Portfolio

Intro

I’m a senior tourism marketing and communications leader specializing in data-driven strategy, destination storytelling, and partner alignment. I bring a blend of creative vision and analytical precision, ensuring every campaign, report, and initiative is grounded in measurable outcomes and meaningful audience insights.

At Visit Lake Charles, I oversee multi-brand marketing strategies, lead high-profile communications initiatives, and translate complex tourism data into actionable narratives for stakeholders, community members, and elected officials.

Key Impact Areas

Data, Strategy, Communications, Partnership

Strategic Planning & Organizational Leadership

Served on the Steering Committee for Visit Lake Charles’ multi-year Strategic Planning Process, guiding organizational priorities and measurable outcomes.
Collaborated with executive leadership to develop and align KPIs with broader destination objectives.
Created and executed a comprehensive marketing and communications campaign to share the findings of the strategic plan with community stakeholders, partners, and elected officials, translating complex strategic priorities into clear, accessible messaging that built understanding, buy-in, and public support.

Resident Sentiment

Directed communications and marketing efforts to solicit survey responses for Visit Lake Charles’ resident sentiment survey.
Designed and implemented a communications campaign to share the survey results, ensuring transparency, community trust, and actionable understanding among residents and stakeholders.

Research & Insights Application

Led a strategic overhaul of Visit Lake Charles’ communications approach upon entering the role in 2023, ensuring all messaging was data-driven, audience-specific, and aligned with organizational priorities.
Redesigned the monthly CEO e-newsletter to focus on strategic storytelling, integrating key performance data (from Zartico, STR, etc.), industry insights (from Longwoods Internations,U.S. Travel, etc.), and organizational updates in an executive-friendly format.
Revamped the monthly “Tourism Works” publication to better communicate tourism’s and VLC’s economic and cultural impact to residents, partners, and elected officials, using narrative framing informed by research.
Applied tourism datasets (STR, Zartico, Longwoods resident sentiment) to inform content themes, highlight measurable outcomes, and support board and community decision-making.
Produced insights reports that translated technical tourism data into accessible, actionable recommendations for non-technical audiences, building transparency, understanding, and advocacy.

Just Imagine SWLA – 50-Year Master Plan Communications Leadership

Oversee all communications and marketing efforts for Just Imagine SWLA, a 50-year community-driven master plan led by the Community Foundation of Southwest Louisiana, aimed at long-term economic, environmental, and social resilience.
Lead and manage the Director of Communications to execute a comprehensive annual plan encompassing social media, e-newsletters, radio, TV, billboards, community engagement, stakeholder engagement, and public relations.
Develop and implement strategic messaging that translates complex infrastructure, policy, and development initiatives into accessible, compelling narratives for residents, partners, civic leaders, and elected officials.
Ensure communications align with both destination marketing objectives and the master plan’s community development goals, building awareness, support, and sustained engagement over multiple years.
Partner with local media, business leaders, and civic organizations to amplify messaging, maintain transparency, and foster public trust in the plan’s progress.

Stakeholder & Partner Consulting

Regularly meet with local businesses, tourism partners, and event organizers to review and strengthen their marketing, communications, and event management strategies.
Provide data-driven recommendations by sharing insights from visitor behavior analysis, tourism research (e.g., STR, Longwoods, geolocation data), and event performance metrics.
Advise on campaign optimization for paid/organic social media, public relations, and on-site experience enhancements to increase attendance, visitor satisfaction, and repeat visitation.
Coach partners on integrating destination branding into their materials to create a cohesive regional tourism identity.
Serve as a trusted resource for capacity-building, helping local partners leverage data and strategic communications to improve business outcomes, elevate visitor experience, and maximize ROI.

Executive Communications & Thought Leadership Support

Serve as lead writer for CEO communications, ensuring consistent voice, clarity, and alignment with organizational strategy and brand positioning.
Draft and edit the monthly CEO e-newsletter, delivering key organizational updates, industry insights, and calls to action for stakeholders, partners, and community leaders.
Write executive quotes, forewords, and letters for major organizational documents, including the Business Plan, Annual Report, and strategic initiatives.
Develop speeches, talking points, and remarks for public presentations, conferences, and media appearances.
Collaborate with the CEO and leadership team to craft messaging that strengthens Visit Lake Charles’ position as a trusted, visionary leader in the tourism and economic development space.

