What is your role at Hattaway? I am a senior associate on the research team. I work with clients and teams to find research-backed approaches to communications by understanding audiences' values and views and using their own language to change the way we talk about important issues of today. Communications can have important and lasting impacts – and research is the first step in understanding where the audience is and how we get them where we want them to be.
What are you currently working on that you are really passionate about and why? I’m currently working on a Lumina Foundation project examining Americans’ familiarity with and views of racial equity and justice, especially as it pertains to higher education, with the end goal of getting more BIPOC folks into post-high school education. I think education is a key part of creating broader racial equity in the U.S. Our poll will also provide important information about how Americans connect with racial equity and justice broadly that will be very useful for many other organizations.
What is currently igniting your imagination? The prospect of being able to travel again is igniting my imagination. After two years of being unable to travel, I keep finding myself daydreaming about leaving the country, exploring somewhere new (and warm!), and experiencing other cultures and food.
What is your favorite way to spend a day off? I am a lover of sunshine, so any day I can spend outside in the sun is a great day. Ideally, I would do an outdoor yoga class, then follow that up with some wine and cheese in the park with good friends.
What originally got you interested in communications? I did my grad school research in Buenos Aires studying the strategies and impacts of a sex worker advocacy organization working within and communicate with the feminist movement. They used their unique and creative voices to show the world a different side of themselves and gain allies in their fight to expand their rights and safety. Observing this small organization use their limited resources to change hearts and minds and fight for important policy changes, I learned how exciting, creative, and disruptive communications could be.
