Summary
Overview
Work History
Education
Skills
Certification
Timeline
Generic

ELIZABETH CLARK

Broomfield,CO

Summary

I'm an experienced federal background investigator with a master's degree in journalism, and I am seeking a career in communications at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. Adept at handling constant deadlines for intelligence agencies and newsrooms, I have also effectively managed long-term projects requiring months of teamwork and collaboration. My background in investigations and media has honed my skills in interviewing, researching, writing, editing and leadership.

Overview

26
26
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification

Work History

Federal background investigator

CACI
02.2016 - Current
  • Conduct Top Secret-level background investigations as a special investigator retained by the federal government. This includes work on four contracts: the U.S. Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and two intelligence agencies.
  • Conduct thorough interviews, review records and write detailed reports that lead to adjudication of security clearances for federal government employees and contractors.
  • Maintain strict confidentiality of sensitive information, adhering to privacy guidelines and ethical standards at all times.
  • Assist in training new investigators, sharing knowledge and experience to ensure their success in the role.
  • Exceed performance metrics by consistently completing high-quality investigations within established timeframes.
  • Increase collaboration among team members by sharing best practices and offering support when needed.


Deputy city editor

Daily Camera
06.2001 - 10.2015
  • Led the nightly news team for the award-winning Daily Camera and dailycamera.com.
  • Edited and coordinated articles, photos and videos for everything from breaking news to in-depth features for the Daily Camera's online and print versions.
  • Helped make decisions in the daily budget meetings to determine news coverage and allocate resources.
  • Coordinated and led the Sunday centerpiece news features.
  • Managed a team of freelance outdoor news columnists.
  • Continued to contribute as a senior reporter, covering a wide range of topics including the University of Colorado, Boulder County communities, outdoor sports and elections.
  • Led the inception, production and editing of a 68-page glossy special section dedicated to the effects of a 100-year flood on Boulder County residents. Developed the flood content into a compelling multimedia package, using the in-house content management system and collaborating with other departments.
  • Won multiple Colorado Press Association awards including 1st Place for Best Sustained Writing.
  • Mentored young journalists and interns from the University of Colorado.
  • Managed multiple projects simultaneously, ensuring timely delivery of high-quality news coverage.
  • Enhanced publication quality by diligently proofreading and editing articles for grammar, spelling and consistency.

Staff writer

Daily Camera
06.2000 - 06.2001
  • Covered the University of Colorado as well as Boulder County, including daily news, breaking news, features and trends.
  • Collaborated with a tight-knit team of reporters, editors and photographers in a fast-paced newsroom to develop high-quality coverage of the local community, higher education, outdoor sports, government, breaking news, politics, features and data-driven election news.
  • Consistently met tight deadlines under pressure while maintaining high levels of accuracy and balance.
  • Wrote stories in accordance with AP Style.
  • Submitted photo captions as well as suggested headlines for all articles.
  • Developed strong working relationships with sources, resulting in exclusive interviews and unique article content.
  • Pitched engaging feature stories that highlighted community members or events, fostering a strong connection between the publication and its audience base.

Staff writer

Vail Daily
06.1998 - 06.2000
  • Wrote news articles about the community, snow sports industry and the environment for the Vail Daily and Summit Daily News.
  • Collaborated with other journalists to develop and pitch ideas, write articles, assign photographs and submit stories on tight deadlines.
  • Provided an average of two stories per workday.
  • Covered a wide range of topics in the mountain towns including an act of eco-terrorism on Vail Mountain, the struggle to provide affordable housing for resort workers, the effects of snowboarding on the ski industry, 24 hours in the life of a Vail firefighter and much, much more.
  • Fostered working relationships with sources (everyone from village retailers to environmentalists to the FBI), to make sure our coverage was reported first and was always accurate.

Education

Master's degree - Journalism

University of Missouri
Columbia, MO
05.1998

Bachelor's degree - Psychology

University of California
Santa Barbara, CA
01.1994

Skills

  • Top-notch editing on tight deadlines
  • Team leadership and collaboration
  • Interview techniques
  • Investigative research
  • Effective writing and proofreading
  • Communication skills
  • Case management
  • Attention to detail
  • Thorough report writing
  • Reliability
  • Regulatory understanding
  • Journalistic integrity

Certification

Top Secret favorable determination, 2016 and 2022

Federal investigative credentials

PIV card

CAC card

Timeline

Federal background investigator

CACI
02.2016 - Current

Deputy city editor

Daily Camera
06.2001 - 10.2015

Staff writer

Daily Camera
06.2000 - 06.2001

Staff writer

Vail Daily
06.1998 - 06.2000

Master's degree - Journalism

University of Missouri

Bachelor's degree - Psychology

University of California

Similar Profiles

CREATE PROFILE
ELIZABETH CLARK