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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2015 PubComm Year In ReviewYEAR IN REVIEW 2015 20 15 OFFICE OF PUBLIC COMMUNICATIONS CITY OF COLLEGE STATION "The city is really blessed to have your team.” - Department Director Public Communications documented a variety of unique city events and activities in 2015. One example was rescue boat training by CSFD at a nearby school natatorium. Year In Review Office of Public CommunicationsLike other departments, the workload for Public Communications is a true reflection of the needs and expectations of our citizens. We quarterback the necessary awareness and education efforts for College Station’s many events, programs, services, construction projects, neighborhood issues, public safety concerns, traffic management strategies and economic development efforts — just to name a few. But what, exactly, does Public Communications do?This 2015 Year in Review is meant to connect the dots for you — to illustrate the depth and breadth of our organizational support and citizen engagement, and to show that many of last year’s successes didn’t simply happen by accident; Public Communications played a significant role. This might be my favorite email excerpt from a city department head last year: “Thank you again for being there for us.” On behalf of my extremely talented staff, I thank you for the opportunity to work with yours. - Jay Socol, Director MEDIA RELATIONS ............7 PHOTOGRAPHY .............36 CITIZEN ENGAGEMENT .......13 MEDIA SURVEY RESULTS.....39 ORGANIZATIONAL SUPPORT . .19 OUR STAFF .................49 SOCIAL & DIGITAL MEDIA .....27 YEAR IN REVIEW2015 "Need to clone Jay and Colin and send them off to work media relations throughout the state.” - Media survey response 7 MEDIA RELATIONS MEDIA SURVEY RESULTS* 2015 What We Do BestThis is a core strength of Public Communications. It’s a combination of (1) seeing potential trouble coming, developing a strategy and then executing it, if required; (2) proactively driving issues and their narratives; and, (3) facilitating answers and interviews to inquiring media outlets. It’s more art than science, with the realization that you can’t entirely predict what the day will bring. Look no further than the sharp increase in negative stories (2015 vs. 2014): No one predicted the multiple homicides that earned College Station coast-to-coast media attention for all the wrong reasons. However, through an annual, anonymous media survey, the feedback on the quality of our media relations work continues to be very strong. *See page 39 for complete results PubComm is helpful to my reporting PubComm meets my expectations PubComm responds in a timely manner PubComm is trustworthy City news sources are accessible City news sources are pleasant City news sources are trustworthy In January 2015, Council’s review of the city’s oil and gas ordinance attracted an overflow crowd to city hall. More than 40 citizens spoke during the meeting’s public hearing. OIL & GAS ORDINANCE 9 Total stories tracked ........3,163Jan. 1-Dec. 31, 2015 Police ......................46% City Council .................11% General Topics ...............10% Parks........................8% Fire .........................6% Public Works ..................4% Planning .....................3% Economic Development .........3% City Manager..................2% Capital Projects................2% Neighborhoods ................2% Elections .....................1% MEDIA TONE Positive 1,128 35% Neutral 1,464 46% Negative 571 18% Top positive stories of 2015 • The 20 best college towns in America • CS officer, good Samaritans rescue driver in burning car • Texas 7-on-7 Championships Top negative stories of 2015 • CS convenience store clerk kidnapped, beaten to death • Blinn student killed by gunfire during graduation party altercation • Bryan man killed, allegedly in self-defense, during break-in • Melee at CS carnival ends with arrests NEWS COVERAGE Stories by local TV news stations featured less-than-optimal working conditions for CSPD personnel, helping to shape local sentiment about the possibility of a new police facility. A New Police Station 11 ISSUE MANAGEMENT Oil & Gas OrdinanceIn January 2015, the council approved updates to the city’s oil and gas ordinance related to fracking. Public Communications helped accurately frame the changes as striking an appropriate balance between respecting property rights and protecting neighborhoods. A key component in the public relations campaign was a blog post by City Engineer Alan Gibbs that clearly outlined the city’s intentions and the reasoning behind the changes. Public Communications worked behind the scenes with local media outlets to establish that the city was