Megan’s take on:
Making public health approachable.
Megan holds a master’s degree in public administration. Her career started in nonprofit development, where she focused on food security, disability advocacy and other issues. She eventually moved into communications, working with the Food and Drug Administration’s Human Foods Program and the Office of Infectious Disease and HIV/AIDS Policy.
Megan says her experience in public health still drives her work. As the spouse of a Navy veteran, her family has moved a lot, so she has a perspective on the universal need for clear public health communications.
Megan says
“It was a consistent need everywhere we went. Working in comms was a way that I could support my community, whether it was through a nonprofit or at an agency supporting federal health clients.”
Leading with people first.
Megan says she couldn’t do her work without a solid foundation of relationships. That includes personal and professional relationships, but also genuine relationships with the audiences she’s trying to reach with important messages.
“Relationships have been the key to everything I do,” she says, “including having relationships with the people who can get your communication tools in front of the right people and the right audiences.”
When you know about the concerns, priorities and personal stories of the communities you’re trying to reach, you can have a much bigger impact, she says.
“That’s something I’ve taken through my life, my career and my role as a mom: We’re all different,” Megan says. “If you don’t take the time to learn what makes that person unique or feel heard, or make that audience feel recognized and understood, you won’t make the connection.”
Living all over the world.
Although she’s now based in the Seattle area, Megan has seen many corners of the world. She was born in England, raised in San Diego, and went to college in Maryland. She and her husband still love to travel and take their three kids to new places. Past vacations have included Japan, France, Spain and Canada, and New Zealand is next on the bucket list.
“It’s fun to explore the world with them,” Megan says. “We try to go places that have good food and great historic sites.”
Education
Bachelor’s degree, philosophy and political science, Hood College
Master of Public Administration, The George Washington University