For the last five years, I have been the Director of Communications & Government Relations for the Washington Bankers Association, the largest trade association for banks in the state.
In my current position, I oversee the Association’s communications and government relations efforts, crafting and implementing the marketing, communications, and advocacy strategy. I help set legislative priorities and policies while working with a diverse group of stakeholders representing the banking industry across Washington state. As the lead on the Association’s external communications and marketing, I handle graphic design, website upkeep, marketing of programs and conferences, publication of the monthly magazine Issues & Answers, and all of the WBA’s social media channels.
Prior to joining the WBA, I spent eight years as a print journalist and photographer, working at weekly newspapers throughout Washington. I was the sports editor for Beacon Publishing, which publishes three weekly newspapers in south Snohomish County, where I built the department from the ground up. For five years, I covered sports and education for several Sound Publishing papers, including the Mercer Island Reporter and Kirkland Reporter. There I coordinated the Western Washington coverage of the 2010 Vancouver Olympics for 42 papers throughout the state.
I began my career as a general assignment reporter and photographer at the Lake Chelan Mirror.
I graduated from WSU with a communication degree with an emphasis in journalism. During my time at WSU, I served as editor-in-chief of the Chinook Yearbook and as a reporter for the Daily Evergreen.