Crisis Communications & Disaster Response Leadership

Contributed to a comprehensive communications strategy during four federally declared natural disasters within a single year, ensuring accurate, timely, and empathetic messaging to residents, stakeholders, partners, and elected officials.
Acted as primary media liaison, coordinating interviews, crafting press releases, and responding to journalist inquiries to maintain transparency and build public trust.
Developed and distributed multi-channel updates (social media, website, email, and media briefings) to keep the community informed during rapidly evolving situations.
Collaborated closely with local, state, and federal agencies to align messaging and share critical updates on recovery resources, safety measures, and economic impacts.
Provided strategic guidance to leadership and stakeholders on public perception management, ensuring communications supported both immediate needs and long-term reputation recovery.
Applied data-driven insights to assess message reach and effectiveness, adapting content in real time for maximum clarity and impact.

Interdepartmental Collaboration

Work closely with the Sports and Sales teams to ensure their events, achievements, and economic impact stories are effectively communicated beyond the leisure travel focus of the marketing department.
Develop tailored content strategies for sports tournaments, meetings, and conventions, including press releases, social media campaigns, and on-site coverage that highlight both the event experience and the destination’s capabilities as a host city.
Translate post-event economic impact reports into accessible, compelling narratives for stakeholders, community members, and media outlets, ensuring the broader value of these events is recognized.
Coordinate with local media to secure coverage of sports and sales events, arrange interviews with event organizers, and manage messaging to align with both departmental and destination-wide goals.
Produce photo, video, and written content showcasing the energy and visitor draw of sports tournaments and group events, while capturing testimonials and success stories for future marketing and sales materials.
Apply tourism and event performance analytics to refine outreach strategies, optimize promotion for future events, and demonstrate ROI to partners and decision-makers.

Leadership Growth & Organizational Impact

Progressive Leadership Roles

Joined Visit Lake Charles in 2019 as Public Relations Manager, leading PR efforts through an unprecedented year of four federally declared natural disasters, coordinating with media, stakeholders, and community partners under intense and rapidly changing conditions.
Promoted in 2022 to Director of Social Media during an organizational restructuring, training and onboarding a new Public Relations Manager while simultaneously building VLC’s first-ever dedicated social media program from the ground up — including defining strategy, processes, KPIs, and workflows where none previously existed.

Team Building & Strategic Direction

In August 2023, successfully advocated for promotion to Senior Director of Social Media & Communications following the departure of a 20-year veteran leader.
Hired and onboarded the Director of Communications, my first direct report, while simultaneously conducting a full assessment of all communications activities, identifying performance gaps, and launching a brand-new, metrics-driven communications strategy.
Built early buy-in with new team members by creating clear priorities, defining success metrics, and connecting individual responsibilities to broader organizational goals.

Mentorship & Talent Development

Recruited, trained, and mentored interns to support social media content creation, providing professional development and guidance on strategy, analytics, and destination marketing best practices.
Fostered a collaborative, growth-focused environment within the communications team, balancing creative innovation with data-informed decision-making.

Organizational Influence

Positioned the communications department as a trusted, strategic partner to leadership and other departments, integrating marketing and communications efforts across leisure, sports, and sales to create unified destination storytelling.
Demonstrated adaptability, resilience, and vision by successfully leading through leadership transitions, departmental restructuring, and shifting market conditions.

Academic & Professional Credentials

Earned a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from January 2022–December 2023, strengthening skills in strategic management, organizational leadership, and data-driven decision-making.
Attained the Certified Destination Management Executive (CDME) credential (July 2023–May 2025), the tourism industry’s highest educational recognition, underscoring expertise in destination strategy, stakeholder engagement, and organizational transformation.

Multi-Brand Management & Strategy Development

Develop and maintain annual content calendars that align with organizational marketing goals, seasonal campaigns, and high-priority events, ensuring consistent audience engagement year-round.
Collaborate with the Senior Director of Brand Marketing to integrate organic and paid content into overarching destination marketing strategies for Visit Lake Charles, Lake Charles Regional Sports Authority, Creole Nature Trail Adventure Point, and Just Imagine SWLA — each with tailored messaging strategies to meet distinct audience needs and objectives.
Create platform-specific strategies for Facebook, Instagram, X (Twitter), LinkedIn, YouTube, and TikTok, ensuring each channel delivers optimized content formats and storytelling styles.

Content Creation & Publishing

Write, design, and produce original photography, video, and copywriting to reflect the brand’s voice, highlight the region’s unique experiences, and support campaign objectives.
Oversee content scheduling, publishing, and community engagement, ensuring timely responses, brand consistency, and proactive audience interaction.
Coordinate photo/video shoots, including concept development, location scouting, talent coordination, and final creative direction to capture both leisure and sports/event tourism appeal.