a neutral party making responsible changes to local oil and gas policy. Bond ElectionIn August, the city council decided to forgo a bond election and fund various transportation projects and the design of a new police station with certificates of obligation. The decision followed months of collaboration with city staff and a citizen advisory committee. Public Communications spent those months creating a special website section devoted to a possible bond election, publicizing a series of public forums, encouraging online feedback, and working closely with reporters and other local influencers to clearly define the city’s most pressing needs and priorities. The factual foundation established by these efforts played a key role in helping the public accept the council’s eventual decision to skip the election. New police stationAfter months of work, a 23-member Bond Citizen Advisory Committee identified a new police station as College Station’s top capital project need. The City Council allocated $3 million in the FY16 budget to determine design and engineering needs. Meanwhile, Public Communications went to work highlighting CSPD’s insufficient, aging facility by hosting an audio podcast with City Manager Kelly Templin. That led to behind-the-scenes feature stories by both local TV news stations. Using owned media (in this case, our podcast) to generate valuable earned media (third-party news coverage), our department helped shape community sentiment about the project. Public Communications promoted a special photo opportunity with the city’s Movies in the Park event last fall, which encouraged citizens to engage with staff and other residents on social media. Back To The Future Day 13 CITIZEN ENGAGEMENT2015 No longer is it a viable strategy to hope our new students and citizens learn all they need to know about having a successful experience in College Station. Our rate of growth has required Public Communications to prioritize intentional student and citizen outreach through a host of new partnerships and delivery methods. In 2015, we celebrated enormous progress in that regard. Citizens UniversityIn 2015, 33 residents participated in the annual Citizens University, a free 10-week course that focuses on city departments, budgets, services and activities, along with the roles and responsibilities of city staff and elected officials. Participants asked questions, gave comments directly to department directors, staff and elected officials, and took part in hands-on activities to discover what it’s like to work in each city department. Other Texas cities routinely inquire about our CU program. Community MeetingsPublic Communications staff attended 15 homeowner association, neighborhood association and community meetings. We also participated in the Neighborhood Plan Implementation Team, which is responsible for implementing and reporting neighborhood services/integrity-related items in the city’s five completed neighborhood plans. This activity helped the city maintain its Neighborhoods USA certification. Traffic ManagementPublic Communications staff worked closely with the traffic management team on more than 15 traffic and parking-related issues in neighborhoods around the city, especially near schools. These relatively small issues tend to become unexpectedly large and very public issues if ignored or handled poorly. Coordinated and multi-channeled citizen engagement throughout 2015 helped resolve conflict much quicker. Public Communications created a biweekly email newsletter with information and updates tailored specifically for homeowner association leaders and members in 2015. eNews for Homeowners 15 Neighborhood Grant ProgramIn 2015, the city council increased funding for the Neighborhood Grant Program to more than $20,000. As a result, a record five grants were used to fund beautification projects for homeowner associations in Reatta Meadows, University Preserve, Brandon Heights, Regency South and Spring Meadow. In previous years, grant funds had been reduced to $5,000 annually, limiting their impact and effectiveness. Neighborhood Seminar SuppersMore than 200 neighborhood leaders and citizens attended our eight Neighborhood Seminar Suppers, which featured informative discussions with various city staff members on topics that impact residential neighborhoods. This after-hours, face-to-face interaction is an important and appreciated offering to neighborhood leaders. For the first time, we also hosted a seminar supper featuring Adult Graduate and Off-Campus Student Services and the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life for neighborhoods and HOA leaders to learn how we are working together to promote neighborhood integrity. Enhanced HOA NewsletterPublic Communications enhanced its