Experience

Desirae Kay Johnson
Email: dteasdal@gmail.com
LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/desiraekayjohnson

 

August 2013-present      Part time instructor of communication, Kennesaw State University

  • Instruct students in a variety of courses including Writing for Public Communication, PR Writing, PR Principles, PR Cases and Persuasion Methods and Strategies. These courses prepare them for work in journalism, public relations and new media. Areas of focus include AP style, the inverted pyramid, hard news, editorials, features, news releases and blogging.
  • Develop and execute a syllabus and course schedule
  • Provide feedback on graded assignments through editing and instructor-student meetings
  • Create and execute a variety of measurement tools including exams, writing assignments, group activities and both in-class and online discussions

November 2013-December 2017   Communications Director, West GA Arts Conservatory

  • Created and managed the content for the company’s website and social media accounts
  • Promoted fine arts education through community engagement and outreach
  • Wrote, optimized with SEO key words, and posted news releases to online sites
  • Managed the schedules of teachers and interns

August 2013-December 2014 Graduate Teaching Assistant, Kennesaw State University

  • Instructed students in an introductory writing for public communication course that prepared them for work in journalism, public relations and new media. Areas of focus included AP style, the inverted pyramid, hard news, editorials, features, news releases and blogging.
  • Provided feedback on graded assignments through editing and instructor-student meetings
  • Create and executed a variety of measurement tools including exams, writing assignments, group activities and both in-class and online discussions

August 2012-August 2013     Graduate Research Assistant, Kennesaw State University

  • Assisted in the research for Dr. Hutchins’ textbook on social media
  • Guided faculty and staff on current social media tools
  • Assisted in the direction of the social media plan for the MAIGC program
  • Formatted citations in Chicago Manual Style
  • Assisted in the grading of PR writing assignments
  • Developed exam questions
  • Lectured on blogging

December 2010-August 2012  Account Manager, mRELEVANCE, LLC

  • Created content for and maintain client social media efforts including blogs, Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter accounts to effectively drive brand awareness, engagement, and traffic to these pages
  • Used search engine optimization (SEO) tactics to improve the visibility of client blogs and websites
  • Wrote, optimized with SEO key words, and posted news releases to online sites
  • Pitched news releases to appropriate media outlets and coordinate interviews between clients and reporters
  • Helped clients develop social media campaigns to raise awareness about products and services
  • Monitored social media and public relations efforts to determine ROI for clients
  • Coordinated and monitored SEO efforts of all account managers and coordinators, and developed strategies to improve these programs
  • Headed internship program and managed day-to-day responsibilities of students

August 2010-December 2010     Community Relations Intern, DeKalb Community Service Board

  • Responsible for establishing relationships between the DeKalb CSB programs and organizations within DeKalb County to promote the activities of the CSB consumers
  • Responsible for writing copy for the DeKalb CSB website and news releases
  • Designed and wrote for the Developmental Disabilities Newsletter, DeKalb CSB fliers and certificates
  • Assisted in event planning for annual fundraiser

August 2010-December 2010     Social Media Intern, Flammer Relations, Inc.

  • Ghost blogger for real estate clients’ websites and Atlanta Real Estate Forum
  • Responsible for writing and posting news releases to online sites
  • Worked with account managers to develop programs for pro bono clients

PUBLICATIONS

Hutchins, A. & Johnson, D. (2018, forthcoming). “Applebee’s Social Media “Meltdown”: Managing Ethics in an Online Brand Community.” In Brunner, B. and Hickerson, C. (Eds.) Case Studies in Public Relations Ethics, Oxford University Press.

SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS AND CONFERENCES

Maymester 2014                    Guest Speaker, PR Principles, Kennesaw State University

  • Lectured on how to leverage new media technologies and Web 2.0 in a public relations capacity. Provided insight on agency life and what to expect once students become professionals in public relations.

Sept. 14-15, 2013 Social Media and Society Conference, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
Rotten to the Core: A Case Study of Applebee’s PR Meltdown on Facebook

  • Presented the paper, Rotten to the Core: A Case Study of Applebee’s PR Meltdown on Facebook

Summer 2013                         Guest Speaker, PR Writing, Kennesaw State University

  • Instructed students on a range of topics including the components of public service announcements (PSAs), how to compose effective cover letters and how to successfully use blogs as a tool to accomplish public relations goals and objectives.

Summer 2013                          Guest Speaker, Social Media for PR, Kennesaw State University

  • Examined the issue of social media ethics with students, reviewed public relations meltdowns on social media and facilitated a class-led discussion on how handle a variety of ethically questionable public relations situations via social media. Reviewed social media policies, and how to develop them for public relations purposes.

Spring 2013                             Guest Speaker, PR Writing, Kennesaw State University

  • Lectured on how to blog for public relations with topics that included how to structure blog posts, techniques to make posts visually appealing, and word count issues; how to know your audience and provide appropriate blog content; using links for attribution within blog posts; how to create blog categories; how to develop appropriate leads and writing techniques; how to avoid duplicate content; issues that may arise when choosing photos for a blog; how to appropriately and effectively deal with negative feedback; and using search engine optimization (SEO).

Spring 2012                             Guest Speaker, PR Writing, Kennesaw State University

  • Reviewed a variety of topics with students including the importance of internships, how to obtain one, and how to be successful once hired as an intern; what to expect as a PR professional in the first job obtained after graduation; and the importance of honing in on good writing skills to be successful post-graduation.

Spring 2012                             Guest Speaker, Social Media for PR, Kennesaw State University

  • Discussed a variety of topics with students including using Facebook and Twitter to promote client activities, optimizing and posting news releases to online sites, using SEO techniques to organically raise page rank of client websites, and how to create and curate content for successful client blogs.

March 9-12, 2011 14th Annual International Public Relations Research Conference, Miami, Fl.

Pushing the Envelope in Public Relations Theory and Research and Advancing Practice

  • Presented the paper, Pushing the Envelope of Relationship Management Theory: Specifics for Advancing Practice, with Dr. Deanna Womack

AWARDS AND MEMBERSHIPS

Member of Lambda Pi Eta (Communication Honors Society)

Member of National Society of Collegiate Scholars

COMPUTER SKILLS

 Microsoft Office, Adobe Photoshop, InDesign, Vocus, Facebook, Twitter, WordPress, Blogger, Google+, Digg, LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube, del.icio.us, StumbleUpon, Help a Reporter Out (HARO), PRLog, Press Release Point, Idea Marketers, PR.com and Information-Online