I come from an emergency service family.
I am fluent in public relations and conversational in emergency services (FEMA Certified Advanced Public Information Officer). While I have not been an active member of an emergency service organization, I come from emergency service family, making me the perfect person to bridge the gap between emergency service organizations and the communities in which they serve. I've been a part of the carnivals, the rose sales, and the fried-chicken drive-thrus. I've also listened closely to Broadcastify during bad calls before they get switched to Fire Underground and have been there for bagpipes and "last calls,". I've laughed along with Fire Chronicles and have seen plenty of memes from various dark humor groups. I respect, appreciate, and am grateful for the bonds that come from working in emergency services.
I use my PR skills to help first responders.
In addition to all of the jokes and razzing, these relationships come with a strong sense of loyalty. I'm loyal to emergency service members and want to use my knowledge, skills, and experiences to help them succeed. I began writing and sending out surveys for local emergency service organizations to help them with their recruitment and retention efforts. As more people learned about my public relations background, they would begin asking my opinions and advice about real and hypothetical situations. Over time, it became apparent that what I had spent years learning, practicing, and teaching was a skill not taught during job training for these emergency service workers. Communication skills are vital for on and off-scene success and I realized that I was in a unique position to transform emergency service workers into public relations savvy leaders.
I'm an academic, practitioner, author, researcher, and national presenter.
In addition to being a FEMA Certified Advanced Public Information Officer, I have my PhD in Communication with a concentration in Health Communication, a Master’s in Strategic Communication, and Graduate Certificates in both Public Relations and Health Psychology. Having been a professor for nearly 15 years, I have a talent for educating others by presenting information in a way that is easy to understand and apply. I am also a published author and have written about topics such as social media for emergency service organizations, designing health campaign messages, research methods, invisible illnesses, disability advocacy, and educational techniques. I have presented at national conferences in areas such as crisis communication, public relations, nonverbal communication, health campaigns, health messaging, media effects, and teaching effectiveness.