Lynn M. Kordus: CV

LYNN M. KORDUS

2409 OAKWOOD BOULEVARD

WAUSAU, WISCONSIN 54403-7063 U.S.A.

Voice/Fax: 715.842.7277

SUMMARY OF QUALIFICATIONS:

· Experienced corporate communications, public relations, media relations, and training professional

· Accomplished manager of public relations/communication programs, projects, publication production, corporate contributions programs/budgets, special events, vendors and internal staff; experienced provider of high-quality customer service

· High degree of sensitivity to cultural and social diversity (particularly regarding the Middle East); international experience in Egypt and the United Arab Emirates

PUBLIC RELATIONS/COMMUNICATIONS/MARKETING EXPERIENCE:

PRINCIPAL, Lynn M. Kordus Public Relations ▪ Communications, Wausau, Wis., U.S.A., a public relations, corporate communications, media relations, marketing communications, and training consultancy.

October 2001 to present (fulltime), November 1999 to April 2001 (fulltime), October 1995 to November 1999 (part-time).

Current work includes:

· Communications/public relations work with Creative Communication & Design, Wausau, Wisconsin USA.

· Grant work with Northcentral Technical College, Wausau, Wisconsin USA, to develop partnerships with U.A.E. and Egyptian universities in the areas of leadership/management and health sciences.

· Recently completed a year-long series of articles on local businesses that have appeared in the Wausau Daily Herald under the auspices of the Wausau/Marathon County Chamber of Commerce and the Daily Herald.

Other projects have included:

· working with the Arab Advisors Group, Amman, Jordan, to promote its annual conference;

· proposal to the American Chamber of Commerce in Egypt to place Wisconsin on its agenda for an upcoming Doorknock Mission;

· proposal to Amideast, the Regional Information Technology Institute (RITI), and the Fulbright Commission, all in Cairo, Egypt, and Northcentral Technical College (NTC) in Wausau, Wisconsin, to develop cooperative educational opportunities for students and business people in Egypt and in the counties NTC serves;

· proposal in partnership with Dr. Sherif Kamel, RITI executive director, to the University of Wisconsin-Madison to investigate developing an MBA program for Egyptian engineers;

· investigation of possible cooperative activities with Les Janka, president, ARTOC USA (ARTOC is a major Egyptian holding company headed by Shafik Gabr for a variety of business endeavors).

U.S.-based clients have included the National Education Association, Wausau Homes, the Wausau/Marathon County Chamber of Commerce, the Wausau Area Performing Arts Foundation, Fiskars, Piper Products, Christine’s Beads/Fine Art & Framing, Peoples State Bank, and the Humane Society of Marathon County.

SUPERVISOR – MEDIA RELATIONS & SPECIAL EVENTS, Zayed University, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, May 2001 to October 2001.

Led and managed all aspects of the media relations and special events operation (with four direct reports, two each in Dubai and Abu Dhabi) of this new university for U.A.E. national women.

Specific accomplishments included:

· development of media relations and special events functions within the Department of Public & Cultural Relations;

· creation, coordination, and implementation of a university style guide to be used by the Department of Public & Cultural Relations;

· development and implementation of media relations and special events strategy, as well as procedural and operational guidelines;

· review and oversight of the university’s CD-ROM image communication vehicle;

· revision of staff job descriptions to reflect current department objectives and needs;

· planning and coordinating a professional development opportunity in team building for entire department;

· management, coordination, and chaperoning of a Zayed University student trip to the international Festival d’Avignon in France July 2–8, as well as media relations involved in the project;

· ongoing education of all university staff (including Vice President, Provost, deans) and faculty as to the elements involved in and value of integrated communications (to include communications, advertising, and public relations), as well as strategies for successful design, implementation, and evaluation;

· successful planning, coordinating, and implementing of numerous events including: a regional UNESCO conference on the role of Arab women in development, Zayed University’s Institute for Technological Innovation open houses in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, the university’s three-day annual faculty/staff

· Convocation/Conference/Retreat, and other events in both cities involving U.A.E., Dubai, and Abu Dhabi dignitaries.

