LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wendeenicole
Hard-working, creative communications and leadership professional with a positive, can-do attitude.
SKILLS & TRAINING
· Online courses and certificates:
o Strategic Leadership & Management online course. Coursera, 2018
o Search Engine Optimization online course. Taught through Coursera. 2017.
o Viral Marketing & How to Craft Contagious Content online course. Taught through Coursera. 2017.
o Digital Analytics for Marketing Professionals online course. Taught through Coursera. 2017.
o Information Technology in Science (ITS) Certificate. Texas A&M University. 2001-2003.
· Social media: HootSuite, ActionSprout, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Youtube, LinkedIn.
· Website design, including templates on Wordpress, Wix, Blogger, plus knowledge of HTML code.
· Software: Proficient with desktop publishing, graphics software including Photoshop, Microsoft Office Suite; graduate coursework in GIS and statistics.
· Video production, screenwriting plus graduate coursework using Adobe Premier for video editing.
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Founder/Executive Director – Redemption Song Foundation
Uganda & Houston, TX, full-time, Volunteer; 2014-Present
v Founded the nonprofit in order to empower displaced indigenous Batwa tribe members in Uganda
v Directed the organization in Uganda full-time for 3 years, part-time from the US for 1 year
v Hired, trained, and mentored Ugandan staff and volunteers from around the world
v Managed fundraising ($40k/year), donor relations, finances, and website design and maintenance
v Created buzz and excitement through social media campaigns including “Clean Water for Christmas”
v Raised awareness through talks at colleges, libraries, churches, and farmer's markets
v Led media engagement that led to press from PBS NewsHour, Deutsche Welle, The Observer, and others
v Major successes: Started Hope Stone Academy primary school for Batwa children; Artisan coop sells handmade crafts and raised village income; Community development includes building homes for single mothers, dignity kits for community members, reusable menstrual pads for school girls, HIV and family planning awareness projects, and clean water for the village.
Content Creator/Social Media Manager – ecoAmerica
Wash., DC, telecommute, part-time; Nov 2017-Feb 2018
v Wrote original blogs and repurposed content for eA’s Path 2 Positive Communities climate & Blessed Tomorrow programs
v Used Buffer software to schedule Tweets and Facebook posts throughout the week
v Analyzed social media performance using Google Analytics, Twitter and Facebook analytic tools
v Met weekly via teleconference
Independent Communications Specialist – LOGOS Communications, LLC
Houston, TX, full-time; 1997-2018
v Nationally award-winning writer
v Published in numerous magazines and online sites: Scientific American, Discover, Nature, Audubon, National Wildlife, OnEarth
v Contributing Writer for Environmental Health Perspectives and Texas Parks & Wildlife Magazine
v Content marketing/ copywriting: Discovery Channel, Animal Planet, Houston Tomorrow, and others
§ Animal Planet’s “Animals in the News” daily blogger, 2009 & 2010
§ International assignments for Discovery Channel include Shark Week Blog in Australia.
