Portfolio

If you’re in the vicinity of reliable news these days, you may have noticed some grim headlines. Our world is churning with conflict. And so it was that I relished learning how global peacebuilders in twenty countries pursue effective approaches to “transformative” reconciliation, even in the most dire of circumstances. For this developmental editing project — where I focused on structure, flow, and language — I paired my training and experience in conflict resolution with my wordsmithing skills to strengthen a long-form cited manuscript co-authored by two experts in the field. This is take-heart material that we all need.

An Iraqi institute had completed a lengthy report with multiple authors, hundreds of footnotes, and an earnest message on the topic of displaced people. The client needed a comprehensive edit prior to a launch event for a range of government stakeholders. I edited for structure, clarity, word choice, flow, and consistent Arabic treatment. I formatted and verified citations, checked translation where appropriate, and recommended infographics to improve reader comprehension. The institute has become a mainstay client.

I’m audience-obsessed. Before ever putting pen to paper — ahem, fingers to keyboard — I crush the research on who is reading and why. What do they care about? What are their challenges? What makes them light up? If I’m ghostwriting, I then learn about the messenger and how to craft an article in that voice. Here are two Op-Eds with different bylines in Accounting Today, read by 325,000 CFOs and other finance decision-makers. The first focuses on the allure of technology improving finance functions; the second explores a trend in late corporate tax fillings. As a direct result of this work, top-tier publications including Reuters (the world’s largest international multimedia news provider), CFO Brew, and CFO Dive called the authors for follow-up interviews on this eye-catching content. The winners here? An even broader audience gains industry insight. And the authors attract a very bright spotlight for their hard-won expertise.

So maybe it’s a little ironic – writing a website for an outdoor event management and consultancy whose goal is to help people unplug from screens and devices. But so it was when Challenge the Wild rang. The parent company based in the U.K. was setting up shop this side of the pond and needed help translating its brand, mission, activities, and messaging for a North Carolina context. Paired with images of the stunning Piedmont, the invitation is to disconnect and to wander in “spaces where you can take in a broad horizon, rest under a shade canopy, and detect birdcall.”

Drafting legislation is not for the faint of heart. To say it requires patience and humility is the understatement of the century. Some years ago, in my role as Executive Director of a Massachusetts-based nonprofit, I was tasked with writing language to be included in the Commonwealth’s criminal code.

Some writers might look askance at serving two bosses at once. In this case, I couldn’t have been happier to write and project manage for two companies joining forces to release a long-form thought leadership asset on the topics of “quiet hiring” and finance transformation. In the course of research for this 3,000-word cited paper, I coined a new term — “loud hiring” — and my thesis suggested that finance companies could practice it, even amidst an industry-wide talent crunch, with the support of critical finance transformation tools. The paper, released across multiple channels (BlackLine and UHY websites, LinkedIn, etc.), was so well-received that the clients asked me to build a webinar on the same topic where CFOs and other finance leaders across the country were able to earn continuing education credit.

Case studies are one of the most important tools in marketing. Longer than an ad, and shorter than a white paper, they balance measurable metrics with human interest details and turn leads into customers. My chosen format makes use of three sections: challenge, approach, and impact. A long-standing work friend (who doubles as a stalwart client) is a national marketing director and asked me to write a series of case studies as part of a campaign to market her company’s work. This case study shares how an auto plant, bound for closure, saved $3 millon per year by keeping its hardworking people firmly at the wheel.

When a client asked if I’d help open a new e-marketing channel, I was all in. The company had not yet tried e-blasts but was ready to add this soft-sell marketing strategy to stay top-of-mind in a light-hearted way and cultivate credibility among 5,700 chief financial officers and other finance leaders. In addition to naming the e-blast series (“Making Cents”), I’ve written more than 30 issues on everything from ChatGPT and tech stacks to travel costs, ESG regulations, storytelling with data, and the holidays. Along the way, I’ve increased open rates (thanks to compelling subject lines) from 11% to 30% in less than a year. The short-form content — two or three paragraphs — also same-day cross-posts to the “News” section of the company’s website.

I often work with long-form text that takes considerable time to research, write, edit, and submit. So when the chance comes to fire off a quick round of headlines, sign me up. Here’s a fun play-on-words display headline I wrote for a “building”-themed trade show where my client had paired up with BlackLine, a cloud-based accounting software firm.

The thing about academic writing — those of you who’ve been in the trenches can surely attest — is that it’s a straight-up slog. (No offense, all you journal editors out there.) Important information, new research, and well-cited content can take months or years to see the light of day. In this case, I was invited to co-author a peer-reviewed piece in cooperation with Duke University for the journal Health Equity. My earlier professional background in the field of restorative justice was my ticket to join this whip-smart team. Shout outs to my co-authors who put in the sweat equity to make it happen. They walk the talk.

Dr. Howard Zehr, best-selling author and “grandfather” of the restorative justice field, had written a new book. He and his publishers needed to develop an accompanying discussion guide. Fast. The book was out in a month. Dr. Zehr and I first met when he was my graduate advisor; later, he was my wise mentor while I was a restorative justice practitioner and nonprofit director. My familiarity with the discourse, plus my writing skills, landed me top-of-mind when this project came about.

