Zack Barnett

Zack Barnett
Springfield, OR 97477

HIGHLIGHTS: Strategic communications professional specializing in speech writing, institutional narratives, multimedia storytelling and social media. Worked in daily journalism since 1995, handled breaking news, as well as individual and group reporting projects, taught English in Ukraine for 27 months with Peace Corps, attained advanced level in Russian language.

PROFESSIONAL:

Director of Web Communications, University of Oregon, Office of Communications, January 2009 to present
Oversee the web presence for the University of Oregon, striving for new and innovative ways to tell the UO’s story. Make strategic and tactical decisions for the Office of Web Communications while also building relationships to improve the UO’s overall technology infrastructure.

Assistant Director of Web Communications, Senior Writer, University of Oregon, Office of Communications, July 2008 to January 2009
Strive to tell the University of Oregon’s story strategically on the web with writing, video and podcasts while engaging communities with social media. Also serve as the senior writer in the UO’s Office of Communications, handling assignments such as op-eds and speeches for top-level administrators.

Publications Editor, University of Oregon, February 2007 to July 2008
Introduced web-based audio and video communications to Office of Public and Media Relations and UO homepage, managed complex media relations web site, helped oversee implementation of content management system, wrote speeches, talking points, op-eds, feature stories, news releases and newsletter articles while also playing a role in strategic messaging.

Graduate student/graduate teaching fellow, University of Oregon, September 2005-February 2007
Helped teach a pair of demanding undergraduate journalism classes while pursuing M.A. in literary nonfiction.

English and American studies teacher, Dovgyncevsky Lyceum, Kryvvi Rih, Ukraine, December 2002-December 2004
As a Peace Corps volunteer, taught English and American studies to sixth- through 11th-graders in Ukraine, wrote, received and managed a grant for desktop publishing. Also worked closely with students after school to introduce them to the Internet at a computer lab sponsored by the U.S. Department of State. Earned Advanced-Intermediate status in the Russian language, honed my ability to adapt to surroundings and learned how to find satisfaction in even the most challenging of circumstances.

Staff writer at The Grand Junction, Colo. Daily Sentinel, January 2000 to July 2002
Covered cops and courts before taking over education beat at western Colorado’s largest newspaper.

EDUCATION:

Master of arts, narrative journalism/literary nonfiction, University of Oregon, 2007
Lauren Kessler’s Literary Nonfiction program provides an intense blend of narrative study and workshop writing courses. Published work in Etude: New Voices in Literary Nonfiction, http://etude.uoregon.edu/.

Bachelor of arts degrees in communication and literature, Pacific University, 1999
Relationships fostered on Pacific’s intimate campus still pay dividends today, years after graduation. Its dedicated faculty, small classes, and commitment to the individual student made it an ideal place for me to grow personally, academically and professionally.