear: Grace Jo shares her story of defection from North Korea
St. Louis' amateur radio operators experiment during the total solar eclipse
Talk show segment conceptualization, booking, pre-interviewing:
In two years, I booked and prepared over 200 talk show segments. Here are some of my favorites.Clayton was once home to a thriving African-American neighborhood. Now, it’s little-known history.
Little-known St. Louis museum holds part of world’s largest private original manuscript collection
‘The Revenant’ is nominated for 12 Oscars. Here’s the St. Louis connection you didn’t know.
East St. Louis native Charmaine Savage returns, starting a magazine to highlight the good
SLU student, Syrian-American fashion blogger is rocking ‘modest fashion’—to international attention
What you saw, what you heard: St. Louis on the Air's Solar Eclipse Special (2-hour live special I was the lead producer of)
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Why Do We Celebrate Juneteenth? Columbians Share the History and How They Observe the Day - I conceptualized and produced this piece alongside our stellar video team as part of broader campaign to welcome the inclusion of Juneteenth as a university holiday. Nearly 60K views.
What Is the History of Native American and Indigenous Peoples at Columbia University? - As a follow-up, I conceptualized and produced this piece to celebrate Indigenous Peoples Day at the university.
The Best Relaxing Fireplace (2 HOURS) Is in Columbia’s John Jay Hall - I conceptualized this video as part of holiday programming to promote traditions at the university during the pandemic
#InMyShoes365 - Part of a social media campaign I conceptualized, wrote and produced to fund-the-need of 120 pairs of dance shoes for underserved students. Through this campaign, COCA raised $5000+ in 24 hours.
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Instagram Reels for Columbia Neighbors
The 2023 Return of Columbia’s Career Expo (Shot, Edited, Wrote Copy)
Manhattanville Community Day Promo (Shot, Edited, Wrote Copy)
Facebook Live for St. Louis Public Radio
Facebook Live for NPR
Social Samples
In one year alone, for St. Louis on the Air, I wrote over 400 web stories and Facebook posts, crafted over 3,500 tweets with over 3.5 million impressions and posted over 100 Instagram photos and stories. Here's a sampling of some of my favorites:
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Neighbors Newsletter — I worked with our creative team to redesign a short mailer sent to a 1500+ constituents about Columbia’s commitment to the community.