What I Do
I've influenced and made a mark in many ways over two decades of public communications work.
Corporate Communications: I led communications strategy for technology and intellectual property organizations at the world's largest aerospace company, which gave me a broad spectrum of opportunity to excel. I also led employee talent management communications for one the world’s largest commercial employers. To ensure stakeholders make the best decisions and take the most appropriate and desired actions, I used multiple tools to send the right messages. I was given latitude to be creative. I exercised flexibility in my approach.
Public Affairs Agency: As senior editor of a public affairs firm, I made sure that clients received a variety of written and produced content meeting the highest standards of editorial excellence. I was devoted to advancing media brands, and adept at executing social networking programs using the latest digital technologies.
Professional Journalism: As a consumer reporter for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, I was able to help people with real problems find real solutions. It was one of the most fulfilling jobs I could have at a news organization. That is, until I became the breaking news editor and managed the content flowing through seattlepi.com. Managing how news breaks online, I felt I could bring my love for old-school newspapering into the new age. My experience and professional journalism expertise, provided a level of trust not available with many sources in the online world today. I am fortunate to have had the opportunity to help people share their stories.
-
IQ in Aerospace
I launched and edited Innovation Quarterly, Boeing’s technical magazine. The magazine is written for an external audience, and is distributed to engineering schools across the United States, and to partners and stakeholders worldwide.
-
Excellence. Every Day.
I developed a strategy and launched a branding program to simplify and unify Boeing engineering units dispersed among several businesses, subsidiaries and geographic locations. The strategy included tactics for technical employee development and empowerment.
-
Excellence in Journalism
From my professional journalism, above is an example from a series of articles exposing the methods by which a Seattle-based insurance company had been handling homeowners' claims. Other writing samples can be found by searching my former byline: "candace heckman"