Stephanie Hlywak

Company Overview: Start-up funder collaborative building a culture of pluralism in America

• Spearheaded website redesign initiative, aligning visual identity with company values and strategic direction.
• Built email marketing program and content marketing capacity.
• Led a decentralized op-ed series on belonging in America that galvanized more than 50 leaders from across pluralism ecosystem and resulted in dozens of essays that reached millions of people.
• Wrote, tested, and refined key messages and important leadership communications, including speeches, and served as thought partner and media trainer to executive leadership.
• Negotiated partnerships with event organizers to secure strategic speaking opportunities for company leaders,
• Oversaw agency relationships, managing budgets and ensuring timely delivery of services on large-scale projects.
• Supported fundraising efforts with content development and donor communication strategies.
• Managed crisis communication, mitigating negative publicity during high-profile incidents.

Company Overview: Public and regulatory affairs firm that builds interdisciplinary campaigns for clients seeking to change laws and solve complex business problems

Developed creative and comprehensive campaign plans to achieve clients' policy and publicity goals; drafted and edited content including policy memos, press materials; managed and executed press and public affairs campaigns to elevate clients' agendas. Client successes included:

• Led advocacy campaign for a client facing extinction-level regulatory determination that generated more than 10,000 letters demanding reconsideration to dozens of elected state officials in 48 hours.
• Matured client's communications program to include content strategy, social media optimization, and email marketing to increase brand awareness, build reputation, and increase fundraising impact.
• Provided bespoke media training to high-level executives, including key message development and earned media strategy.
• Led category-creation campaign for technology company looking to break through noise and define its model for long-term impact.
• Created a national outreach campaign for Fortune 5 retailer to educate key audiences in education leadership and government about its employee education benefit program.

Company Overview: 145+-year-old nonprofit organization promoting libraries and library education internationally to more than 55K members

• Led successful public relations initiatives to enhance organization reputation and media presence; served revenue generating units as chief marketing strategist to drive membership, development, and conference attendance.
• Managed influencer partnerships, leveraging their networks to increase brand exposure and credibility.
• Spearheaded thought leadership initiatives, positioning the company as an industry expert in relevant fields.
• Developed crisis communication plans, mitigating potential risks to company reputation.
• Prepared cross-platform social media promotions, capitalizing on strengths of each site to effectively reach target audiences.
• Coached executives on key talking points and communication strategies for different audiences.
• Led team of six marketing professionals, offering mentoring and coaching to build knowledge and skills.
• Initiated and spearheaded development of a new public awareness and affinity campaign to attract and engage the more than 220M library cardholders in the U.S., a previously untapped community of passionate advocates and potential financial supporters.
• Grew earned media substantially through dozens of high-impact campaigns with notable public figures, including Barack Obama, Natalie Portman, Harrison Ford, and Melinda Gates.
• Led change management for a major move from 60+-year-old headquarters to a new, modern office space, developing branding, designing communication tools, and overseeing a team of more than 20 internal change ambassadors.
• Revamped the I Love Libraries website creating a central source to promote ALA's mission and share uplifting content.

Company Overview: Nonprofit with a mission to combat ALS, muscular dystrophy, and other diseases through research, services, and education

• Quickly promoted from social media manager to build content strategy to support and extend new national marketing initiatives, drive brand awareness, and increase engagement with new target markets across traditional and digital channels.
• Drove innovation and brought strong national leadership throughout a period of major organizational change, including a national rebranding, a fundraising strategy overhaul, and a new leadership team.
• Built strong internal and external relationships, including with web designers, UX teams, media partners, and influencers.
• Crafted storytelling, redefined MDA's voice, drove buzz, built thought leadership, and communicated messaging internally for national rebranding effort helping to transition to a new image while keeping community engaged, loyal, and informed.
• Introduced technological solutions to boost productivity levels throughout the organization, including building an app to distribute social nationally across a trusted and passionate network of staff, supporters, and community partners.
• Hired, managed, and mentored two full time staff; evaluated employee performance and conveyed constructive feedback to improve skills.

Company Overview: Award-winning full-service PR firm with a specialized focus on issue-driven communication support for local clients

• Managed high-priority accounts with exceptional attention-to-detail and commitment to achieving desired outcomes.
• Conceived, developed, and executed public affairs, public relations, and marketing communications, matching strategies to client objectives and goals.
• Engaged in daily communication with clients to establish and maintain positive working relationships.
• Managed crisis situations with diplomacy, minimizing impact on client trust and project timelines.
• Provided both strategic and execution support, including press releases, media outreach, and social media strategy for diverse portfolio of more than 20 government entities, associations, nonprofit organizations, hospitals, and foundations.

Company Overview: Chicago-based foundation and publisher of Poetry magazine committed to promoting poetry to broader audiences

• Handled all external communications with media, increasing brand awareness by developing and executing comprehensive public relations and marketing strategies.
• Managed one full time employee, consultants, graphic designers, $1 million budget in media department.
• Built and maintained strong internal and community relationships, including with executives, media partners, donors, poets, and programming teams – established strategic media partnerships, including NPR, PBS NewsHour, and WGBH Public Television.
• Developed and executed multiplatform communication and media strategy promoting the 2011 opening of Poetry Foundation building in Chicago.
• Created and led execution of successful year-long PR, communications, and media plan showcasing events, historical insights, poets, and content from high-profile advocates to honor and recognize magazine's impact on its 100th anniversary in 2012.