Emily Cannon
Veazie,ME
Summary
Passionate and inspired communications professional with extensive experience in team leadership and collaboration. Skilled in strategic communications and media relations with a proven track record of leading impactful PR campaigns, event planning, and fostering collaboration amongst team members. Demonstrated expertise in content creation and brand storytelling, effectively engaging diverse stakeholders, and creating and amplifying agency success stories.
Overview
22
22
years of professional experience
Work History
Regional Public Affairs Specialist
USDA Rural Development
08.2021 - Current
- Provided leadership and guidance to nine Public Affairs Specialists covering 13 states (ME, VT, NH, MA, RI, CT, NY, NJ, PA, DE, MD, VA, WV)
- Provided comprehensive public relations and communications training to more than a dozen public affairs specialists.
- Engaged the team to provide effective media relations, social media tactics, press releases, congressional relations, event planning, storytelling, branding, and website management.
- Specifically, led the team in creating and executing targeted PR campaigns to strategically communicate the impact of the agency's assistance by telling the stories of people and communities impacted.
- Drafted and oversaw the creation of op-eds, speeches, talking points, and other materials that advanced USDA's mission and goals.
- Produced and distributed videos and other content for digital use.
Public Affairs Specialist
USDA Rural Development
07.2003 - 07.2021
- Created impactful press releases to promote agency investments, achievements, and initiatives.
- Planned and executed successful public events such as ribbon cutting ceremonies, groundbreakings, open houses, meetings, and celebrations.
- Created essential documents, including annual reports, slide presentations, speeches, and talking points to inform and prepare the State Director for public events and meetings.
- Built and maintained media relationships to ensure the stories of the agency's impact is told to a statewide audience.
- Organized external meetings with key stakeholders including Maine's community and business leaders, congressional staff, tribal leaders, lenders, and partners.
- Wrote op-eds, articles, and success stories.
- Created content for social media including twitter and facebook and engaged with state organizations, rural municipalities, non-profit organizations, businesses, individuals, and members of the media.
Education
Bachelor of Arts - Communications
New England School of Communications
Bangor, ME05-2004
Bachelor of Science - Business Administration
Husson University
05-2003
Skills
- Strategic communications and marketing
- Brand storytelling
- Event planning
- Team management and collaboration
- Public relations
- Social media marketing
- Video production, photography
- Content creation
- Media relations
- Writing press releases
Accomplishments
- Collaborated with peers and publications team to create a comprehensive agency How to Write a Success Story Guide for use by public affairs specialists nationwide.
- Conceived and implemented a successful Regional Earth Day Celebration with an Under Secretary, Senators, and State Directors representing five states on the shores of the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal. At the event, $18.3 million in investments in water quality was announced to benefit communities on or near the Chesapeake Bay and Delaware River watersheds.
- Led a comprehensive effort to highlight the construction of a new wastewater facility and its significance to the people of Smith Island, MD and their way of life. Effort resulted in two videos, a success story, and an USDA Earth Day Blog.
- Conceptualized and implemented two regional press events in WV and wrote and coordinated a press release for Small Business Day announcing $23 million investment in businesses in Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Pennsylvania, Maryland, and West Virginia.
- Planned and executed a successful multi-day, in-person Northeast Regional Training conference for a team of public affairs specialists to build skills.
Timeline
Regional Public Affairs Specialist
USDA Rural Development
08.2021 - Current
Public Affairs Specialist
USDA Rural Development
07.2003 - 07.2021
Bachelor of Arts - Communications
New England School of Communications
Bachelor of Science - Business Administration
Husson University
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