Executive Communication
Helping leaders find their voice when the stakes are high.
Context
As the 2024 election approached, Empower Schools needed to set a clear approach for how, when, and whether to respond to political and cultural moments that might impact staff or stakeholders. The goal was to protect the organization’s internal alignment and values without compromising its nonpartisan position or creating external risk.
My Role
I led the development of a full internal communications strategy designed for the CEO and executive leadership team. The strategy included language guidance, a real-time decision matrix, monitoring triggers, and alignment pathways for navigating moments that required both clarity and care.
Deliverables
Internal executive communications brief with rationale and goals
Message guidance to prepare for politically sensitive topics
Decision matrix for whether and how to respond to external events
Suggested messaging pathways for high-risk election-related scenarios
Monitoring and escalation framework
Guidance for syncing internal communications with board, legal, and partners
Selected Work
Results
The plan was adopted ahead of the election year to provide a clear and consistent executive voice. It helped reduce uncertainty across the executive team, enabled faster decision-making during live events, and prepared Empower to communicate thoughtfully and proactively with staff throughout 2024. Executives were able to use this plan to advise network partners on ongoing developments.
Immediate Impact
In end-of-year survey taken shortly after this strategy was launched, staff reported an 80% satisfaction in the workplace.
90% of staff agreed or strongly agreed “I have the information I need to do my job”, up from 60% YoY.
95% agreed or strongly agreed “I understand our key objective (OKRs) and how I contribute to them,” up from 45% YoY.