v Participated in radio, TV and print interviews, podcasts and invited lectures
v Developed a 6-week online Writing Bootcamp course that I’ve taught for 15 years
Founder & President – San Jacinto Conservation Coalition
Houston, TX, part-time, volunteer; 2000-2007
v Grassroots group to “protect and preserve the natural resource of the San Jacinto watershed by proactively promoting responsible, planned smart growth”
v Got the San Jacinto designated as American Rivers “Most Endangered” in 2006; legislation introduced into Texas Senate to regulate sand mining; our work on sand mining and river sedimentation is becoming of legal interest due to Hurricane Harvey flooding in 2017-2018
v Organized River Bottom Festival, at Lake Houston State Park, March 10, 2001, approximately 450 people attended, and we raised over $4500 for our organization; the festival included a canoe race, educational & outdoor recreation exhibits, and food vendors
v Successful campaigns raised awareness of smart growth issues in NE Houston: meetings with Wal-Mart, Home Depot, and HEB resulted in plans for forested buffer zones, shade trees in parking lots, white roofs to combat the urban heat island effect, and aesthetic planned future developments in NE Houston
v Managed the organization’s budget and finances and supervised our volunteer base
Adjunct Biology Instructor – Lone Star Community College
Kingwood, TX, part-time; 2000-2003
v Self-motivated instructor who went above & beyond to help students learn and love biology
v Designed and taught lectures, labs, exams
v Developed the first online biology course for the entire district using WebCT
v Directed students in semester-long science projects, including stream monitoring and animal behavior
EDUCATION
M.A. (Ph.D. candidacy), Ecology/Evolutionary Biology, Rice University 4.0/4.0 GPR
v National Science Foundation (NSF) 3-yr Graduate Research Fellowship
M.S. Wildlife Ecology, Texas A&M University, 4.0/4.0 GPR
B.S. Wildlife Ecology, Texas A&M University, Magna Cum Laude
SELECTED AWARDS
v Mongabay Prize for Environmental Reporting, $20,000 Special Reporting Initiative Grant, 2013-2014
v Selected to attend Knight Science Journalism Climate Bootcamp, Boston, 2013
v Best Science/Biz Tech Article, American Society Journalists & Authors award, 2013
v Selected to attend the NIH Medicine in the Media program, Wash. DC, Oct 2012
v Selected to attend the Scripps Howard Institute on the Environment, Florida Atlantic University, 2006
v International Regional Magazine Association (IRMA) Awards 2009, 2007 & 2006, Texas Parks & Wildlife Magazine
SELECTED PUBLISHED ARTICLES
· Wristbands for Research: Wearable Sensors Collect Exposure Data Post-Harvey. Environmental Health Perspectives. 2018. https://bit.ly/2JjBB7e
· Is the Human Cost of Saving Mountain Gorillas Too High? TakePart. Nov 25, 2014. http://bit.ly/2e03kqD
· Ecotopia Emerging. Mongabay. 2014. http://bit.ly/2kcpVIa
· How Jane Goodall’s Legacy is Alleviating Poverty. CBS SmartPlanet. 2014. http://zd.net/1Mwbm4H
· Pig Poop Powers North Carolina Farm. Discover Magazine. 2014. http://bit.ly/2tDL3LX
· Food from EARTH: Sustainable Farming in Action. Environmental Health Perspectives. Jun 2013. https://ehp.niehs.nih.gov/121-a212/.
· ASJA 1st place Award Winner: Was Lou Gehrig’s ALS Caused by Tap Water? Pacific Standard (formerly Miller-McCune) Jan/Feb 2011 http://bit.ly/2vTePsp..
· Save the Birds – With Doppler Radar. Miller-McCune Magazine. 2011. http://bit.ly/2gXefYa
· The Tiniest Catch: Marine scientists are prowling the Bering Sea to learn how climate affects minute sea creatures and the lucrative fishery that depends on them. Nature. 2010. http://go.nature.com/2tD72Sv
· Can Eating Less Meat Curb Climate Change? The Daily Climate. 2011 http://bit.ly/2sdRUXA.
· My 30 Days of Consumer Celibacy. OnEarth Magazine. 2007. http://bit.ly/2uQkNO8.
· Teddy’s Bears. Defenders Magazine. Summer 2006 http://www.wendeenicole.com/teddysbears.pdf
· More: http://www.wendeenicole.com
SELECTED PRESENTATIONS
· Edge of Eden: Lonestar College Fine Art Gallery featured my photographs alongside Batwa baskets made Redemption Song Foundation works with. Jan 2017. More: http://bit.ly/2kMDwX7.
· Mountain Gorillas vs. indigenous Batwa pygmies: Unintended Consequences of Conservation. Lonestar College Kingwood Campus Paid Guest Lecture, Mar 2016. http://bit.ly/2ubXL0V)..
· Changing the World One Story at a Time: Objectivity in Journalism. Invited presentation at the University of North Texas Nature Writing Symposium. April 2007 http://www.wendeenicole.com/objectivity.htm.