I have worked at Oregon State University since 2008, first as a
science writer for what was formerly known as the Extension and Experiment Station Communications
department and later as the leader of the department's news team. I wrote, assigned and edited news releases, wrote magazine features, shot photos, filmed and edited videos, and contributed to social media. I also taught faculty and students how to work with reporters and communicate in lay terms about their research. I was also an interim co-director of the department for 10 months.
I have led the communications program at Oregon Sea Grant since 2015. I manage contractors, media relations, Oregon Sea Grant’s annual participation in OSU’s Dam Proud Day fundraiser, and projects that include the production of marketing materials. I also shoot and edit photos, write and edit content, and manage the program's Facebook, Instagram, Threads, X, LinkedIn, Flickr and YouTube accounts. My accomplishments include creating a communications strategy and developing and implementing an award-winning integrated digital marketing campaign for Oregon Sea Grant’s 50th anniversary.
While at OSU, I have received seven awards from District VIII of the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) for my writing. These include a grand gold award for a magazine feature on OSU's wine research, a gold award for a feature on honey bee research and a gold for six profiles on undergraduates conducting hands-on research. The impact statements I edited and helped write for an OSU legislative outreach website received a silver award from CASE in 2015.
Before joining OSU, I was a financial and general news reporter for Reuters in Chile, a freelancer in Peru for U.S. newspapers, and a magazine editor near Chicago.
I earned a bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of
Oregon and a Master of Fine Arts degree in creative writing from Oregon
State University.
(bio photo by Stephen Ward, homepage photo by Lynn Ketchum)