electronic newsletter format in August, resulting in higher open rates* (50 percent) and click-through rates* (40 percent). The weekly newsletter has almost 200 subscribers who also share it with non-subscribing neighbors. *The national average open and click-through rates of government email are 3.7 percent and 26.5 percent respectively, according to industry-leading email marketing company MailChimp. Legislative Updates for HOAsMore than 85 residents – including 15 from Bryan – attended a successful Public Communications update last year on new laws affecting homeowners associations. Community Association Institute of Greater Houston attorney Nina Tran was the lead presenter. This session further established Public Communications Neighborhood Services division as the go-to resource for reliable and timely information for citizens. NEIGHBORHOODS In an effort to reduce code and parking violations, Public Communications created and distributed a two-sided, content-rich flier to thousands of new college student residents. Tips on Parking, Ordinances 17 STUDENT OUTREACH Community Engagement Luncheon In August, city representatives from Public Communications, Community Services/Code Enforcement, Police and Fire attended a luncheon with Texas A&M’s Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life. We learned about fraternity and sorority houses, related trends and policies, incidents and issues prevalent in the off-campus community, and methods of collaboration and communication between campus staff and community officials. The event helped the city establish better communication lines to help educate students about off-campus living. Aggie Mom’s Club Public Communications provided 6,000 copies of “5 Tips to Help Students Thrive in College Station” to the Aggie Mom’s Club — a brand-new partner cultivated by Public Communications — to distribute to its member’s students. We also provided dozens of city-branded items for club presidents, and even more goody-bag items for the Collin County club. Public Communications plans to expand distribution of these materials for newsletters, care packages and related events. Public Communications was also a recognized partner at the Aggie Mom’s Club Winter Federation Dinner. Campus EventsPublic Communications staff distributed city information to thousands of students at various Texas A&M University and Blinn College events, including the Texas A&M Off-Campus Housing Fair, Fish Camp, The Big Event and Taste of Aggieland. “Every member of your team helped us in some way...” “...Impressed with your department’s output...” - Internal customer feedback 19 ORGANIZATIONAL SUPPORT2015 City Council & CMO ServicesThe mayor, city council and members of the City Manager’s Office frequently are asked to participate in ceremonial functions and deliver speeches and presentations. Public Communications prepared several presentations, drafted speeches, and developed interview talking points to ensure our council and staff were prepared to represent themselves and the organization in excellent fashion. MarketingPublic Communications took the lead in marketing events, activities and programs across the organization by developing and implementing effective marketing plans and social media campaigns. With Public Communications’ assistance and guidance, the Parks & Recreation Department received an award from its state organization for best department marketing in 2015. Additional details about our marketing efforts are outlined on the following pages. Employee RecruitingIn collaboration with Human Resources and various departments, Public Communications produced a variety of materials in 2015 to help recruit high quality, qualified employees to join the city’s workforce. Included were recruiting-related videos for police communications, the Fire Department and Public Works. Printed collateral was produced for prominent positions such as finance director. Internal Communications In the last two years, Public Communications has accepted greater responsibilities for internal communications, including more than 230 blog posts crafted for CityNet. The department also assisted the City Manager’s Office in preparing various messages to employees. Look for a fresh round of employee surveys to be conducted in 2016 to give city leadership the insight needed to address workplace deficiencies. Public Communications produced all of the marketing collateral for the city’s 2015 Games of Texas, helping the event generate an estimated $7.5 million in economic impact. Games of Texas 21 Parks & Recreation MarketingThe majority of Public Communications’ marketing efforts are focused around the events, programs and activities provided by the Parks & Recreation Department. Major annual events include