Summary of Qualifications
High-performing, resourceful, and organized communications professional with more than 10 years of experience in writing, public relations, and content marketing.
Expert social media manager who uses key performance indicators (KPIs) to evaluate success and inform future innovative content creation for organic and paid social media activity.
Creative and expressive writer for brand communications, marketing materials, and social media.
Skilled at building relationships with colleagues and outside influencers.
Professional Experience
Social Media Manager
Johnson & Wales University | Enrollment Management (Providence, RI)
June 2021 – Present
Developed an organic social media strategy for campus flagship accounts based on key enrollment marketing messages for the purpose of enrolling and recruiting new students to JWU.
Social media activity on enrollment social media channels contributed to the university reaching enrollment goals for the Fall 2022 cohort and resulted in an increase of total followers by 10.4%, engagements by 24.1%, and impressions by 83% compared to the previous fiscal year 2020-21.
Spearheaded a new campus-wide initiative to gather all social media managers for monthly meetings for training on best practices and industry standards, as well as to facilitate collaboration and amplification of efforts to strengthen JWU’s digital presence on social media.
Builds strong relationships with inter-departmental colleagues to ensure alignment on vital marketing initiatives, storytelling, and strategic positioning to ensure cohesive messaging to key audiences.
Social Media Specialist/Writer/Editor
Keene State College | Marketing & Communications Department (Keene, NH)
February 2018 – May 2021
Social media activities and strategies since start date have increased following on flagship accounts: Instagram by 120%, Facebook by 17%, and Twitter by 17%.
2020 social content strategy increased traffic to the website by 25.4%. Average engagement rates in 2020 are above higher ed industry averages on each social media channel. For example, the flagship Instagram account has an average engagement rate of 6.86% vs industry average of 3.57%.
Manages the college’s flagship social media channels (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, TikTok), acting as community manager and primary content creator.
Collaborates with the Admissions Department to build content for brochures, handouts, mailers, emails, and landing webpages to recruit and enroll prospective students.
Conducts interviews and research to produce two news stories per month for the Keene State website.
Initiated a competitive marketing internship program for students. Supervises two interns per semester.
Develops relationships across campus and hosts training workshops to better facilitate collaboration and cohesive communications, especially with colleagues who handle social media responsibilities.
Conceptualizes, prepares, and edits engaging content for college marketing activities that advertise academic programs, upcoming events, and campus-wide initiatives.
Marketing & Public Relations Manager
The G2 Gallery (Los Angeles, CA)
March 2016 – December 2017
Managed marketing, publicity, and social media for nature photography gallery on famed Abbot Kinney Boulevard in Venice Beach. Worked fully remote from December 2016 – December 2017.
Wrote and distributed press releases, press kits, and pitch materials. Secured multiple print and digital placements for exhibits, artists, and events in regional publications, including Time Out Los Angeles, Los Angeles Daily News, and ArtScene.
Designed and wrote copy for the monthly newsletter using Constant Contact and later spearheaded transition to MailChimp, increasing open rate to 31.6%, well above arts industry average of 26.3%.
Managed social media channels (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter), cultivated a content calendar, created campaigns, developed content, and prepared all photos for posts.
Served as internal copywriter for exhibit materials, website, and advertising assets.
Lifestyle Publicist
The Last Layer (formerly 9SPR) (Redondo Beach, CA)
April 2015 – September 2015
Developed and implemented detailed public relations campaigns for six clients in the modern family and parenting industries.
Wrote, edited, and distributed multiple pitches on a weekly basis to key editors and writers, cultivating relationships with media contacts to increase client visibility in multiple national print and digital outlets, including Popsugar.com, Pregnancy & Newborn, and Today’s Parent.
Advised clients on social media best practices to boost brand awareness.
Public Relations Manager
Bormioli Rocco North America (New York, NY)
October 2013 – December 2014
Managed publicity and social media for Italian glassware company while working remotely in Los Angeles.
Composed pitches, press kits, and new product information to distribute to media contacts.
Combined PR activities over the course of one year resulted in more than 142 million brand impressions across magazines, online outlets, and influential blogs including Real Simple, Cooking Light, Women’s Health, HGTV, and Good Housekeeping.
Fostered key relationships with influential editors at more than 40 national magazines.
Social media strategies doubled brand’s North American Facebook following in less than a year.
Assistant Public Relations Manager
OXO Good Grips (New York, NY)
February 2010 – September 2013
Worked closely with Public Relations Director to develop and implement tactical plans that secured coverage in an average of 10 national magazine issues monthly.
Examples of influential media placements include Food & Wine, Cook’s Illustrated, Parents, Better Homes & Gardens, The Washington Post, Gizmodo, and Wired.
Liaised with Brand Communications, Sales, and Product Development teams to develop marketing campaigns that communicated industry trends.
Improved interdepartmental collaboration by writing a monthly activity and trends report to NY office, National Sales Reps, and Consumer Services teams.
Maintained a growing database of media contacts, and logged and tracked all media requests, sample orders, and donation requests to administer sample inventory.
Education
Master of Business Administration (MBA) with Marketing Specialization (3.9 GPA)
University of New Hampshire (Durham, NH)
May 2022
Bachelor’s of Arts (BA) in Art History
Mount Holyoke College (South Hadley, MA)
September 2004 - May 2008
Certifications
Social Media Certification, HubSpot Academy
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the Workplace, University of South Florida Muma College of Business
Content Marketing Certification, HubSpot Academy (in progress)
Google Analytics Certification, Google Academy (in progress)
Skills
Communication: presentations, copywriting, news and feature writing, press releases, story pitching, media relations, editing, public speaking, AP Style, Chicago Manual of Style, APA Handbook, Cision, Meltwater, Burrelles
Computer: Mac OS, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Acrobat, Microsoft Office, Squarespace, project management tools (Asana, Slack, Basecamp), Google Suite
Marketing: content strategy, content development, editorial calendars, email marketing, MailChimp, Constant Contact, Salesforce
Social Media: Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, LinkedIn, TikTok, social media management tools (Sprout Social, Hootsuite, Agorapulse), Meta Business Manager
Thought Leadership
Social Media Strategies Summit for Higher Education (October 25, 2022)
Panelist: How to Create & Manage an Effective Content Calendar
Digital Marketing Master Podcast (September 8, 2022)
Fun vs. Cringey: How to create social media that students want to see with Laurie Roberts of JWU
Talks with Thompson Podcast (March 8, 2021)
Episode 45: Laurie O'Hara Talks With Thompson
Leadership
Miss Porter’s School, Class Representative (June 2014 – present)
Mount Holyoke College, Class Communications Officer (May 2018 – May 2023)
Mount Holyoke College, Class President (May 2008 – May 2010)
Mount Holyoke College, Class Vice President (May 2007 – May 2008)
Mount Holyoke College, Class Social Chair (September 2006 – May 2007)