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Summary of the Interview: In this episode of the PIO podcast, Kevin Strauss, the communications manager for the Santa Clarita Valley Water Agency, discusses his journey from college athletics to public communication. He shares insights on the challenges faced in unifying communication strategies post-COVID, the importance of digital advertising, and the management of water resources amid drought conditions. Kevin emphasizes the significance of internal communication, the impact of AI on public perception, and the necessity of having a supportive team to effectively convey messages to the community. He concludes with personal insights and rapid-fire questions that reveal his values and beliefs in communication.

Kevin's Bio - Kevin Strauss is the Communications Manager for the Santa Clarita Valley Water Agency (SCV Water) and is responsible for all internal and external Agency communications. Previously, Strauss spent six years as a Communications Specialist with the City of Santa Clarita. During his career, Strauss has produced several award-winning public relations campaigns and recently led SCV Water’s brand relaunch initiative and crafted the Agency’s first digital media strategy. For his work, he was named the 2024 Communicator of the Year by the California Association of Public Information Officials (CAPIO).

When he was with the City of Santa Clarita, the Communications Division was named the 2020 Frank Potter Cowan Crisis Communications Leader by CAPIO for its response to the Tick Fire and Saugus High School shooting in 2019. Prior to joining the City of Santa Clarita, Strauss worked for six years in the Athletics Department at California State University, Northridge (CSUN), first as an intern then as Assistant Sports Information Director before being promoted to Assistant Athletic Director for Digital Marketing. Strauss earned his bachelor’s degree in journalism with an emphasis in public relations from CSUN. He and his family reside in Santa Clarita.
Kevin's Email

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Summary: In this episode of the PIO podcast, Lauren Burton, the Director of Communications and Community Relations for the Douglas County District Attorney's Office in Georgia, shares her unique journey from victim advocacy to her current role. She discusses the importance of community engagement, the challenges of digital communication, and the strategies she employs to ensure consistent messaging and effective outreach. Lauren highlights successful media campaigns, the role of social media, and the impact of her office's visibility in the community. She also touches on the use of AI tools in her work and emphasizes the importance of self-care for public information officers.

Lauren's Bio - Lauren Burden is the Director of Communications and Community Relations for the Douglas County District Attorney’s Office. In this role, she oversees the office’s social media, website, marketing, and media communications. She also coordinates and organizes the office’s participation in community events, plans office-sponsored community events, and organizes all internal events.

Lauren graduated from Georgia College and State University with a degree in Sociology. She began her career at the Douglas County District Attorney’s Office as a Victim Advocate in April 2013. In 2021, she took on the role of communications coordinator before transitioning to her current position full-time in January 2022. She was honored with the office’s Barry Wood Award in 2021.was recognized as a Top Young Professional in Douglas County in 2022, and received the InnovateHER award at the CelebrateHER awards with the Douglas County Chamber in 2024.

In addition to her professional work, Lauren actively contributes to her community by serving on several boards, including New Georgia Baseball as Secretary, Paulding County Baseball Advisory Board as Secretary, Douglas County Young Professionals as Treasurer, and The ATIR Community. Outside of work and volunteering, she enjoys spending time with her fourteen-year-old son and her family.

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Summary - In this episode of the PIO podcast, Robert Tornabene interviews Summer DeRay, an experienced Public Information Officer (PIO) with a rich background in communications and community engagement. Summer shares her journey from working in newsrooms to her current role at the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT). She discusses the importance of building relationships with local tribes, the evolution of social media in public information, and the significance of community engagement. Summer also emphasizes the need for self-care among PIOs to prevent burnout and shares her success stories in community outreach. The conversation concludes with rapid-fire questions that reveal Summer's personal insights and philosophies.

Summer's BiIO: Summer Derrey is an MPIO with nearly 20 years of experience at WSDOT. She excels at breaking down complex engineering jargon into easy-to-understand information for the public. From Washington’s harsh winter weather to summer construction projects, Derrey uses various communication methods. Recently, her work has centered on traffic safety, community engagement, and tribal relations.

LinkedIn
Summer's Email - Summerinthefall@gmail.com

Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify

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Summary: In this episode of the PIO podcast, Robert Tornabene interviews Donna Rossi, the Deputy Director of Public Affairs for the Phoenix Police Department. Donna shares her unique journey from being a police officer to a broadcast journalist and leading the Public Affairs Bureau. The conversation covers the current staffing challenges the Phoenix PD faces, the importance of crisis communication, and the innovative strategies being implemented to enhance community relations and transparency. Donna emphasizes the need for collaboration between sworn and civilian staff and discusses the significance of internal communications within the department. The episode concludes with rapid-fire questions and key takeaways from Donna's experiences and insights.







