Resume |

Michelle Messenger Garrett – Resumé
614-315-4037
michelle@michellegarrett.com

KEY SKILLS

Accomplished writer, editor and public relations professional with more than 20 years of experience.
Proven ability to take technical subject matter and communicate it in a fashion understandable to any audience.
Skilled at organizing complex projects, defining project priorities, and delegating tasks.
Demonstrated record of high performance standards, including attention to schedules, deadlines, budgets, and quality work.
Able to communicate and interact effectively with individuals of all levels.
An experienced team player, bringing enthusiasm and energy into group efforts.

WORK EXPERIENCE

Garrett Public Relations	Columbus, OH/Sunnyvale, CA
Public Relations Consultant/Writer	March 1999 to Present

Independent consultant offering services such as media relations, writing, training, strategy, planning and counsel. Current and former clients include: HP, Adobe, BriskHeat, Auditoria, The Ohio State Bar Foundation and the Columbus College of Art & Design.
Monthly contributor to Muck Rack and frequent contributor to other sites, such as Entrepreneur, Ragan’s PR Daily, Meltwater and more.
Frequent speaker on public relations and related topics.
Wrote press releases, contributed articles, marketing collateral, backgrounders, web copy, speaking abstracts and newsletter articles; provided counsel on tactics and strategy; managed projects, including customer reference and reviews programs; conducted media and analyst relations through traditional channels as well as social media; managed speaker and awards programs; managed vertical public relations programs; provided media training; staffed press meetings; prepared reports and planned events.

Citigate Communication Inc.	Palo Alto, CA
Account Manager	March 1998 to March 1999

Served as account manager on Adobe graphics product division and Hewlett Packard enterprise storage server and high-performance server divisions.
Managed three full-time associates, as well as multiple contractors and administrative support, up to a total of nine people at any given time.
Managed annual budget of more than $1million and monthly budget ranging from $60,000-$90,000.
Managed multiple concurrent product launches.
Developed relationships with key press and analysts through media relations and press tours.
Provided strategic counsel to client contacts, including product managers, directors and general managers.
Conducted media training for general manager of HP enterprise storage solutions division.
Developed reviews program approach and managed four concurrent reviews programs with overwhelmingly positive results.
Secured briefings with more than 300 contacts at 182 publications and analyst firms in a six-month period.
Secured more than 280 placements for Adobe graphics products in a six-month period.
Specialized in promoting Adobe Web products, including Photoshop, ImageReady and ImageStyler.
Planned and supported industry trade show efforts, events and conferences, including Web Builder.com, NAB, PC Expo, SIGGRAPH, Seybold and Internet World.
Developed press releases, reports, plans and Q&A documents.
Led weekly team meetings and coached team members daily.

Silicon Graphics, Inc.	Mountain View, CA
Public Relations Specialist

Developed relationships with key trade press editors and industry analysts, with a focus on those in the manufacturing, CAD, automotive, aerospace/government, AEC, and printing and publishing industries.
Created, pursued and prioritized opportunities for coverage of products and technologies, including application programming interfaces (APIs) such as OpenGL and complex data management (CDM) solutions.
Planned, wrote, edited and coordinated production of press releases and technical white papers; qualified and placed customer application stories.
Managed outside public relations agency relationships.
Managed public relations associate.
Planned and supported industry trade show efforts, events and conferences, including SIGGRAPH and Autofact.
Planned and hosted press visits; responded to media inquiries in a timely and professional manner.

Edison Welding Institute (EWI)	Columbus, OH
Marketing Communications

Managed projects, including coordination and integration of information and long-range planning and design.
Wrote, edited, designed and produced publications including brochures, newsletters, ads, and case studies for print and electronic media; formulated production schedules and set deadlines.
Developed and launched successful public relations program, including developing press releases and placing articles, to generate publicity and increase visibility.
Created and executed publicity plan to promote international conference, resulting in a 25 percent increase in attendance.
Planned special events including Vice President’s Al Gore’s visit, as well as trade shows, seminars, receptions and employee functions.

EDUCATION:

The Ohio State University	Columbus, OH
B.A. in Journalism/Public Relations and Political Science

AFFILIATIONS:

Former member of the executive board of the Worthington Area Chamber of Commerce.
Former member of the executive board of the American Marketing Association, Columbus chapter. Served as VP of Programming for three years.
Former president of Silicon Valley Chapter of IABC (International Association of Business Communicators). Served on board two additional years as Vice President of Communications and Past President. 300 members.
Member of Kappa Tau Alpha National Journalism Scholarship Society.

References: Available upon request.