When the subject is work

The professional writing below was produced for organizations I worked with and for. Company names are included where permission was granted. What they share in common is the challenge of taking something large and complex and making it feel clear, true, and human.

Democracy or bust. Today's political news can be overwhelming. My charge was to make it more digestible.

→ Big Tent News: Democracy or Bust
→ Big Tent News: The Time to Come Together Is Now
→ Big Tent News: Promises Made, Promises Kept
→ Tent Posts: A Web of Entanglements Around the White House
→ Tent Posts: The Lone Horseman of the Apocalypse or Don Quixote?

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An origin story. The founders of a nonprofit I co-founded each wrote a version of how the organization came to be. This was mine. It starts with a Sunday afternoon email about a man facing homelessness with four cats and ends with an organization that would go on to serve hundreds of families. → Read on Paws Between Homes

Purpose and principles for a specialty packaging company. A plastics and specialty packaging company leaned into the benefits of their product while making a deeper commitment to sustainability and circularity. I delivered a purpose line, a purpose narrative, and four distinct purpose principles with accompanying narratives, all shared internally to galvanize corporate culture.

DELIVER MATERIAL IMPACT
We are built on a foundation of firsts, grounded in courage that transforms a 40th try into a continuous triumph. With our minds on what matters, we spark moments that drive momentum and usher movement forward. As new markets emerge, we will continue to emerge as leaders — because the next century's worth of innovation is waiting for us to deliver it.

EMPOWER OUR PEOPLE
The true impact of our work starts with a belief in our people and our partners. When we provide the resources and space to grow within and beyond the organization, we build a culture of trust, letting everyone know they have a seat at the table.

RISE TO EVERY CHALLENGE
With a collaborative spirit, we share competitive energy to break barriers and challenge what's next. When we fall, our pride lifts us, knowing obstacles only make us stronger as we prepare to brave the challenges to come.

ADVANCE BOLD SOLUTIONS
Our expertise fuels us to push the limits and advance solutions today that prepare our customers for tomorrow. With diverse knowledge and talent, we spark innovation, bring our best ideas, and continue to raise the industry bar again and again.

DRIVE SUSTAINABILITY
As the world evolves, we must be responsible and reinvent with solutions that lay the groundwork for a more sustainable world. We commit to improving people's lives, not just for the next quarter but for the next quarter century.

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Purpose, vision, and film scripts for a regional healthcare system. Amid the growing pains of expansion under new leadership, a regional healthcare system in Western New York was suffering a crisis of identity. The CEO was committed to bringing all care centers under the cultural umbrella of their shared purpose. I wrote the narrative for their combined purpose and vision line — Uplift Humanity through Care for Our Community — as well as the pitch concepts for their purpose film.

Purpose and Vision Narrative

We've weathered our fair share of storms — from lake-effect blizzards to profound shifts in healthcare, economic downturns, and everything in between. Through it all, our care has been constant. Because we are of our people and for our people. Wherever our care takes us, across all our regions, we stay grounded in the dedication we were founded on: to treat those around us as whole people. We see their humanity and nurture their wellness beyond sickness to shape the health of our communities.

Continuing to lead with this dedication will take more than keeping up with the pace of change. And while the challenges we face today may be unique and unprecedented, so, too, is our ability to face them. Because we're not just good at what we do today — we embrace a better tomorrow. So as the world continues to challenge us, we challenge back. We meet the evolving needs of our communities through every action we take and innovation we make, striving to become a national model for health and healing. When it comes to community, we do even more than treat patients. We partner, educate, employ, innovate, and connect. Because we belong to the communities we serve. That's what it means to Uplift Humanity through Care for Our Community.

Film Script Concepts

• "Uplift": The work we do takes many forms — some simple, some backbreaking, some both at once. But the commitment that aligns us brings the strength that renews us. Determined to leave what we touch better than when we found it, we lift up those around us. Not just to succeed in this moment together, but to thrive for life.

• "Look Up": Immersed in an intense period of first-responding, our laser focus has been necessary. But it's also kept us from seeing the bigger picture. One that acknowledges the constancy of our life-changing commitment to all the people around us. One that looks out at the horizon of hope as we carry that commitment forward into each new day. One in which we go beyond healing to serve the health of our communities and the world around us.

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Purpose narrative for a global energy company. I wrote this for a business unit of a global oil and gas company whose purpose is "to lead breakthroughs that enable progress for all." As the company's reliable workhorse in a world that demands cleaner fuel, the narrative captures their commitment to sustainable practices while honoring the pride of their people.

Every leap forward is a leap of faith. A thrust into the unknown. No breakthrough is assured, but with vigilance and constancy, we can stack the steady starts that ground confident leaps forward. To take bolder risks, resolve complex problems, reimagine what's possible. From reliable delivery, we can push possibility to fuel progress — to break new records, invent, revolutionize, exceed, and even launch into space.

The environment we cultivate grounds us in the safety and stability to deliver reliably, every day. As the engine driving our company's growth toward a low-carbon future, when we deliver efficiently, we empower those we serve. And because we take pride in the specialties we own, inspiration beckons us to think big — about the impact we can make when we prioritize, stay flexible, and align our collective expertise to assail the impossible.

When we deliver, our company can focus on growing in the best possible ways. As the growth engine for the enterprise's success, we're also the growth engine for our people to meet society's need for a sustainable future. Together, we lead breakthroughs that enable progress for all.

The same eye that finds what's true in a moment finds what's missing in an organization. That's how I work.

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