Donna's Email Donna.Rossi@pheonix.gov
Recruitment Website: joinphxpd.com

Listen on: Apple Podcasts Spotify

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Summary: In this episode of the PIO Podcast, Special Projects Coordinator Taylor Merriss from the Evansville Police Department shares insights about her role, community engagement strategies, and the importance of transparency in law enforcement. She discusses her background, the challenges of recruiting, and the innovative ways the department connects with the community, including their podcast 'What's Your 20'. Taylor emphasizes the significance of building trust and relationships within the community and highlights her experiences in various outreach initiatives.

Taylor's Bio: Officer Taylor Merriss was born and raised in southeast side Evansville. She is proud of her roots and alma mater: Bosse High School and the University of Southern Indiana. She was a collegiate athlete who played golf and received criminal justice and sociology degrees. She has been a member of the Evansville Police Department for 9 years and in her most current position, as Special Projects Coordinator, for nearly 4 years. She takes pride in being a liaison to the local and national media and her community. She won the Evansville Regional Economic Partnerships’ Young Professional of the Year for 2024.
Taylors Email - tmerriss@evansvillepolice.com

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Bridget has firsthand experience with harassment, discrimination, retaliation, and a hostile work environment. As the only female on the SWAT team, along with her time on patrol and as an undercover narcotics investigator, she knows what it feels like to have no one to trust and to feel defeated at every turn.

This is why Bridget started the Lady Law Shield: to help those feeling overwhelmed and frustrated by a seemingly unwinnable battle. Bridget is passionate about helping anyone facing the same types of internal employment-related issues discover their ability to find happiness daily, regardless of the environment or circumstances surrounding them.

Bridget has 30 years of wellness, leadership, law enforcement, and legal training and experience that you can leverage for a blueprint on how to feel more comfort, ease, and support for increased balance and joy in life.

Bridget is an attorney, former Deputy Sheriff (Patrol, SWAT, and Undercover Narcotics), and founder and CEO of the Lady Law Shield Law Firm and Protective Wellness. She is licensed to practice in TX, LA, NY, and FL. Lady Law Shield helps clients across the country with employment-related issues based on violations of protections afforded by federal law.

Bridgets Email - bridget@ladylawsheild.com

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Victorian Simmons currently works as the Public Information Officer for the Town of Apex. Prior to her position with Apex, she was the Community Engagement Specialist for the Greensboro Fire Department. Victorian has been published in Firehouse Magazine and was a featured speaker at the 2024 NFPA Conference and the North Carolina Fire Educators Conference. She is the 2023 Greensboro Mosi Award recipient for reaching non-English speaking communities with fire safety video messages and the 2024 Greensboro Employee Innovation Award recipient for designing and developing a booklet to help community members after they have been affected by fires. She was just selected as the 2024 International Rising Star by Women in Fire Safety. She has been recognized multiple times and has received awards from her community for using creative strategies to effectively reach specific audiences with life saving information. She is locally known for her small business Fire & Oak where she teaches smaller departments how to effectively use digital communications like social media, website design, and photography/videography. She is an adjunct Professor for GTCC Fire Academy where she teaches Public Safety Communications courses to students in North Carolina, Virginia and South Carolina. Though she has a quickly growing career in the fire industry, she has an extensive background in marketing and communications. Simmons has a Bachelor’s degree in Marketing from Keuka College, a Master’s degree in Business Management from Elmira College, and is currently working on her Ph.D. in Strategic Communication from Liberty University. She has spent the last 9 years in managerial roles focused on strategic communications, marketing, writing, photography, social media, and design.

Victorian's LinkedIn

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Jonee Lewis is an Emmy-award-winning Journalist who is now the Director of Communications and Public Affairs for the Tampa Police Department.

Jonee’ is a Lakeland native with 13 years of experience in the media industry, having previously served as a reporter for Fox 13 in Tampa and television news stations in Memphis, Winston-Salem, Myrtle Beach, Gainesville, and Tallahassee.

She holds a Master of Arts in Mass Communication from the University of Florida and a Bachelor of Science in Mass Media Studies from Florida State University.

She is thrilled to serve her community in this new capacity and promote positive relationships between law enforcement and those who live, work, and visit the City of Tampa.

Email - mailto: tpd-pio@tampagov.net

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