Kayla Papakie
Skilled communicator | Analytical thinker | Project manager
Carnegie Mellon University | School of Computer Science
Senior Communications Manager, May 2022 - Present
- Revamped internal communications to streamline and better target messaging; implemented marketing automation software
- Project managed web page updates, mass email communications, and the creation of print and digital material
- Contributed to the editorial team by identifying and writing stories for the school's website and magazine
- Identified ways to improve project workflows; implemented new project tracking and timeline tools
University of Pittsburgh | Division of Philanthropic & Alumni Engagement
Senior Communications Manager, Jan. 2022 - May 2022
Communications Manager, Aug. 2020 - Jan. 2022
- Hired and supervised student intern
- Served as a project manager for more than 50 internal clients; led regular check-ins and annual goal-setting meetings
- Worked with in-house and external creative teams; ensured deliverables met client expectations and brand standards
- Reported email and web analytics; shared insights for future initiatives
- Produced monthly project reports to ensure our team’s efforts aligned with vice chancellor’s priorities
Communications Specialist, May 2018 - Aug. 2020
- Provided editorial direction for print and digital material, including case statements, proposals, newsletters, brochures, video scripts, and one-pagers
- Implemented multichannel communications to promote events that ranged from 25 to 900 attendees
Development Writer, March 2016 - May 2018
- Crafted direct mail solicitations for the six health sciences schools and a dozen UPMC clinical lines of service
- Composed student, alumni, and grateful patient stories to highlight program successes and to foster a culture of giving
- Produced stewardship material, including research updates and endowment reports, to inform donors of their impact
The Indiana Gazette
Staff Writer, June 2014 - March 2016
- Wrote news and feature articles for daily publication
- Designed pages of the daily newspaper and ensured printing deadline was met each morning
- Assisted digital media coordinator in scheduling social media posts and updating website content
- Surveyed faculty, staff, and students to learn their opinions on internal communications in CMU's School of Computer Science (SCS); achieved sample size goal to have a 99% confidence level with a confidence interval of 7
- Launched SCS's first-ever Google Analytics campaign to glean insights on online magazine readership
- Implemented a new internal e-newsletter for SCS that achieved an average 68% open rate in its first semester
- Strategized a stewardship email campaign for the Pitt/UPMC medical residency programs that brought in a five-figure gift from a first-time donor
- Led a market research survey of former residents and fellows to better understand their brand affinity for both Pitt and UPMC, used results to develop new style guidelines and email strategies
- Wrote a story for Pittwire that was picked up by CNN, Good Morning America, and other national news outlets
- Created the first-ever email solicitations as part of the annual fund campaigns for Pitt's six Schools of the Health Sciences
Master of Science, Integrated Marketing Communications
West Virginia University | May 2024 (one course remaining!)
Specialization: Higher Education Marketing
Bachelor of Arts, Journalism and Public Relations
Indiana University of Pennsylvania | May 2015
Minor: English
- Adobe InDesign
- Adobe Photoshop
- Anthology Encompass
- Canva
- Cascade
- Drupal
- Ellucian CRM Advance
- Google Workspace
- Mailchimp
- Microsoft 365
- Monday.com
- Sprout Social
- Squarespace
- Trello
- Venngage
American Marketing Association (AMA)
Conferences:
- Symposium for the Marketing of Higher Education | Chicago, IL, November 2023
Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE)
Member 2016-2022
Conferences:
- Multimedia Workshop | New Orleans, LA, June 2018
- Persuasive Development Writing | Philadelphia, PA, November 2016