Kim Catley Communications

Owner, Writer/Editor, consultant

Contributing writer: report and write feature stories for a variety of higher education publications, Richmond magazine, and more.

Clients: Capstone Communications (U.S. Naval Academy, Macalester College, W.P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University, Lewis & Clark College, Kent State University, and more), Inde Communications (Williams College, Peter Heller Group), Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU Alumni, Department of Internal Medicine, VCUarts), University of Richmond, Brooklyn Law School, and more.

Writer and editor, 804ork, volume 2: interviewed and profiled approximately 20 chefs for the second edition in a series of cookbooks featuring Richmond chefs, restaurants, and cuisines; served as copyeditor for all book content, including chef profiles, recipes, directory, and chapter introductions.

Brand messaging: worked with Carrie, Ink, a Richmond branding firm, to craft brand voice and messaging guides for clients, including a pediatric dentist and a market research company; drafted copy for an annual report using client’s new brand standards to develop an updated voice for the company.

VCUarts
communications office

associate director, Print + digital content // 2018-2021

Storytelling: identify story possibilities that authentically align with school and use on school website and social media; coordinate with internal writers and content creators to share ideas, methods of storytelling, and overall strategy.

Management: supervise an integrated content team, including a writer, photographer and social media strategist; lead coordinated approach to content development across multiple platforms through weekly team meetings, and use of editorial calendar and project management tools.

Studio magazine: work with communications office staff and school faculty to identify content that accomplishes strategic school goals; assign and supervise in-house writers; collaborate with photographer, guest artists and design staff to develop visual strategy for each issue.

Project management: lead implementation of office project management software; lead training sessions for office staff; support integration of supporting tools, including reporting, editorial calendar, digital asset management, and file storage; manage workflow for projects to ensure completion on time and on budget, coordinating with project teams of writers, designers, web developers, photographers, and campus clients as needed.

Development writing: coordinate with the VCUarts executive director of development and strategic initiatives and the director of communications, as well as the central VCU development office, to identify fundraising communications needs and processes; develop a voice and tone for fundraising efforts that reflects the voice and priorities of school leadership; draft language for supporting development materials, ranging from case statements for high-level priorities, to presentations for donor visits, to postcards and giving campaigns that support annual fund giving.

Speechwriting: craft speeches and talking points for the dean and other administrators that reflect key school initiatives and align with speaker’s natural voice; assist with development of supporting presentation materials as needed.

Project Yoga Richmond

board member // 2019-PResent

Ambassador // 2014-2018

Board member: president (2021-present), vice president (2020-21), communications committee member (2019-20)

Yoga instructor: taught acroyoga workshops and gentle yoga classes.

Communications volunteer: serve on the communications team; draft brand messaging, website copy, social media content, and blog posts to support the nonprofit studio’s mission to make yoga accessible to all Richmond residents.

education

james madison university

Bachelor of Science: May 2005

Major: Media Arts and Design, Corporate Communication Concentration

Minor: Music Industry

University of Richmond communications office

Senior Writer/Editor // 2010-2018

Editor, Richmond Law magazine: work with law school faculty and staff to identify content that accomplishes strategic school and university goals; assign and supervise in-house and freelance writers; collaborate with design staff to develop visuals for each issue.

Senior writer/editor, University of Richmond Magazine: assist the editor in developing story budgets that accomplish top-level university communication goals; manage sections in partnership with the editor; assign and supervise in-house and freelance writers; collaborate with editor and design staff to develop visuals for each issue; assist with management of online content.

Brand messaging: develop a voice and tone for university messaging; craft standard language for key university message points and supporting initiatives; integrate messages across a variety of platforms, including websites, publications, advertisements, and video scripts; identify supporting storytelling opportunities and write content or coordinate with campus communicators for coverage.

Online storytelling: manage strategy and process for incorporating feature stories on university websites; coordinate with internal writers and content creators in university departments to share ideas, methods of storytelling, and overall strategy; curate story collection for university home page; recommend story collections to support university initiatives, such as summer research and internships, admissions, and the strategic plan; occasionally edit video and audio, and photograph programs and events for feature stories.

Embedded social media reporting: traveled with students and faculty to Israel and Poland to document their experiences using social media, photos, video, and extended blog posts.

Website strategy and development: draft copy and curate feature stories for key pages on university’s main website; manage the editorial phase of client website builds, including content generation and site architecture; identify custom website needs and work with developers to execute; support the university’s centralized strategy for 130 websites through client training and consulting; update websites using a content management system.

Project management: work with designers, web developers, photographers, and campus clients to develop and execute concepts for institutional and department-level campaigns, websites, and print projects.

General writing and editing: write and edit copy for websites, print materials, and office branding campaigns, ensuring consistent tone and accurate use of university nomenclature and A.P. Style.

virginia commonwealth university creative services

web content specialist // 2007-2010

Web content development: managed the editorial phase of website projects; wrote and edited copy for websites and other electronic media to ensure consistent tone and accurate use of VCU nomenclature and A.P. Style.

Storytelling: researched background information, conducted interviews, and wrote articles for VCU and VCU News Center websites, VCU’s alumni magazine Shafer Court Connections, and other outlets.

Project management: worked with editors, designers, programmers, developers, and photographers to develop and present concepts to management team and clients; coordinated team and client meetings; disseminated information in a timely manner; ensured projects followed departmental processes; worked with project team to set schedules that met client needs and accommodated staff workloads; identified variances in project scope.

Social media: worked with clients and University Marketing to develop social media campaigns using Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube; researched trends in social media to share with department web team and clients.

ricci communications

marketing coordinator // 2006-2007

Copywriting: crafted and edited copy to effectively present clients’ message in marketing materials, such as brochures, websites, e-newsletters and direct mail pieces; produced monthly e-newsletters for Ricci Communications and clients, including drafting and assigning articles and releases, managing distribution lists, updating websites, and compiling analytics reports; developed copy for Marketing Simplified, a web-to-print program created to provide organizations with cost-effective, professional, customized marketing materials.

Project management: worked with staff and clients to ensure completion of projects both on time and within budget.