Experience

  • Senior User Experience (UX) Writer and Content Strategist
    March 2022 - present

    • Lead Optum Rx content team in creating consistency across website properties.

    • Write UX content that enhances the Optum Rx member and provider experiences.

    • Serve as editorial subject matter expert for product design and development teams.

    • Manage direct reports and help them identify areas for growth and development.

  • Senior Content Writer
    September 2021 - March 2023

    • Wrote invention disclosures detailing novel Optum Technology product ideas for submission to the UHG Patent Review Board.

    • Scripted, produced and socialized instructional videos, teaching teams across the enterprise how to incorporate accessibility into their daily work.

    • Created UHG’s 2022 Leader’s Guide to Diversity Inclusion Hiring and Onboarding, working with stakeholders and subject matter experts companywide.

    • Researched and wrote Optum’s monthly Portfolio and Technology newsletter, focusing on team achievements, product launches, and leadership profiles.

  • Freelance Writer, Content Creator, and Media Relations Specialist
    2009-present

    Ripple Strategies

    • Craft opinion editorials and letters to the editor for global social justice leaders.

    • Create content that promotes and accelerates positive social, political, and environmental change.

    MPLS St. Paul Magazine

    • Interviewed Northwestern Health Sciences University’s subject matter experts about complementary therapies, as background for sponsored content articles.

    • Researched and authored sponsored content for Northwestern, generating the highest content engagement to date.

    WriterGirl & Associates

    • Drafted opinion editorials for Optum, Sanofi, and Reliant.

    • Researched and wrote strategic content for healthcare clients, including health plans, medical device companies and hospitals.

    Kids First Mpls

    • Built coalition website and authored SEO-friendly content, blog posts, opinion pieces, pitches, newsletters, and video scripts.

    • Placed 25 stories and opinion pieces about the dangers of Minneapolis Public School’s district redesign during four-month campaign.

    • Launched and grew social media channels by 300 percent, creating an online community that provided resources and dialogue about the future of MPS.

    Minnesota Comprehensive Health Association (MCHA)

    • Developed and executed strategic communications plan for the closure of MCHA, the state’s high-risk pool for health insurance.

    • Exceeded expectations by disenrolling membership ahead of state-mandated schedule.

    • Managed website and wrote approachable content that provided enrollees with essential information and resources.

    • Collaborated with the Minnesota’s Department of Health, MCHA’s Board of Directors, and the Medica Health Plan to ensure a smooth transition.

    Take Action MN Healthcare Campaign

    • Led storytelling campaign, helping Minnesotans share their healthcare experiences as part of a successful, statewide advocacy campaign to expand Medicaid.

    • Wrote member newsletters highlighting Take Action’s organizing around healthcare, criminal justice, and economic disparities.

    Mirum (A JWT/WPP Digital Agency)

    • Wrote and placed thought leadership pieces in national publications, five local media markets, and industry publications.

    • Raised brand profile and built reputation as a thought leader in the digital space.

  • Communications Director
    2001-2009

    • Consistently exceeded aggressive annual media relations goals by ten percent through creativity and problem-solving.

    • Launched public awareness campaign about women’s risk of heart disease, securing AHA as the leading expert on the topic.

    • Created a strategic communications plan to raise awareness of cardiovascular disease.

    • Served as internal communications lead, collaborating with cross-functional teams, and ensuring adherence to brand guidelines.

    • Secured coverage of events, campaigns, advocacy issues, and health and science news.