Christmas in the Park, Movies in the Park, the Starlight music concert, and various youth and senior events at the Lincoln Recreation Center and Southwood Community Center. Marketing collateral included high quality videos, handouts, posters, banners, advertisements and social media promotions. Christmas in the Park was a particular challenge since it was moving back to Central Park after four years at Wolf Pen Creek. The marketing efforts paid dividends in the form of more than 15,000 visitors. In conjunction with the Parks & Recreation Department, Public Communications publishes three 40-page program guides each year. In the summer of 2015, the guide was published in a full-color, glossy magazine format for the first time. In addition to a digital version available through the city’s website, more than 6,000 printed copies are distributed at locations throughout the city, including municipal facilities, hospitals, and doctor’s offices. The guide has been produced since spring 2011. Athletic TourismFor the second straight year, the City of College Station played host to the TAAF Games of Texas, which attracted more than 20,000 visitors, including 7,750 athletes, and had an estimated economic impact of about $7.5 million. Public Communications took a leading role in publicizing and promoting the event, producing graphics, videos and photographs. Printed materials produced included venue signage, medals, buttons, ribbons, participant credentials, direct mail pieces, registration packets, programs and advertising. We also designed t-shirts that were provided to participants and sold at event venues. We produced similar materials on a smaller scale for the Brazos Valley Senior Games, which attracted more than 400 competitors, including 350 non-residents. EVENT MARKETING Public Communications utilized Facebook’s ‘Boost Post’ ad feature to promote single- stream recycling, allowing our campaign to reach even more Facebook users in 2015. Boosting Posts on Facebook 23 Single-Stream RecyclingLate in 2015, Public Communications began promoting the city’s single-stream recycling program, which was set to debut with the distribution of 22,000 bins in January 2016. Our office developed a cost-effective marketing plan that included bin stickers, postcards, refrigerator magnets and a series of three videos that were broadcast for free throughout the local television market. Our blog about the new program was our most popular post of the year, receiving nearly 4,000 views, and was repurposed as a feature in the utility bill insert, which reaches more than 30,000 households. The promoted Facebook post had a reach of more than 55,500 people and received 1,781 likes, 325 comments and was shared 283 times. PROGRAM MARKETING In an effort to help jump-start economic development in 2015, Public Communications created a new website with up-to-date news, property and demographic information. Grow.cstx.gov 25 Economic DevelopmentThe city’s explosive population growth, due in large part to Texas A&M University’s boom in student enrollment, prompted the City Council to reevaluate College Station’s overall economic development strategy. With a focus on diversification in sports tourism, retail development and new industry recruitment, Public Communications established the city’s first standalone economic development website. The site’s unique retail landing pages and property listings have given prospective site selectors instant access to College Station opportunities and information. To support recruitment efforts in retail development, staff attended the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) conference in Dallas, Texas, and brought along collateral materials that outlined College Station’s attractive demographic, workforce and market area statistics. More than 30 viable retail company and developers were contacted as a result. City TourismWith sales revenue in predictable decline following the departure of a short oil and gas boom in 2014, visitor-based sports tournaments and events held at city facilities like Veterans Park and Athletic Complex were providing some positive returns in 2015. Public Communications, Parks and Recreation, and Convention and Visitors Bureau staff teamed up frequently to help recruit and assist rights holders with their events in College Station. In particular, Public Communications helped administer hotel occupancy tax revenue funds as part of a community grant used in support of some of the city’s largest events, such as the Texas State 7-on-7 flag football tournament and the BCS Marathon race series. MARKETING THE CITY Dash cam video of the CSPD officer vehicle rescue was posted on the city’s YouTube channel. Public Communications championed the officer’s valiant effort on social