From 2019-2023, I drew on my longtime institutional experience to build a first-time digital communications operation within the Communications and Marketing division as the Pratt Institute's founding Director of Digital Communications. I recruited, hired, and led a team of social media strategists, technologists, UX/UI designers, and developers in the design and implementation of a variety of digital initiatives, while devising communications and governance strategies for the Institute.
My cornerstone project at Pratt was serving as the product owner for the redesign and launch of the museum’s website, Pratt.edu, a primary vehicle for institutional storytelling and student, faculty, and staff life. The previous website was vastly outdated and over ten years old. This new, comprehensive redesign, built in collaboration with digital product studio Upstatement, necessitated an extensive project discovery phase involving over 130 institutional stakeholders. The project was completed in roughly one year at a cost of $1M+. I discussed this project several times with my colleagues at Pratt News, a digital publication that my team also redesigned and built during my tenure.
Upstatement’s visual and technical concept for the project features a prominent tagging system that engenders a spirit of dynamism by drawing a narrative throughline in the website’s user experience. Pratt also commissioned new photography and videography by Maggie Shannon for the project.
Additional projects my team executed during my tenure included an all-digital version of Prattfolio, the school’s alumni magazine; the Pratt Shows Portfolio Project, a digital expansion of Pratt Shows, a series of public exhibitions and presentations by Pratt Institute’s graduating classes; and a digital commencement celebration for the graduating Class of 2020.
In addition to general institutional and digital content strategy, I collaborated across campus on social media strategy and initiatives that build informed storytelling and engagement for prospective students, faculty, and staff. I chaired the Institute's first Social Media Task Force to establish a set of guidelines for student, faculty, and staff engagement with social media on campus. These guidelines became an element of the Institute’s Code of Conduct.
