How did you find your way to where you are today? Share a little about your professional journey.

I currently work in public relations at a Fortune 125 energy company, but my journey started with my interest in environmental issues at Furman. I studied sociology and my advisor at the time was married to a local environmental activist in Greenville.

They were both incredibly passionate about sustainable food and I spent several summers studying the local food movement in the Upstate. My advisor inspired my interest in environmental science, in which I earned a concentration (I didn't have time to pursue a second major).

I spent time studying sustainability in Australia through the School for International Training and decided I wanted to work in the environmental field.

I've always been passionate about helping others and spent many hours volunteering before, during and after college, particularly with crisis assistance organizations and food banks. So, when I graduated from Furman, I joined my passion for volunteering with my love of environmental issues and volunteered as an Americorps VISTA for an environmental education nonprofit in North Charleston.

In my work with Americorps, I was introduced to my former supervisor at the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control, where I worked for seven years in various environmental education and community relations positions.

It was during my years in public service that I realized communications was my calling. I attended graduate school at the University of South Carolina, where I earned a master's in Environmental Resource Management, but divided my work between environmental and communications courses.

My background in social research, love of writing and interest in environmental issues started to come together. Needing a change of scenery after seven years with the state, I took a position in public relations at a utility, where I currently educate the public about the environmental benefits of nuclear energy.

When providing advice for professional development, what are some tools or resources one should consider?

For those interested in pursuing a career in public relations, I suggest several things:

• Learn the business you are in. Talk to seasoned professionals both in communications and operations of the company you work for. Start establishing relationships with experts who can help answer technical questions that the media or public may have. It's much easier to provide accurate information externally if you are comfortable explaining how your business works.
• Read, write and talk as much as you can. Take every opportunity to develop your basic communications skills by reading a variety of fiction and non-fiction. The more you read, the better writer you will be. Consider daily writing exercises or volunteering to write and/or edit for a nonprofit or internal resource group. Also, consider joining a group like Toastmasters where you can gain experience speaking about unfamiliar topics.
• Build your media contacts. If you will be working with media, start by asking friends, professors and family members who may have contacts to introduce you to media professionals in the market where you will be working. If you won't routinely work with media, build rapport with community organizations you may work with. For example, my contacts with environmental groups have been tremendously helpful in understanding how to communicate complex environmental issues to those outside my company.
• Consider joining PRSA. It's easy and much less expensive to join as a student or recent graduate. PRSA membership and accreditation is not something all companies value, but is certainly helpful in building your list of contacts and finding professional development opportunities.

How would you recommend someone interested in the same career/vocation pursue a similar path?


Although my path to a PR career was not a traditional one, working for a state agency was the perfect place to learn to interface with both technical professionals as well as the public and translate engineering and science concepts into plain speak.

Government agencies also expose you to a broad group of businesses, community organizations, public officials and media markets, all of which are ideal for relationship-building.

Large PR firms similarly offer a wide range of experience and the opportunity to move around within the same organization.

How has your liberal arts background shaped your career path or supported your success?

I certainly would not have the position I do today without a liberal arts background. I am fortunate to have found a company that values my science background and I think my technical understanding of energy issues and experience working with engineers makes me a more effective communicator.

A liberal arts education allowed me to craft my own unique career path combining social and environmental science, both of which have been foundations for my communications work. For example, I conduct and rely on research to communicate effectively, for which my sociology training has prepared me well.

Many public relations professionals start with communications and learn the subject matter. I have supported many different technical fields—water, solid waste, recycling and energy. However, I found it invaluable to have a science foundation as it has helped me master technical subjects quickly so that I can spend my time crafting communications.

Perhaps more importantly, Furman taught me how to communicate my unique skillset to future employers. With a liberal arts background, your skills are varied, which can be a tremendous asset to employers, but your skillset is not necessarily obvious based on your degree. Instead, you must work hard to communicate your benefit to future employers and Furman prepared me for this.

In the current job market, everyone should be masters of marketing their personal brand, but those in specialized degrees aren't always prepared for this and assume their degree will speak for itself.

Through Furman, I developed many relationships in the environmental field. In fact, I credit Furman connections for many of the jobs I have landed in my career primarily by providing the opportunity to network with alumni.