USAIDDevelopment Outreach Communication Specialist-Writer
Feb. 2014 - Feb. 2019Manila, Philippines• Collaborated with project partners in the Philippines, Pacific Islands, Mongolia, and the United States to develop multimedia stories covering a variety of topics within the health, economic growth, governance, education and environment sectors.
• Reviewed publications adhering to style requirements, and editing content for accuracy, clarity, branding, and other considerations.
• Worked remotely with bureaus in Washington, D.C., to provide mission-cleared material and content for congressional testimonies and to fulfill quick-turnaround requests.
• Wrote press releases for distribution by U.S. Embassies in the Philippines and Pacific Islands, gaining positive and prominent media mentions by top news outlets.
• Edited 10+ speeches a month for the U.S. Ambassador, USAID Mission Director, USAID staff, and visitors from Washington, D.C. Worked with technical leads to ensure accuracy. • Directed social media campaigns that resulted in an 800 percent increase in engagement from 72,000 in 2017 to more than 630,000 in 2018. Maintained an editorial calendar. Consulted technical teams to conceptualize content and identify relevant subjects.
• Designed a template to easily and accurately collect social media content from project partners, resulting in more timely and relevant social media posts.
• Made fact sheets to enhance public understanding of USAID’s role on development issues.
• Helped create handbooks covering USAID’s local project portfolios. The Agency distributed these portfolios to local governments, partners, and offices in Washington, D.C.. Other Asia missions adopted it. • Developed a style guide, editorial procedures, fact-checking lists, and storytelling templates to improve consistency and efficiency among USAID staff and partners.
• Conducted writing workshops and developed training materials for over 500 staff and project partners.
• Helped maintain and update website content website, including with cleared materials and SEO suggestions.