About

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Rachel Weatherly
Strategist & Designer

Strategy is like a symphony. Disparate channels, limited on their own, come together to create a sound so compelling you can’t help but stop and listen. I am a composer and conductor.

LinkedIn Profile
Resume

Expertise

  • Human-centered Design | 20 years
  • User Experience | 20 years
  • Marketing
    • B2B(2C) & B2C, Integrated | 20 years
    • Strategy & Analysis | 15 years
    • Digital | 15 years
  • Communications | 20 years
    • Digital | 15 years
    • Strategy | 15 years
  • Analytics & Insights | 15 years
  • Branding
    • Management | 15 years
    • Development | 10 years
  • Digital Strategy | 15 years
  • Audience Outreach | 15 years
  • Engagement Strategy | 10 years
  • Content Strategy | 10 years
  • Product Management | 10 years
  • Change Management | 10 years
  • Behavior Change | 5 years

Experience

Booz Allen Hamilton   |   Lead Associate, User Experience Strategy

Draw on expertise across digital strategy and experience to deliver holistic solutions for clients that engage audiences, deliver results, and build relationships. Use design thinking and behavior change methods to craft strategies from communications and marketing to user experience and design strategy. Especially adept at mapping and communicating convergent spaces to amplify results.

American University   |   Director, Digital Communications Strategy

Serve as the university’s principle expert on digital communications and strategy. Create and execute strategic vision for the university’s public-facing web properties, focusing on better user experience and integrated content for improved engagement. Manage cross-functional teams across the organization to optimize synergies and maintain governance. Lead the university’s Web Steering Committee and Content Publishing Committee, setting priorities, providing project management, and guiding best practices. Direct social media strategy and digital crisis response. Advise leadership on development of voice and content to build individual audiences that coordinate with university accounts to amplify the reach and engagement of both.

Presentations

  • To Tweet or Not to Tweet, Conference for High-Impact Research, May 2018
  • Engaging Gen Z, Go Alliance Annual Meeting, April 2017

Sapient   |   Strategist

Develop dynamic, integrated strategies, supported by behavior-based assessments of target audiences that holistically address digital, marketing and communications, and engagement challenges. Deliver results that exceed expectations and build solid relationships with executive clients.

Manufacturing USA

Worked with an inter-agency team to create a public brand for a presidential legacy initiative, including audience profiles and a comprehensive marketing and communications strategy. Developed workshops to engage the client in the brand development process and communicate research findings in an interactive setting. Supported the brand launch at an international conference where the Secretary of Commerce unveiled the new brand to acclaim.

National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)

Re-envisioned the Institute’s approach to defining digital audiences based on how they consume health information, and developed a new digital strategy to engage those audiences across channels. At the request of NHLBI’s Director of Science Policy, Engagement, Education, and Communications served on the Institute team tasked with recruiting participation in and communicating the results of the Institute’s strategic visioning initiative with internal and external stakeholders.

Recognition

  • Global Impact Awards 2016 Finalist – Manufacturing USA Team
  • Global Impact Awards 2016 Nominee – Client Impact
  • Core Value Awards 2016 Nominee – Creativity

Publications and Presentations

Atlantic Council | Deputy Director, Digital Communications

Led the digital transformation of the fastest growing think tank in Washington, DC. Expanded the digital footprint and online audience with a new digital strategy encompassing websites, social media, webcasting and email. Maintained the digital brand of the Council, instituting design and communication standards across 10 programs. Developed a coherent content plan for digital distribution channels and content packages that highlight the Council’s work and experts. Created a comprehensive social media strategy. Transformed the way the Council collects and applies data to membership and development by building and expanding the Council’s Salesforce.com environment.

  • Launched a new, content-driven Council website on schedule and budget, migrating to a new domain and content management system. Pulled together the editorial contributors across the Council to create a new editorial team. Instituted new workflows for online and print publishing.
  • Increased unique visitors to the site by more than 30% and pageviews on the site by more than 35% in 18 months at the Council, over the previous period. Expanded the social media presence of the Council and its programs. Doubled the number of Twitter followers for the Council in the first year. Train staff and fellows on social media best practices.

Gannett/USA WEEKEND Magazine

Recognition

  • T.E.A.M. Award- 2003, 2006, 2007, 2008
  • Visionary Award- 2003, 2005
  • President’s Circle- 2004, 2006
  • Gannett Chairman’s Award- 2007
  • Recognition Award- March 2005, Nov 2006, Aug 2008, June 2010

Director of Affiliate Programs

Worked across USA WEEKEND, USA Today, Gannett and its subsidiaries to develop programs, especially in the digital space, to retain and grow circulation for America’s second largest circulation magazine. Developed custom program packages for sales proposals and did profit-loss analysis for deals. Created digital extensions for the magazine, including a content syndication program and electronic edition. Aggregated print and digital content into packages for syndication. Integrated editorial content into newspaper and advertiser promotions. Leveraged other digital products developed by Gannett to expand their reach and increase the value of USA WEEKEND to carrier newspapers. Chose software and applications for digital initiatives. Analyzed site metrics and established benchmarks for site planning.

  • Rebuilt the newspaper database and integrated technologies that improved our capabilities for managing large quantities of data and communications with clients.
  • Redesigned usaweekend.com and makeadifferenceday.com. Increased time spent per visit, ad impressions, unique visitors, page and video views, social media followers for both sites.

Market Development Manager

Developed sales messages and marketing strategies to effectively brand USA WEEKEND to newspapers and their readers. Managed Newspaper In Education program. Planned communication strategies for partner programs and operational priorities. Directed creation and maintenance of databases and user interfaces. Managed daily marketing and client relations operations, policies, objectives and processes, as well as three support staff. Supervised proper construction and execution of contracts, financial transactions and circulation documentation.

  • Opened markets to highschoolsports.net through partnerships with non-Gannett newspapers.
  • Developed USA WEEKEND’s digital and social media strategies. Served as company expert on trends in usability, online promotion and social media. Selected as project manager for digital strategy team.
  • Completed selective USA TODAY management program.
  • Worked with the CEO to write the USA WEEKEND’s 2007 Operating Plan.

Assistant Marketing Specialist

Created strong sales and marketing materials to retain and grow circulation and raise the awareness and promotion of the magazine.  Maintained partner website and created email campaigns to engage clients. Customized sales proposals and presentations and conducted market research to support sales efforts.

Chappell, Smith and Associates Group | Assistant Director of Marketing

Designed, produced and managed the production of collateral and trade show materials for eight companies owned by the group. Companies included insurance, pet spa, document management and general contractor.