Professional History
Media Director & Visual Designer, BJ Adams and Company Real Estate, 6/2011-2012. (Now freelance) Create marketing and publicity for high-end real estate firm. Produced online newsletters for outreach and sales materials for homes and land. Rewrote and updated graphic design for website. News releases and community outreach repeatedly garnered front-page stories in Aspen, Colorado newspapers.
Marketing Director/VP Communications, Alliant International University, 11/06-7/10. Created branding and multi-media identity for multiple schools in five-campus private university in California. Developed massive website including wireframes, Photoshop layouts, CSS templates and content management system and student and alumni portals. Provided project management for website launch, coordinating off-site staff and remote ad agency. Directed crisis communications during wildfire and evacuation. Pioneered social media strategies on Facebook and LinkedIn; created Salesforce procedures and materials, managed Google Adwords campaigns. Developed alumni outreach via Constant Contact newsletters, LinkedIn groups, Facebook and Twitter campaigns.
Media Director, Bay Area School Reform Collaborative, 2/98-10/06 Created regional PR, community relations and legislative outreach campaigns on behalf of a business/foundation partnership for improvement of San Francisco Bay Area public schools. Coached CEOs for TV appearances and legislative testimony. Won national media recognition and $100 million in grants.
Media Director, The Utility Reform Network (TURN),
Conducted statewide media relations, community relations and legislative outreach campaigns on behalf of renewable energy and energy efficiency and opposing California electricity deregulation. Earned statewide and national recognition for TURN.
Owner/President, Nicolette Toussaint Communications, Created communication campaigns for violence prevention, environmental and health nonprofits in Northern California. Created "Broken Wings" video for awareness of domestic violence. Gained national TV and radio coverage of health lawsuit argued before the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals.
Senior Communications Consultant, Communication Technologies Developed employee outreach and behavior change campaigns used: 1) by corporations and ten Bay Area cities to encourage ridesharing and discourage air-polluting behaviors, 2) for a National AIDS Partnership campaign used by NGOs working to reduce high risk behaviors among teenagers.
Creative Services Manager, RIDES for Bay Area Commuters Created radio, print campaigns and word-of-mouth ad campaigns to encourage carpooling and discourage solo driving. Served on Advisory Board for Bay Area Air Quality Management District and created materials for Spare the Air campaign. Keynote speaker in 3 counties for California Clean Air Week kickoff events.
Associate Creative Director, NW Ayer, Los Angeles
Directed radio and print ads for Sheraton Hotels,Western US and AAA-affiliate California AAA.
Senior Copywriter, Lowe Marschalk, San Francisco. Created award-winning TV, radio and print ads for Royal Viking Cruise Lines, Del Monte brands (Chun King, Patio Mexican Food, A1 Steak Sauce and Wright’s Hickory Smoke), New Zealand Kiwifruit Authority, Kaiser Permanente and Magic Theatre.
Advertising and Creative Services Manager, GE/Calma Computer-Aided Design Developed print and TV ads and user documentation for CAD/CAM systems for architecture, engineering and construction (AEC market).
Print Advertising Consultant, United Airlines, Chicago
Provided copywriting and creative concepts for United’s Hawaii travel and ski country vacation guides. Hawaii Dreambook was independently rated United's most effective travel publication.