Amy Hudson
Springfield,VA
Summary
Results-driven communications professional with 15-plus years of national and global security experience, especially with the U.S. Air Force, U.S. Space Force, U.S. Department of Defense, aerospace and defense industries. Proven track record in media relations, content creation, and brand management. Strong focus on team collaboration, adaptability, and achieving impactful results. Reliable and flexible with changing needs, valued for strategic thinking and clear communication.
Overview
24
24
years of professional experience
Work History
Communications Director
Air & Space Forces Association
05.2022 - Current
- Oversees strategic communications for the Association, ensuring its voice and branding are unified across the various departments within Headquarters and the more than 200 chapters around the world
- Deep knowledge and extensive relationships of and within the Air & Space Forces Association, Air Force, and Space Force
- Work daily with AFA President & CEO, Executive Vice President, and other AFA and Department of the Air Force leaders and their staffs to solve communication challenges, develop cohesive messaging, and ensuring messaging aligns with organizational goals and mission
- Brief senior Department of the Air Force leaders, including the Secretary of the Air Force, Chief of Staff of the Air Force, Chief of Space Operations, Directors of Staff, and other Pentagon planners on content, messaging, and agenda of AFA’s two premier professional development conferences: the Air, Space & Cyber Conference and the AFA Warfare Symposium
- Build the agenda, draft scripts, produce the print program guide, and oversee all messaging for AFA’s two marquee professional development conferences, coordinating with some 300 senior Defense Department and industry leaders and their staffs annually
- Support an additional 50-plus events a year in addition to our two marquee conferences, including AFA’s Air & Space Warfighters in Action, Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies’ Aerospace Nation and Schriever Spacepower speaker series, as well as communications support for Mitchell Institute wargames, workshops, and paper rollouts
- Overhauled the Air & Space Forces Association’s website to improve navigation, redesign the events and calendar sections, post our letters to Congress and other advocacy objectives and priorities, and improve visibility of AFA’s mission and activities
- Increased the volume and quality of content on the Air & Space Forces Association website, leading to a 140 percent increase in page views on AFA.org from 2022 to 2024.
- Implemented social media strategies, boosting online presence and audience engagement. Increased the number of social media accounts managed by the communications department from four to 13, crossbranding content from AFA.org, Air & Space Forces Magazine, and the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies
- In 2024 we published 9,000 posts on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram, reaching 10 million users
- Work with the sales team to generate new revenue opportunities
- Evaluate and mentor a team of six, problem solve personnel issues, help team members set and achieve quarterly goals, write annual performance reviews
- Collaborated with cross-functional teams to develop cohesive messaging for product launches and announcements.
- Negotiated partnerships with external vendors and influencers to expand reach and amplify brand messages.
- Developed and executed comprehensive communications strategies to increase brand awareness and engagement.
- Streamlined internal communication processes for improved employee engagement and productivity.
- Evaluated communication effectiveness through data analysis and adjusted strategies accordingly for optimal results.
- Acted as point of contact for inbound media related calls.
- Developed compelling content for various channels, including press releases, newsletters, website, social media, and speeches.
- Provided strategic counsel to senior leadership on matters related to corporate reputation management.
- Managed media relations and campaigns to address public communications in crisis situations.
- Collaborated with internal stakeholders to design strategies for messaging and communications.
- Coordinated high-profile events, elevating company''s profile within the industry and community.
- Optimized email campaigns to increase open and click-through rates.
- Wrote and distributed press releases to increase brand visibility.
News Editor
Air & Space Forces Magazine
05.2013 - 05.2022
- Manage all news content on airforcemag.com
- Under my leadership traffic increased from 70,000 page views a month to 1.1 million in just a few years
- Played an integral role in multiple website redesigns and regularly strategized ways to drive more traffic to the site, including hiring a digital editor, a new emphasis on search engine optimization, overhauling our daily newsletter and introducing breaking news alerts
- Manage a team of experienced writers and editors at a leading defense and aerospace publication, which focuses on the U.S
- Air Force, U.S
- Space Force, and national security issues
- Manage and produce the Daily Report email blast—a popular online column that is closely followed by many senior military leaders—to include editing stories, writing headlines, publishing content in the CMS system, finding art, search engine optimization, and building the email blast
- Write as many as 10 stories a month—based on interviews with sources, analysis of reports and studies, memos, strategies, white papers, letters, congressional testimony, social media, and others
- Serve as the face of the Air Force Association’s virtual conferences through four-hour live shows that include interviews with senior industry leaders and analysis of show panels and speakers
- Experience reporting from multiple countries, including Iraq, Afghanistan, Kuwait, Germany, Latvia, Estonia, Poland, Germany, South Korea, Japan, Belgium, England, and Italy, as well as Guam and most U.S
- States with a large Air Force presence
- Hire and work with correspondents based both in the U.S
- And overseas, including assigning and editing stories
Senior Editor
Air Force Magazine
01.2010 - 01.2013
- Reported from inside a bunker at Kandahar Air Base, Afghanistan, as the Taliban launched rockets at the base
- Flew on the last airlift mission of Operation Iraqi Freedom and stood at the border in Kuwait as the last U.S
- Tank rolled out of Iraq, in what was believed at the time to be the end of America’s longest war
- Interviewed senior military leaders, including the Secretary of Defense and Chief of Staff of the Air Force, inside the Pentagon
- Covered many Congressional hearings on Capitol Hill and reported from NATO headquarters in Brussels
- Wrote breaking news stories for the web and long features for the print magazine on everything from Air Force aircraft to readiness to operations to emerging technologies
Staff Writer at Marine Corps Times
Military Times
01.2009 - 01.2010
- Wrote four to six stories a week about the commandant of the Marine Corps, aviation, personal gear procurement, Marine Corps policies, Capitol Hill and federal budgets
- Interviewed senior military leaders on complicated topics
Deputy News Editor at Navy Times
Military Times
01.2008 - 01.2009
- Edited stories from other reporters and wrote stories on the Coast Guard
- Coordinated live coverage of breaking news events, ensuring prompt updates on digital platforms.
Staff Sergeant
U.S. Air Force Reserve
03.2001 - 03.2007
- Processed and loaded vehicles, parts, equipment and troops onto and off of military aircraft
- Served as an assistant team chief and ensured the team was meeting its training goals
- Helped create a more efficient and effective training system for the entire unit
- Awarded Outstanding Airman of the Quarter for the 445th Airlift Wing
- Nominated for Outstanding Airman of the Year
Education
Master of Science - Journalism
Northwestern University
Chicago06.2008
Master of Arts - Journalism And Mass Communications, English
Ohio State University
Columbus, OH06.2004
Skills
- Strategic communications
- Integrated communications
- C-suite communications
- Crisis/risk communications
- Internal communications
- Media relations
- Event planning and support
- Writing
- Editing
- Speechwriting
- Scripting
- Presenting and public speaking
- Problem-solving skills
- Team leadership skills
- Social media strategy
- Supervising staff
Timeline
Communications Director
Air & Space Forces Association
05.2022 - Current
News Editor
Air & Space Forces Magazine
05.2013 - 05.2022
Senior Editor
Air Force Magazine
01.2010 - 01.2013
Staff Writer at Marine Corps Times
Military Times
01.2009 - 01.2010
Deputy News Editor at Navy Times
Military Times
01.2008 - 01.2009
Staff Sergeant
U.S. Air Force Reserve
03.2001 - 03.2007
Master of Science - Journalism
Northwestern University
Master of Arts - Journalism And Mass Communications, English
Ohio State University
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