Scholarship

While possessing the technical skills to develop and produce media, I sought a theoretical understanding around issues of innovation, communication, and organizational culture. For this reason I pursued an M.A. in Communication, Culture & Technology at Georgetown University. This interdisciplinary program allowed me to explore my passions for collaboration and storytelling through the lens of communication theories and methodologies.

The following courses have broadened my understanding of these concepts:

Writing Samples

Academic Blog Posts

Creation Nets and the Future of Social Networks – Link
The Next Battle for the Net – Link
I’m Sorry, We Just Don’t Trust You – Link
Going Dark: Creating Change Through Online and Offline Action – Link

Innovation in Organizations

Millennials and Connectivity: Four Futures of Nonprofit Fundraising
Innovation Strategy Paper – PDF

Utilizing the scenario-building methodology developed by Peter Schwartz, I propose four possible trajectories for the future of nonprofit fundraising. I look at two critical uncertainties, public attitude toward nonprofits and social media technology, to develop possible scenarios for the Boys and Girls Club of America and recommend key strategies for ensuring their success in fundraising in the future.

Innovating the Peace Corps
Innovation Strategy Presentation – PDF

This group presentation outlines four key areas the Peace Corps, the US government’s international volunteer program, can address to foster innovation within the organization. As a group we identified key internal and external challenges that the Peace Corps faces and offer specific solutions, utilizing the application of new technologies as well as best practices for innovation.

Marketing and Communication

Adobe Systems – Proposal to Expand “Metrics Not Myths” Campaign
Communication Brief – PDF

With the Marketing Cloud, Adobe’s suite of tools for organizing and understanding the impact of online content, the company seeks to position itself as a leader in digital marketing. As Adobe is known for giving professionals the tools to create beautiful images, I propose that a marketing campaign should be developed that communicates the possibilities of the Marketing Cloud to make big data eye-catching and easily understandable. I emphasize the importance of transparency and engaging potential customers on an individual level by showcasing Adobe’s real-time analytic tools through social platforms and the use of interactive in-person demonstrations.

Banking on Theories: Improving Time Banks through the Study of Communication
Communication Theory Paper – PDF

Time banks, the formalized exchange of an individual’s time in exchange for other goods or services, is a powerful tool in the development of social alternatives to more traditional economies. Using two communication theories, I develop a deeper understanding of the social process of timebanking and how such theories could be applied to improve the practice.

International Development

Innovation in Mexico: Obstacles and Opportunities
Policy Paper – PDF

The government of Mexico has expressed a deep commitment to improving innovation within its borders, and has taken many steps in the hope of fostering such change. However, due to the unique socioeconomic characteristics of the country, many of the strategies are proving inefficient or counterproductive. Based on a background study of Mexico, I offer analysis and recommendations in four critical areas for the government to address: Research and Education, Intellectual Property, Security, and Energy.

Addressing the “Book Famine”: The WIPO and VIP Accessibility
International Governance Paper – PDF

The World Blind Union estimates that visually impaired persons (VIPs) in the developing world have access to less than 1 percent of published reading materials available due in no small part to international issues around duplicating copyrighted content for VIP consumption. The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) has spent over 30 years working to facilitate the harmonization of intellectual property exemptions for VIPs. By exploring the dynamics of the diverse shareholders engaged in negotiations, as well as describing the history of copyright exemptions related to issues of accessibility, I formulate a holistic assessment of this international process and offer insights into how it may progress in the future.

Reflection and Reconciliation: Exploring Identities of Afro-Colombians through Music
Development Project Assessment Paper – PDF

Tasked to find and analyze a proposed development project, I critiqued a Colombian government music program designed for at-risk minorities in the Chocó region, and funded by the Inter-American Development Bank. This case study looks at the issues of violence unique to Colombia and recommends particular pedagogy and communication tools in order to effectively engage with marginalized youth.

Social Science

Knowing Your Neighbor’s God: Religious Affiliation and Interfaith Knowledge
Statistical Study – PDF

Using the 2010 U.S. Religious Knowledge Survey: What Americans Know about Religion, conducted by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life, I formulated a statistical study to investigate how the knowledge of Eastern and Western religions differs between religious groups. My data analysis involved recoding the relevant variables into a series of indices related to knowledge of religion and then comparing the scores of major religions through One-Way ANOVA tests.

Activism or Slack-tivism?: External Political Efficacy and Attitudes Toward E-Petitions
Quantitative Research Prospectus – PDF
Qualitative Research Prospectus – PDF
Mixed-Methods Research Prospectus – PDF

While online activism sites, such as Avaaz, tout e-petitions as a critical tool in creating social change, the ability to accurately measure the impact of such campaigns remains dubious at best. This series of social science papers offers three different research designs for studying e-petitions and how they relate to an individual’s sense of empowerment, offering a way forward for the study of this important issue.