Work experience

 

Terri's Gate, Charlotte Metro, NC

2004 - present (part-time)

professional writer & communications consultant

 

I provide clients with integrated communication strategies and tools to tell clear and compelling stories. My work includes audience profiling, branding guidelines, website content (SEO and visitor experience), social media profiles and posts, by-lined articles, news releases, print/digital advertising, video and engagement tools, research, competitive analyses, collateral materials, executive coaching, and other content solutions.  

• My diverse client base includes/has included Benefit Advocates (valued at $2M), Restoration MedSpa (800% growth over five years), Pace Communications (web content for Choice Hotels, PR planning for United Services, and editorial strategy for AAA), Web Worx (web content including architecture, wire-framing, and SEO), Second Harvest Food Bank (marketing and PR strategy), Grandfather Golf and Country Club (rebranding and membership campaign strategy), e-Bike Central (storefront design and web updates), Dr. Timogi (PR and media strategy), and YWCA High Point ($5M+ capital campaign).

 

Spring Health, New York, NY

2021-2024 (full-time, remote)

director, proposal operations/revenue effectiveness

 

I was the first professional communicator hired by this global technology start-up in mental healthcare benefits (currently valued at +$2.5B with annual revenue of $750M). I provided messaging and brand strategy, led a revenue support team, and developed the original content library of 1,500+ Q&As tied to $1.1B+ in potential CACV.

• I worked with SMEs to drive integrated communications while monitoring the development, management, content, and data for more than 600 projects (including new product launches). I also profiled prospective clients and consultants, outlined win strategies, and enjoyed a 100% success rate in getting the Strategic Alliances and Sales Teams (30+ colleagues) to follow-up meetings. Our finalist stage rate was 37%, with a 7% YoY increase.

• My work included developing team and individual KPIs, building and maintaining a reporting dashboard that reflected real-time updates linked to Salesforce, and drafting the original Solutions Architecture processes.

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Pivot Mode, Greensboro, NC

2020-2021 (full-time, remote)

vp marketing, chief content strategist

 

I focused on implementing an overall content marketing strategy, supporting business development initiatives, and managing performance while taking this boutique agency’s automation application to new verticals.

• I created proposal and presentation templates and led new business strategies, increasing clientele by 30%.

• My team also led the execution and effectiveness of customer marketing activities, establishing key performance metrics and considering industry best practices for each.

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Lyra Health, Burlingame, CA

2019 - 2020 (part-time, contract, remote)

strategic communications consultant

 

I managed responses to RFPs and RFIs for this unicorn, a high-growth tech start-up offering employers an innovative set of premium mental health benefits. I also provided brand strategies and targeted messaging for the company’s content library.

• I conducted all research, writing, and compliance reviews for responses to RFPs and RFIs for over 120 large national employers and their consultants, including Starbucks, Anaplan, Qualcomm, Fidelity, Walmart, and Dell.

• I customized Lyra’s messaging, managed the content library, and mentored the sales team in RFP responses.

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StayWell, Yardley, PA

2015 - 2018 (full-time, remote)

managing editor, business development strategist, & marketing manager

 

I provided content management, business development tactics, and strategic marketing plans for the  Health Advocacy Solutions and Patient Engagement Solutions teams. Audiences included consumers and c-suite executives with health systems, EHRs, non-profits, associations, and pharmaceutical companies. Work ranged from managing marketing plans, proposing business strategies, and conceptualizing creative content to substantive editing and writing as a managing editor and strategist for the National Institutes of Health.

• I served as managing editor for award-winning magazines, including NIH MedlinePlus. I worked collaboratively with the 27 institutes’ communications offices, creating story budgets and writing and managing production for all feature articles, including celebrity cover stories with Michael Phelps, Padma Lakshmi, and Kathy Bates.

• I identified client funding opportunities, including for the American College of Physicians, where I created appropriate programs and products, built business plans, developed budgeting, provided schedules, and wrote program proposals supporting clients’ business needs.

• After conceptualizing critical programs, I drafted Pfizer-funded proposals for the American College of Cardiology Foundation and Novartis-funded proposals for the American College of Physicians.

