Strategic Communications

I find it motivating to be working at a time of both genuine need for better understanding human impacts on the environment and the emergence of tools and technologies that allow us to process data and understand the world like never before. I’m always excited to learn new skills and better ways to address complex problems.

Laboratories are some of the most energy- and carbon-intensive facilities in the built environment. Working together, lab owners, managers, users, designers, engineers, and builders are coming up with creative solutions to decarbonize the world’s labs. It’s my job to give a voice to their ideas and help reduce the impact and energy use of the research enterprise on the environment.

As an instructional design expert, I create trainings that help learners problem-solve, plan, and most importantly, get things done. A well-conceived and well-constructed training provides a foundation for individual growth and serves as a key contributor to organizational change.

I feel profoundly fortunate to have been with ERG throughout our journey from a handful of employees in 1984 to several hundred today. I couldn’t be more proud of the work we’ve done these past 30+ years or more inspired to work every day with such great colleagues and clients. My work is just as fulfilling and vibrant to me now as the day I started.

George Bernard Shaw once said, ‘The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place.’ Given the environmental and public health issues we face today, we ignore this illusion at our peril. My work is to help scientists and policy makers understand, engage, and inform their audiences. ERG’s clients know that if they hand me some dingy prose, I can make it sparkle. If they tell me whom they hope to reach and why, I can craft a strategy to cut through the noise. For me, making science engaging and accessible is a skill, an art, and a calling.

While teaching children early in my career, I learned that people are much more likely to support something they have helped create. Ever since, when supporting organizational decision-making processes, I’ve been passionate about involving those who will be affected by the resulting decisions and actions because it yields more robust and sustainable results. I love working collaboratively with colleagues, clients, stakeholders, and the public to continue progress toward ensuring a healthy world for generations to come.

At ERG, I thrive on learning something new, meeting someone interesting, and contributing solutions that reduce the impacts of transportation on the environment. Whether working in the local, state, federal, or international arena, I enjoy collaborating across and beyond ERG to find creative ways to communicate information, engage audiences, and engineer solutions in service of our clients and their goals.

My work is all about continual improvement. Whether it’s tackling emerging challenges in our environment, setting and working toward incremental sustainability goals, or designing information products that reach new audiences in innovative ways, I enjoy opportunities to raise awareness, raise the discourse, and help our clients improve human well-being and the health of our planet.

Planning a meeting is a bit like flying a plane: When the weather is good, all the instruments are up and running, and everything is going as planned, just about anyone can do it. But when something goes wrong, you really want a trained pilot—someone who thinks outside the box, and problem solves on the fly. Me? I pilot meetings.

We learn near our highest potential when we immerse ourselves outside our comfort zone, get lost, fall down, and persevere until our experience outweighs self-doubt.

I appreciate coming to work each day knowing my contributions are making a tangible difference in my community and across the United States. From helping community groups amplify their voices to developing digital tools and products, I love diving into the details to tell a meaningful story.

I feel so fortunate! Every day at ERG I get to collaborate with colleagues and clients from a wide range of disciplines in doing truly meaningful work that helps foster positive change.