media. Vehicle Fire & Rescue 27 SOCIAL & DIGITAL MEDIA2015 +4,118 +2,961 +583 +72K +101K +226K FACEBOOKlikes TWITTERfollowers LINKEDINfollowers BLOGviews SLIDESHAREviews YOUTUBEviews 55%23%33%15%45%17% Facebook, Twitter and YouTube The city’s official Facebook and Twitter accounts continue to play a critical role in our public relations and marketing efforts. Both accounts saw incredible growth in 2015. The number of fans following our Facebook page increased by 56 percent (11,597) and followers of our Twitter feed rose by 34 percent (12,900). We posted almost 800 tweets in 2015, which resulted in nearly 2,800 retweets. New views of our YouTube videos grew by 17 percent to a total of 224,227. The dash cam video of the CSPD officer helping to rescue a motorist from a burning car was our most popular of the year with 5,269 views. Did you know? Among our peer Texas cities (75,000-125,00 pop.), College Station is the only one with at least 10,000 followers on both Facebook and Twitter. Before the Texas open carry law went into effect in 2016, Public Communications created a special blog post and presentation to clarify how the law would apply in our community. Open Carry in CS 29 The city blog continues to be a popular and effective cornerstone of our content marketing and public outreach strategy. The blog showed substantial growth in 2015 with a 23 percent increase in views, and the 125 new posts attracted a record 72,000 views. In addition, the blog ranks high on search engine queries. Since we began blogging in August 2010, we’ve posted 623 blogs, resulting in about 232,000 views, thousands of shares, and numerous news stories to extend the messaging even further. Our live blog posts of city council meetings, as well as posts previewing the meetings, continue to be popular with local media outlets, which results in far more accurate and consistent news coverage. Top Blog Posts of 2015 • 3,465 views New single-stream recycling program starts in January• 2,577 views Free trick-or-treating fun for the whole family • 1,243 views Can you openly carry a handgun in College Station?• 1,236 views Games of Texas offers opportunities to compete, volunteer• 993 views Surviving the hard freeze: You can do this Top All-Time Blog Posts • 7,080 views Is your drinking water dangerous? (2011)• 6,822 views Your account number is key when reporting an outage (2013)• 5,227 views Treasure found in a drainage ditch (2012)• 3,512 views What’s allowed for game day housing rentals – and what’s not (2013)• 3,469 views The bonfire memorial you may have missed (2014) BLOGGING SUCCESS 30 Podcasting continues to gain mainstream popularity, but it remains widely ignored by local government. These informal discussions on a variety of topics have proved popular within the city organization, with local media and our citizens. Podcasting with City Leaders 31 SoundcloudPublic Communications expanded its podcasting efforts in 2015, producing 22 podcasts with city leaders. City Manager Kelly Templin was featured in 13 podcasts on a wide range of topics. Other guests included Councilman James Benham, Municipal Judge Ed Spillane, Senior Planner Jennifer Prochazka, Community Services Business Manager Gus Roman, CSPD’s Ronnie Horcica, Neighborhood Services Coordinator Barbara Moore and Water Services Director Dave Coleman. The interviews were played 3,579 times in 2015, and multiple cities in Texas and in other states have turned to Public Communications with questions about how to start their own podcasts. Top Podcast Episodes of 2015 • 477 plays Kelly Templin: The Next CS Big Dig – George Bush Dr. at Wellborn Rd.• 332 plays Jennifer Prochazka: CS’s Comprehensive Planner• 264 plays Kelly Templin: Vacant properties, Pappadeaux and Chimney Hill• 169 plays Kelly Templin: Redeveloping old properties a win in anybody’s book• 155 plays Gus Roman: The guy keeping Northgate “clean and friendly” Top All-Time Podcast Episode • 1,190 plays Bryan-College Station – that’s my hometown (2013) LinkedInThis Public Communications endeavor saw a 40 percent increase in followers of the city’s page on LinkedIn, a business-oriented social network that has become a key tool in employee recruitment. Of our 1,487 followers, 84 percent are non-employees, 32 percent work in government and 38 percent are entry-level professionals. Our LinkedIn presence also helps position the city as an innovative employer of choice. PODCASTS & RECRUITING Since 2012, we’ve used SlideShare to enhance content in our blog and news releases. This has contributed to more blog views, media stories and overall media engagement. SlideSharing 33 SlideShareThis social media channel continues to be Public Communications’ secret weapon for outreach. How effective is this? In 2015, we shared 129 PowerPoint