COMMUNICATIONS CONSULTANT, Wausau Insurance Companies, Wausau, Wis., U.S.A, July 1999 to November 1999.

Led and managed the integrated communication process for the company's Wausau Benefits Business Center. This communication process included advertising, public relations, media relations, promotions, producer/customer/employee communication, collateral, research, trade shows, internal publications, Internet, and Intranet presences.

This position involved:

· developing, coordinating, and implementing integrated communications plans (communications, public relations, media relations, marketing communications);

· project management;

· preparing creative briefs for major projects;

· coordinating the presentation/execution of concepts;

· developing and managing production schedules; as well as serving as a member of the client's senior management cabinet, providing input on decisions, direction, and strategies resulting in communication planning to help accomplish client's business center goals.

EXTERNAL RELATIONS PROJECT MANAGER, Wausau Insurance Companies, Wausau, Wis., U.S.A., March 1999 to July 1999.

SENIOR PUBLIC RELATIONS COORDINATOR, July 1992 to March 1999.

Was named to the new position of External Relations Project Manager following a major restructuring of the company's public relations, corporate communications, and advertising functions. In addition to the responsibilities listed below which continued from previous position of Senior Public Relations Coordinator, this new position took on an expanded role in media relations for the company's business centers, as well as in public relations and corporate communications for the company and its seven divisions in the U.S. :

· corporate communications initiatives, the most recent being "Health Care at the Crossroads," the company's contribution to the national health care reform debate;

· public relations/communications activities such as executive speech writing, major executive presentations, as well as press releases and feature articles for internal and external use, press conferences/tours, press kits, case studies, white papers;

· strategic public relations and communications plans for a variety of public relations, communications, and other business center efforts;

· special events sponsored by the company in Wausau, Wis., and in its divisions throughout the United States;

· Wausau Insurance Companies Internet Task Force, November 1995 to May 1997;

· Wausau Insurance Companies Intranet Resource Team, January 1999 to November 1999;

· Wausau Insurance Companies Loss Management Services Re-engineering Resource Team, July 1996 to May 1997;

· corporate contributions and matching gifts programs;

· managing, implementing and evaluating $1.3 million public relations/corporate contributions budget;

· supervising support professionals, as well as numerous external vendors (i.e., printers, freelance photographers, writers, etc.).

EDITORIAL POSITIONS of increasing responsibility at Wausau Insurance, August 1979 to July 1992.

Responsibilities included producing a weekly newsletter for company employees located in the Wausau, Wis., area, a monthly magazine for employees company-wide, a quarterly newsletter for retirees nationwide, bi-monthly publication for sales force, quarterly newsletter for brokers, and variety of customer publications.

EDUCATION REPORTER/EDITOR, the Wausau Daily Herald, Wausau, Wis., U.S.A.,
1968-1974.

TEACHING EXPERIENCE:

ASSOCIATE LECTURER – ENGLISH/ENGLISH INSTRUCTOR, University of Wisconsin—Marathon County,

Wausau, Wisconsin USA, January 2005 – Present (part-time) & August 2004 – January 2005 (full-time), teaching Communication II/English 102 and/or Communication I/English 101; also part-time, Fall 1990 to Spring 1994, on an ad hoc, on-call basis.

COMMUNICATION INSTRUCTOR, Northcentral Technical College, Wausau, Wisconsin USA, August 2004 – Present (part-time); teaching two sections of Written Communication totally online utilizing the Blackboard system; also part-time, Fall 1992 to Spring 1994, on an ad hoc, on-call basis, and August 1983 to May 1984.

BUSINESS WRITING INSTRUCTOR/CONSULTANT, Wausau Insurance Companies, as part of above responsibilities as a general and senior editor, Fall 1987 to Spring 1992.

NEWSPAPER ADVISOR, Wausau East High School, Wausau, Wis., U.S.A., part-time, August 1983 to June 1984.

ENGLISH TEACHER/FORENSICS COACH, Wittenberg-Birnamwood High School, Wittenberg, Wis., U.S.A., August 1978 to June 1979.

WRITING LAB TUTOR, University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, Stevens Point, Wis., U.S.A., June 1976 to May 1978.