Data-Driven Creative Optimization

Leverage analytics from Sprout Social, Zartico, and Google Analytics to guide creative direction, refine audience targeting, and adjust posting strategies for maximum impact.
Produce social performance dashboards to communicate ROI, engagement trends, and campaign success to leadership, stakeholders, and board members.
Apply insights from tourism datasets (e.g., visitor origin markets, trip planning behaviors) to shape social content themes and align with peak travel interest periods.

Paid Social Campaigns & Budget Management

Manage both the internal social media budget and external paid social campaigns executed through Miles Partnership, ensuring data-backed targeting, efficient spending, and measurable ROI.
Run A/B testing on ad creative and messaging to optimize performance across audience segments.

Influencer Marketing & Partnership Integration

Lead all influencer collaborations from vetting and contracting to creative brief development, campaign oversight, and post-performance reporting.
Partner with influencers whose content style and audience demographics align with visitor profile data, ensuring both authenticity and strategic brand alignment.
Balance influencer-driven storytelling with core destination messaging to maintain consistent brand voice and measurable impact.

Integrated Campaign Execution

Combine organic, paid, influencer, and partner-generated content to create multi-channel campaigns that drive visitation, increase brand visibility, and strengthen community connection.
Align social media activations with major organizational initiatives, such as strategic plan rollouts, resident sentiment reporting, and tourism impact awareness campaigns.

Recognition & Thought Leadership

Industry Awards & Honors

HSMAI Adrian Award Bronze, Digital – Awarded 2025
Destinations International 30 Under 30 – Awarded 2023
Southeast Tourism Society (STS) Rising Star Award – Awarded 2022
eTourism Emerging Star Award – Awarded 2022

Featured Publications & Media Coverage

National & International Features – Work, insights, and expertise highlighted in The New York Times, Destinations International, Travel South USA, PRSA’s Strategies & Tactics Magazine, CrowdRiff, and the University of Louisiana Alumni Council.
Quoted as a trusted source on tourism communications, destination storytelling, and influencer strategy in multiple professional and mainstream outlets.

Speaking Engagements & Professional Contributions

Conference & Webinar Speaker – Presented for Southeast Tourism Society, Miles Partnership, CrowdRiff SEE Conference, Louisiana Travel Summit, and other industry forums on digital strategy, analytics-driven storytelling, and influencer partnerships.
Peer-to-Peer Knowledge Sharing – Contributed case studies, best practices, and strategic insights to national and regional tourism marketing groups, furthering industry-wide knowledge exchange.

Professional Membership & Involvement

Louisiana Travel Association Development Committee – Committee Member, Jan 2023 – Present
Southeast Tourism Society (STS) Recognition Pillar Committee – Committee Member, Apr 2022 – Present
Destinations International Public Relations and Communications Committee – Committee Member, Jan 2023 – Jan 2025
Destinations International Professional Development Committee- Committee Member, Jan 2023 – Jan 2025
eTourism Summit Advisory Board – Board Member, Sep 2022 – Jan 2024
Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) – Member, Jan 2020 – Jan 2023
Visit No Man’s Land – Board Member, Oct 2019 – Jan 2023

Skills & Tools

Skills

Hard Skills
Data Storytelling & Visualization
Social & Web Analytics
KPI Development & Alignment
Crisis Communications
Strategic Planning & Execution
Influencer & Partnership Management
Paid Media Optimization

Soft Skills
Deep, Structured Thinking (Intellection)
Vision Orientation (Futuristic)
People Insight & Talent Alignment (Individualization)
Complex Orchestration (Arranger)
Risk-Aware Decision-Making (Alert)

Technical Tools & Platforms

Collaboration & Project Management – Monday.com, Microsoft Teams, Google Workspace.

Data & Analytics – Zartico, Google Analytics, Sprout Social, social platform native analytics.

Creative & Design – Canva, Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop, Lightroom, Express, InDesign, Premiere Pro), CapCut.

Content & Web Management – Simpleview CRM & CMS, WordPress, CrowdRiff.

Other Marketing, Advertising – Mailchimp, Constant Contact, Meta Ads Manager, LinkedIn Campaign Manager, TikTok Ads Manager

Certifications & Education

Master of Business Administration (MBA) from McNeese State University – Graduated Dec 2023

Certified Destination Management Executive (CDME) from Destinations International – Completed May 2025

Professional in Destination Management (PDM) from Destinations International – Completed Nov 2023

Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and Marketing from Univeristy of Louisiana – Graduated May 2018