My background
I’m a seasoned writer and editor who excels at communicating with a wide variety of audiences. I began my career in book publishing as a freelance editor and worked as a production editor at HarperCollins for five years. That led to a longer-than-expected stint in tech, starting as a technical editor at Macromedia and ending as a project manager at Adobe, which had acquired Macromedia.
While I had a good run in tech, I wanted to do work that was more meaningful to me. After some exploration, I started a position at PV Solar Report as managing editor/writer. That soon turned into a communications director position at Sunible, an online solar platform. When Sunible was acquired by MyDomino, an energy savings concierge service, I continued there in the same role until the company closed. I did some writing for pv magazine before finding a communications director position at the Clean Coalition, a California clean energy nonprofit.
My colleagues have noted that I’m “always willing to embrace change, move forward, and look for new ways of doing things.” I did that at the beginning of 2022, when I started Rising Sun Communications. That’s allowed me to focus more on writing, which I’ve been doing for a number of solar companies. I’ve also helped establish communications and messaging for a solar startup, as I’d done before at Sunible and MyDomino.
Writing and editing
When I write articles, blog posts, press releases, and reports for my clients, the most common feedback I get is, “This is spot on!” I get the most joy from writing, which is also my top skill.
For MyDomino, I wrote a comprehensive Solar 101 guide that made going solar understandable. I was even called on to write a speech for MyDomino’s CEO — which was considered the highlight of Cornell’s 2015 Johnson Energy Connection event.
My writing has been published on CleanTechnica, Triple Pundit, pv magazine, Mosaic, Solar Power World, The Energy Collective, PV Solar Report, Shareable, and Sustainabilist, among others. I’m an experienced editor with roots in book publishing; I will fight over the Oxford comma and the correct use of semicolons.
Communications strategy
I’ve established communications, public relations, and social media strategy at three clean-energy startups — geared toward varied audiences such as the general public, policymakers, and businesses. I enjoy creating blogs, email campaigns, and process guidelines.
In my first six months at PV Solar Report, I grew our Twitter following from a few hundred to thousands, and I’ve continued to maintain and grow the account since then to over 15.4K followers.
Media relations
My ability to form and cultivate relationships has been a bonus in establishing media relations, as has my persistence. At the Clean Coalition, I doubled the organization’s media coverage in my first year.
I’m active in energy forums such as Energy Central, where I was one of the Top Voices of 2020.
Information organizing and project management
Organizing is in my DNA, and I don’t say that lightly. I love the challenge of a website that needs an overhaul, or a messy Google Drive. At the Clean Coalition, I initiated and spearheaded a major website redesign that improved usability and highlighted key content.
A natural at managing projects, I thrived in my project management role at Adobe, where I received the Adobe XTO Award for Operational Excellence for my work developing new processes for the documentation team.
Webinars and events
I’ve organized and presented at numerous webinars and events, including this California Desert Coalition webinar in November 2021:
Volunteer solar installation and fundraising
My Most Solar Man in the World fundraising videos were featured on CleanTechnica and helped me raise the most of any individual fundraiser for the GRID Alternatives Bay Area Solarthon for ten years in a row — setting new fundraising records and raising over $65,000 for the organization. When I worked at Adobe, I persuaded the company to become a GRID corporate sponsor.
Solar advocacy
At the California Public Utilities Commission and the California State Senate, I’ve advocated for local solar and microgrids. I’ve been involved in the ongoing fight to save rooftop solar in California and spoke at the net energy metering (NEM) rally in Sacramento in December 2021.