OTHER: Have conducted workshops in newsletter publication, interviewing, public relations, speech writing, the Internet, corporate contributions.

EGYPT EXPERIENCE:

Since November 1992 when I made my first trip to Egypt, I have sought out and taken advantage of numerous mentoring and networking opportunities both in the U.S. and in Cairo, Egypt, with more than 20 individuals whose careers have involved significant contributions in development, business, and education in Egypt and/or the Middle East. Individuals and their affiliations are available upon request. Subsequent trips to Egypt were in 1995, 1997, and 1999. Also planned, organized, and led a group tour to Egypt in 1997.

EDUCATION:

MASTER'S DEGREE in Communication, Public Relations Emphasis, University of Wisconsin--Stevens Point, Stevens Point, Wis., U.S.A., December 1996 (3.94 GPA on a 4.0 scale). Thesis: "Corporate Contributions at Wausau Insurance Companies 1911-1996: A Case Study."

WAUSAU INSURANCE COMPANIES MANAGEMENT DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM: Management Skills, Advanced Management Skills and Concepts, and Financial Operations.

BACHELOR'S DEGREE in secondary education, English major, writing and communication minors, University of Wisconsin--Stevens Point, Stevens Point, Wis., U.S.A., 1978.

Have also completed numerous workshops/seminars/conferences/classes in public relations, sales, editing, writing, publications, photography, speech writing, script writing, management, the Internet (general and as applied to PR/media relations), corporate contributions management, and the Management portion of the 10-part Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter designation.

PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES:

· Member, Wausau/Marathon County Chamber of Commerce, current and 2000-2001;

· Public Relations Director, Steering Committee member, and Founding Member, Central Wisconsin International Business Network, Wausau, Wis., May 1996 to October 1999;

· Public Relations Director, inaugural Global Learn Day, October 1997 (this was a free, online Internet conference showcasing the more than 30,000 distance learning opportunities available via the Internet and including presentations in more than 25 cities worldwide); proposed Cairo, Egypt, as a "stop" on the tour and secured the speaker there; also secured one of the keynoters, Roger Axtell, former vice president for worldwide marketing at Parker Pen, and author of numerous books on doing business internationally;

· Wisconsin River Valley Information Network member, 1996;

· Wausau Public School District Writing Assessment Task Force member, 1996;

· Local Public Relations Chair, Badger State Winter Games, the largest amateur winter sports festival in the U.S., 1992-1996;

· Wisconsin American Russian Mutual Success (A.R.M.S.) Exchange Communications Chairperson, (this program sent 65 Wisconsinites to Moscow in November 1994, and brought a like number of Russians to Wisconsin in March 1995);

· Wausau Area Events Board of Directors member, 1994-1995;

· Wausau Area Chamber of Commerce Visitors Council Board of Directors, and member of its Advertising and Promotions Committee, 1991-1994;

· American Red Cross Board of Directors, Marathon County Chapter, and member of its Public Relations and Long Range Planning Committees, 1991-1992;

· Birch Trails Girl Scout Council Board of Directors member, 1976-1977.

SPECIAL SKILLS:

Computer literacy: Dell desktop system with Windows XP environment; Gateway laptop system with Windows XP environment; ZEOS palmtop, HP Laserjet printer, HP Inkjet color printer, Visioneer color flatbed scanner; Visor Handspring PDA; HP digital camera

Software experience: MS Office (including PowerPoint, Excel), MS Word 2000, MS Outlook, MS Outlook Express, MS Project, Lotus Notes, Quicken, InScribe hieroglyphic, CrossStitch Designer, FaxWizard, Adobe Acrobat

Desktop publishing literacy: MS Publisher, Adobe Photoshop

Internet/online service experience: Internet access since 1989 (America Online member since 1992-2004; CompuServe and Prodigy member, 1989-1998)

Other: Excellent project management, planning, training, editing, writing, and interviewing expertise

LANGUAGE SKILLS:

English: Excellent native speaking, writing, and comprehension skills

French: Some reading, writing, and speaking skills

Arabic: Beginning self-study

Spanish: One year of college study

NATIONALITY: American