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Davidson County Community College, Thomasville, NC 

2012 - 2015 (full-time, on-site)

executive director, marketing & communications

 

I led the implementation of a dynamic brand presence across all media, including an interactive website, in-house film production, all collateral materials, advertising campaigns, and traditional and social media. My team established innovative strategies for speaking to 18- to 24-year-olds through Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram—enhancing engagement and accelerating messaging.

• I managed the development of multi-channel communications, brand standards, guidelines, and an online marketing toolbox.

• I served as chief information officer and conducted strategic media relations planning, including between two and four news releases per week, which led to more than 50 on-air, digital, and print media interviews.

• Collaborating on development initiatives, including annual report design and giving campaigns, my team's work led to the largest endowment in the college’s history and the largest in the state among community colleges

 

Wax Custom Communications, Miami, FL

2004 - 2012 (full-time, remote)

editorial director, special projects

 

I provided research, hired writers, managed editorial direction, and integrated communications strategies for Humana, Lincoln Benefit Life, AvMed, Inc., Mount Sinai Medical Center, BlueCross, Blue Shield of Delaware, and many others.

• As the editorial director and content manager for Humana’s award-winning lifestyle publication, HAO Magazine (8 years), I developed integrated communications strategies for a complementary digest and website, researched recommended health and wellness tactics, and provided news articles for Medicare segments.

• I managed curricula development for Humana Learning Centers, establishing and managing relationships with notable voices in health and wellness (all with whom I worked regularly), including Dr. Ruth Westheimer, Michael Roizen, M.D., Jack LaLanne, and Andrew Weil, M.D.

• Among others, I interviewed and wrote features on motivational leaders Steve Forbes, Chuck Hagel, and Coach Mike Krzyzewski, as well as business leaders Casey Sylla, president of Allstate Financial Services; Jane Seymour, national lifestyle brand artist and actress; and Jeff Taylor, founder of Eons.com.

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Languages

 

English - native language

Spanish - polite

Technical Skills

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• Miicrosoft Office: Word, Excel, PowerPoint

• Google Suite: Docs, Sheets, Slides

• Adobe: Acrobat Pro, Illustrator, InDesign, Photoshop

• Websites: SEO, SEM, SGE, Google Analytics, SEMrush, Accessibility

• Social Media Management: Sprout Social, Hootsuite

• CMS: WordPress, Drupal, Joomla

• Surveying: Survey Monkey, Qualtrics

• Content Management: Responsive, Loopio, Proposal Tech, Scout, RFP360, Power Advocate

• Media Management: Guru

• Marketing Automation: Marketo, SharpSpring, Constant Contact

• Project Management: Jira, Asana, Basecamp, Guru, Slack, Confluence, Atlassian, Miro

• Writing: ChatGBT, Writer, Grammarly

• Writing Samples: See Portfolio

 

Service

 

YWCA High Point

executive committee, vp of communications

 

JDRF Piedmont Triad

executive committee, vp of communications

 

Winston-Salem Youth Arts Institute

board of directors, grant writer

 

Second Harvest Food Bank

newsletter designer & writer

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Education​

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• Master of Arts in Communications, Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, NC

• Bachelor of Arts in English Literature, Virginia Wesleyan University, Virginia Beach, VA

• Removing Barriers to Change, Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA

• Master Coaching Certificate, Behavioral Coaching Institute, Geneva, Switzerland

• Automation & CRM - Gold Certified, SharpSpring by Constant Contact.

• Graduate Coursework in Educational Leadership, Appalachian State University, Boone, NC

• Graduate Coursework in Writing, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA

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Awards

 

• EMRIndustry.com’s 2018 10 Blogs That Defined Health Care

• Gold Medallion Award, National Council for Marketing and Public Relations

• Distinguished Publication Award, Society for Technical Communication (multiple awards)

• Gold Award, Healthcare Advertising (multiple awards)

• Platinum Award, Hermes

• Silver Award, Mature Media

• Crystal Award of Excellence, Communicator Awards (multiple awards)​