Holly Wiemers, MS, APR

Professional Profile

Professional Experience

Communications Director, University of Kentucky Ag Equine Programs (formerly the UK Equine Initiative), 2006-present

UK’s Ag Equine Programs is an overarching framework that encompasses everything equine in UK’s College of Agriculture, Food and Environment. It includes more than 50 faculty and staff with an equine focus across eight different departments.The mission of UK’s Ag Equine Programs is to discover, share and apply new knowledge that will enhance the health, performance and management of horses commensurate with the signature status of Kentucky’s equine industry.

• Oversees the College’s equine marketing communications functions, including planning and implementation of those elements. Includes integration and oversight of equine media relations, public relations, communications planning and the College’s equine communication campaign execution through news releases, newsletters, advertising, social media, website presence, marketing collateral, events, displays, partnerships, fundraising, etc.
• Oversees, edits and writes for two monthly online newsletters, including an equine research newsletter that launched in 2009 and now reaches nearly 30,000 readers each month and has engagement by people in all 50 U.S. states as well as 106 other countries. This publication garnered recognition as the top corporate e-newsletter (2014) and second place (2012) through American Horse Publications.
• Helped establish, brand and build positive awareness about the fledgling Equine Initiative, which began in 2005 as a way to connect the multiple equine functions within the College. Continues to provide branding oversight, including expertise in logo and design elements in accordance with University guidelines for the program, which was renamed and rebranded UK Ag Equine Programs in 2012.
• Serves a key industry relations role in helping to build and enhance relationships with stakeholders and policy makers.
• Fields equine media requests and assigns work.
• Provides communications support to equine educational events and campaigns.
• Helps provide executive leadership, priority- setting, strategic planning and implementation, decision-making and day-to-day operational management of the UK Ag Equine Programs’ office and function. Supervisory authority during tenure for staff and student intern(s), as well as providing oversight of the office’s customer service to its internal and external stakeholders. Report to a part-time director in his/her role and ensure that the office serves its stakeholders.
• Prior to a director being named, provided oversight for a budget of approximately $350,000, comprised of state appropriations, several federal accounts, grant and gift funds. Provided oversight of all expenditures to ensure that the office stays within its budgeted allocations and followed University policies and guidelines.

Public Relations and Communications Manager, Information Technology Services, University of Colorado, Boulder, 2002 - 2005

Information Technology Services is the primary information technology provider for the CU-Boulder campus, providing services for telephony, media, computing and networking. The University of Colorado is a research university ranked in the top 26 among the nation’s highest rated public universities.

• Served as sole public relations and communications resource for IT department of close to 300 people that supports and communicates to an audience of approximately 35,000 people.
• Created and implemented organizational-wide communications strategy, addressing processes and expectations surrounding messages.
• Produced monthly newsletter about campus technology for an audience external to ITS. Planned content, negotiated with contributors, solicited and wrote articles, interviewed subjects, edited, photographed, formatted, distributed the finished product and gauged effectiveness.
• Planned and implemented internal communications to help build sense of community and awareness about ITS initiatives; included development and implementation of award-winning monthly online newsletter.
• Assisted in crisis communications planning and the development of processes for incident response, disaster recovery and business continuity.
• Managed news function of the organization, including story pitches, targeted news releases and weekly update of online RSS news feed.
• Coordinated media inquires and handled public requests for information.
• Co-organized and managed reoccurring campus-wide IT professional support event.
• Managed and planned communications budget.

Public Relations & Editorial Assistant, International Arabian Horse Association (now Arabian Horse Association), 1999-2001

AHA is a 46,000 member equine association that registers and maintains a database of more than one million Arabian, Half-Arabian and Anglo-Arabian horses. It administers more than $4 million in annual prize money, produces national events, maintains official event records, recognizes more than 400 Arabian horse shows and distance rides and provides activities and programs that promote breeding and ownership.

• Developed and pitched targeted news releases, press kits and brochures for national events.
• Coordinated national show publicity, media relations and served as association’s on-site spokesperson.
• Wrote in-depth feature stories and columns for eight-times-per-year, four-color industry magazine with a subscription of approximately 30,000.
• Edited copy and provided input for magazine content.
• Set up photographer contracts, electronic photo archiving processes and copyright usage terms.
• Tracked media placement of press releases and monitored usage statistics for association’s website.
• Maintained member database for promotional program.

Education

• Master of Arts, Journalism (Integrated Marketing Communications), University of Colorado, Boulder
• Bachelor of Arts, Communication Studies, with a minor in Journalism, New Mexico State University
• Bachelor of Science, Biology, New Mexico State University

Areas of Interest