Summary

senior-level communications, user research, and accessibility professional

An experienced content strategist, communications director, UX researcher, and accessibility consultant with a commitment to inclusive digital strategies to drive social change. 

 

Experience

American foundation for the Blind, Director of Communications
January 2018 - Present

  • Develop communications plans and strategies to promote AFB and its strategic priorities—oversee the preparation and targeting of press releases, op-eds, position statements, and responses to unsolicited media inquiries, and ensure that staff are prepared for media interviews

  • Lead content strategy for the organization, oversee master editorial calendar, and guide interactive services for AFB’s web programs—which exceeded nonprofit benchmarks for engagement and traffic growth for the past five years

  • Oversee the organization’s social media channels and digital advertising campaigns (Google AdWords, Facebook), including integrated cross-channel posting strategy, hashtag and keyword strategy, SEO, and landing page optimization

  • Supervise work of staff and freelance editors, writers, social media specialist, p.r. manager, programmers, translators, and multimedia producers

AFB, Associate Director, Web Content Strategy
2013 - 2017

  • Collected, tracked, and analyzed digital metrics and conversion goals

  • Designed, conducted, and analyzed the results of focus groups, usability studies, A/B tests, card-sorting exercises, and accessibility evaluations with a wide variety of users, including participants with sensory disabilities

  • Advised senior leadership on usability and accessibility standards and the information gathered from iterative user tests on all new projects

  • Planned, conducted, and published usability research on the groundbreaking Helen Keller Archive, the first fully accessible digital archive

  • Developed the business case for the creation of an accessible HTML5 multimedia player, and assisted in its development, testing, launch, and adoption by government agencies and schools

AFB, Web Content Manager
2000 - 2013

  • Served as project manager and lead information architect for the development and launch of multiple web projects, including AFB’s elearning offerings, online bookstore, braille-themed website for children, a technology news magazine, and the Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness

  • Created style guide and multimedia accessibility policy for AFB’s family of websites

Robert Flemings, Inc, senior Research Editor
1997 - 2000

  • Edited market research on Latin American companies and country trends for international brokerage firm

  • Effectively translated complex financial information for a non-expert audience

  • Designed easily digestible graphs, figures, and reports ranging from short company updates to comprehensive regional surveys

Cambridge University Press, Acquisitions Editor
1992 - 1997

  • Managed peer review process of academic books in sociology, criminology, and Asian studies

  • Served as primary liaison to the Press for over 85 authors, and developed an extensive database of contacts and advisors

  • Wrote multiple successful grant requests to support the publication of specialized monographs

 

portfolio

Fully accessible digital archive of historical materials relating to Helen Keller, the iconic deafblind author, political activist, and humanitarian.

Placed letter to the New York Times on AFB's mission to create a world of no limits for people who are blind or visually impaired.

Political campaign site for a progressive, first-time female candidate

Google Ad Grant

Secured a Google GrantsPro Adwords grant and increased organization's click-through rate from 2.24% to 6.92%

 

skills

Accessibility
UX research
Strategic communications
HTML, XML, CSS
Google AdWords
Google Analytics
Optimizely
Canva
Hootsuite
MailChimp