The new dean at Emory University’s Goizueta Business School resolved to level-up rankings with an inviting, modern, dynamic rebranding. The re-boot would take a fresh turn among staid competitors. With a dynamite team, I crafted messaging that carved out a light-and-bright brand to position for growth. Results? The next year saw MBA applications up by 11%, and enrollment up by 16% (even with increased selectivity). Full-time MBA now ranks #25, part-time MBA #13, and Executive Education #8.

Toolboxes have hammers; media relations have press releases. They’re the most basic tool for organizations to get the word out. They’re free to submit, follow a standard structure, build relationships with media contacts, establish credibility, and are a cinch to write.

I spend my days writing for clients, adopting another person’s voice and adhering to an organization’s brand messaging. Between deadlines, however, I write from my own voice. As an unabashed fan – and former intern – of The Carter Center, I was moved to reflect upon the lives of its shining-star founders, President Jimmy Carter and Rosalynn Carter.

Emory University’s Goizueta Business School undertook a major donor campaign after a top-to-bottom rebranding of the institution. Staff members delivered gifts to 50 prospective donors: a handcrafted wooden box that nestled a glass sculpture. I wrote the brochure, making the case for the capital campaign. Elements featured a chambered nautilus motif to symbolize potential growth. In the appeal: “We will never expand just to be bigger. We will only expand — carefully, discerningly, wisely — to be better.” The campaign exceeded its fundraising goal of $10 million.

Let’s face it: one of the most conservative brand categories out there is banking. It can be a sea of beige, white, and navy blue often paired with worn-out verbiage. So when this nimble community bank asked how they might stand out, I resolved with a crackerjack team of designers and marketing pros to take them way off the beaten-and-boring path. We splashed out with vibrant colors, energetic photos, and unexpected words like “fanatic”, “unflinching”, and “head-over-heels devoted” to make sure this brand was memorable in a crowded marketplace.

Years ago, in a pub dating back to 1003 AD in Winchester, England — you know, the kind with well-worn carpets and smoke-stained low ceilings — I shared an after-conference pint with an author in the field of restorative justice. I was a wet-behind-the-ears grad student doing research fieldwork, eager to publish. He was assembling a handbook on restorative justice and needed a chapter on the principles of engagement and empowerment. My grad school advisor, also in the mix that day, partnered with me on the piece. Kind as he was, he also gave me lead billing on authorship. (Isn’t it amazing when people root for your success? Honestly, he’s the best.)

A commercial real estate finance company was ready to bring different lending divisions under one powerful brand to better communicate its pole position in the industry. I worked with a marketing team to carve out a brand that would stand out from the competition. In an industry focused on scale, expense, space, size, this company’s new brand was all about people. From its genesis, “Creating tailored offerings for customers wasn’t an afterthought for us. It was the very reason for our being.”

With the financial crisis in full swing, a long-time banking client was hoping to boost customer confidence with a message of strength. Primary Capital Mortgage’s ad would appear online and in trade press. I wrote a headline with a twist on the familiar phrase “hanging on by a thread”; the body copy stressed staying power. Of course, a single ad didn’t save PCM. The long-term, creative effort of many people meant that PCM survived the financial crisis, and even boasted a “Great Place to Work” ranking. I wrote for PCM during and after the tumult, including in 2016 when PCM hit a record $1.95 billion in originations, positioning itself for an enviable buyout in the next year.

A new nonprofit operating in two towns was receiving urgent requests for service expansion. It needed a strategy to communicate via several channels, with multiple audiences, across a large area, and on a tight budget. While serving as its executive director, I identified cost-effective, impactful ways to reach volunteers, donors, and grant-makers about the work. With my team, we devised a brand identity, crafted quarterly newsletters, a film, email campaigns, a website, an annual appeal, press releases, and internal e-newsletters. Within a few years, the nonprofit expanded from two to 12 towns, from a five- to six-figure budget, and its volunteer ranks doubled.

When the caller asks, “Would you name our new company?” the answer is (say it with me): “Why, yes!” This client asked for something simple, stately, unfussy. Given the real estate context, I explored classical motifs and landed on the colonnade, a series of columns leading to an architectural focus. With ancient colonnades still gracing Rome and Egypt, the image also suggested something lasting. The alliterative hard “c” added to a memorable sound, without being overwrought. A designer sampled a scroll detail for the logo, paired it with a traditional blue, and Colonnade Capital Group was off and running.

Real estate services can be a little impersonal: phone trees galore. Two partners at a new firm wanted to offer boutique-level attention to stand out among competitors. Building a brand from scratch, I worked with a design team to place the two partners front and center. The headline, “When you hire Cott & Lambert, you get Cott & Lambert” stressed no-nonsense personal attention. After launching, the firm performed lease acquisitions or purchase/sale transactions in excess of 30 million square feet with clients ranging from Fortune 100 industries to local and regional entrepreneurs.

An Atlanta-area real estate group wanted to attract buyers for 38 new townhomes in Historic Roswell. I worked with a marketing team to develop brand messaging to mirror architecture of old-world brownstone with modern fit-and-finish. The townhome community name (“Providence in Historic Roswell”) was inherited from a newly published book containing love letters linking two 1850s-era Roswell residents; this backstory added distinctive historic charm to marketing materials.