presentations that attracted nearly 101,000 views — an increase of 14 percent from 2014. In addition, local media frequently embedded these presentations in their online news stories. Embeds on WTAW’s website alone produced more than 4,900 views. Top 2015 Presentations • 2,289 views Texas Open Carry Laws and the City of College Station• 1,528 views Review of FY16 Proposed Budget• 1,380 views Common Game Day Parking Violations• 1,305 views 2015 Bond Election: Transportation & Parks Projects• 1,076 views 2015 Christmas in the Park City WebsiteNo surprise: An analysis of cstx .gov shows that website traffic is increasingly driven from mobile devices. While our overall page views increased by 62 percent to about 4.1 million, access by mobile devices increased by 28 percent. Mobile users accounted for 44 percent of our web traffic. To put that in perspective, mobile only accounted for about 6 percent of our website traffic in 2010. Most popular web pages • 396,377 views Home Page • 67,475 views Employment• 220,586 views Utility Customer Service • 58,570 views City Services• 171,239 views College Station Utilities • 53,054 views Utilities connect/disc.• 119,918 views Athletic field status • 51,627 views Online Services• 84,135 views Police • 48,459 views Parks & Recreation DIGITAL TRANSPARENCY Every month, Public Communications records the city’s Exploring History luncheons and broadcasts them on Channel 19. Since 2006, we’ve archived more than 80 different presentations from this historical series. Exploring History 35 Public Communications produced more than 100 video products in 2015, including public service announcements and videos related to employee recruiting, internal communications, event marketing, council meeting previews and recaps, Exploring History Lunch Lectures, financial transparency and the FY16 budget. VIDEO PRODUCTION Juneteenth Celebration at Lincoln Recreation Center (top-left); Aggie football home game at the newly constructed Kyle Field (bottom-left); Brazos Valley Senior Games dominoes event at Southwood Community Center (right). Photography TAAF Games of Texas opening ceremonies at Blue Bell Park (top-left); Haunted House & Monster’s Ball at Lincoln Recreation Center (top-right); Citizen Police Academy (bottom- left); CSPD teaches young students about crime scene investigation (bottom-right). Photography Dogs play together at University Park (top-left); Civil War Memorial at Veterans Park and Athletic Complex (top-right); Multi-camera monitor at the Traffic Control Center (bottom- left); Jeff Kersten hosts an employee recognition for Fiscal Services (bottom-right). Photography 39 MEDIA SURVEY RESULTS2015 Those responsible for handling media relations within College Station’s Office of Public Communications are helpful to my news gathering and reporting. “Never worked with a better media relations team...” “Always appreciated that if I needed story ideas or information that I was given an answer very quickly...” “...It makes my job a lot easier when I know if a story will or won’t work...” 1 2015 MEDIA SURVEY 40 Those responsible for handling media relations within College Station’s Office of Public Communications meet my expectations for accessibility. “If Jay isn’t available by phone, I always get an email or text.” “I’m always impressed at how accessible public communications people are in College Station...” “Exceed my expectations, really.” 2 2015 MEDIA SURVEY 41 Those responsible for handling media relations within College Station’s Office of Public Communications respond to me in a timely fashion. “The Office of Public Communications always responds quickly...” “...I don’t remember ever waiting more than 30 min - which is super helpful being on tight deadlines...” 3 42 Those responsible for handling media relations within College Station’s Office of Public Communications are trustworthy. “We greatly appreciate the help we’ve received this year.” “...I always appreciated their opinion on putting out the facts and knew what was best for the community...” 4 43 News sources, whether city council or city staff, meet my expectations for accessibility. “All of the council members including the mayor were often available for comment depending on the story.” “Would be nice if police and fire PIOs had fewer ‘other duties’ to be more available.” “They were always accessible, even on vacation or at the Dr’s office.” 5 44 News sources, whether city council or city staff, are professional to deal with. “Very professional. Can’t recall a time when they weren’t pleasant todeal with.” “I never had any hesitation to pick up the phone whether I had a question, or needed more information...” 6 45 News sources, whether city council or city staff, are trustworthy. No comments. 7 © Copyright 2003-2016, Vision Internet Providers, Inc. All rights reserved. 46 In what areas does College Station’s Office of Public Communications excel in helping you gather and report news? “Communication. The ability to not just give out story ideas, but tell us how we can go about doing the story with the people who are available to help.” “Directing me to the best people to talk to. I’m always thankful for how helpful the Office of Public Communications is with helping me find the best sources for my stories.” “Incredibly timely in their responses, work to get you the information/people that you need. If those people/information is not available, will try to find you alternatives, which is very appreciated.” “Prompt response and an answer to every request.” “Helping us break down information so we can understand without having to be experts on every single topic/department issue. Working with us on tight deadlines to get information as quickly as possible. Quick response so we at least know our request has been received.” 8 47 In what areas does College Station’s Office of Public Communications need the most improvement? “I need more characters instead of only official sound.” “I know this is an important question from y’all’s point of view, but I can’t think of any area where significant improvement is needed.” “I think the city does very well. There are some times when a story idea is brought by one news media outlet and then it is shared to another by the city. I understand that sometimes it is easier to have an interview session with everyone, but when one news outlet thinks of the story idea...it would be nice to give that outlet the first attempt to do the story. Obviously, sometimes the story is going to be something everyone has and that is fine for a mass interview situation. It’s just those more unique story ideas.” “Can’t think of any really - we always enjoyed to top 5 highlights of the upcoming city council report- that was truly helpful for us to get straight to the point and cover what was news - versus having to read through pages and pages of jumbo to hunt for the interesting topics to cover. Thank you for doing that.” “Need to clone Jay and Colin and send them off to work media relations throughout the state.” 9 48 College Station’s Office of Public Communications utilizes a wide variety of methods to proactively alert media. Which methods do you utilize most (chart), and which alternative methods would you like us to consider adopting (comments)? “I think you all have it covered...I did especially enjoy hearing Jay on the radio in the mornings about upcoming topics or events...” “Snapchat, Instagram, Meerkat, Periscope, MySpace” 10 © Copyright 2003-2016, Vision Internet Providers, Inc. All rights reserved. 49 Jay Socol Director of Public Communications (6th year) Specializes in media relations and developing strategic messaging for city council, City Manager’s Office and city departments. Colin Killian Public Communications Manager (6th year) Expertise in media relations, internal communications, writing, editing and developing traditional and non-traditional communication solutions. Mike Neu External Relations Manager (8th year) Helps internal and external stakeholders strategically use and track HOT funds. Provides marketing and design expertise to economic development efforts. Lacey Lively Marketing & Community Outreach Manager (5th year) Develops, executes and manages targeted marketing plans for city departments, including a separate outreach plan for college students. Leads the city’s social media presence and coordinates the annual multi-week Citizens University class. Barbara Moore Neighborhood Services Coordinator (8th year) Problem-solver. The city’s trusted, primary liaison to 90+ registered homeowner and neighborhood associations. Focuses on keeping residents informed of issues affecting them. Mark Beal Broadcast Media Specialist (9th year) Specializes in shooting/editing video, animation, after-effects and photography. Need a good video? Mark will create a great one. Jon Carpenter Multimedia Coordinator (2nd year) Specializes in graphic design, photography and managing integration of the city brand in marketing and media forms. OUR STAFF2015 Our department staff (left to right): Barbara Moore, Colin Killian and Mike Neu (top); Jay Socol (middle); Mark Beal, Jon Carpenter and Lacey Lively (bottom) OFFICE OF PUBLIC COMMUNICATIONS Y E A R I N R E V I E W 2 0 1 5 O F F I C E O F P U B L I C C O M M U N I C A T I O N S C I T Y O F C O L L E G E S T A T I O N City of College StationOffice of Public Communications City Hall1101 Texas AvenueCollege Station, Texas 77840 979 .764 .3445 office979 .764 .6258 fax CSTX .GOV /cityofcollegestation @CityofCS /city-of-college-station blog.cstx.gov