Empower Schools

Building the Agency Model

I built and led a communications agency model within Empower Schools, turning shared expertise in strategy, design, and production into a defined service for teams and external partners.

Service and business results

54%

More completed projects

Increase in completed projects over a comparable period.

4.95/5

Average service rating

High service satisfaction alongside increased delivery.

10%

Higher revenue per contract

Average increase in revenue per contract through added communications services.

My role: Led service design, communications consulting, creative direction, and team delivery.
Scope: Communications strategy, design, and production across Empower Schools’ teams and external partner engagements.
Context: Shared services within a federated national organization, with communications embedded in partner contracts.

The challenge

Meet local needs through a shared service

Empower Schools operates through a federated model: state and program teams work with partners in different local contexts. Communications needed to support those distinct priorities while maintaining consistent quality across the organization.

I built an agency model that gave teams a common way to request, scope, and deliver work. It connected centralized communications expertise with local knowledge and made communications a defined service within Empower’s consulting offer.

The service model

Build the system behind the work

Define the need and scope

I created a common intake and scoping process to clarify the audience, objectives, deliverables, decision maker, and timeline before work began.

View the intake form

Set standards and lead creative direction

I established playbooks, templates, and review practices for messaging, design, and brand application. Shared standards guided the work while leaving room for each partner’s identity and audience.

Coordinate resources and delivery

I built workflows that clarified ownership, coordinated internal and external design support, and moved projects through intake, production, review, and delivery. Timelines reflected capacity, urgency, and the feedback needed to complete the work.

View the playbook excerpt

Make communications part of the offer

I embedded communications support into partner contracts, connecting defined deliverables with partner needs and contract revenue. The model made communications easier to plan, resource, and deliver as part of an engagement.

Selected partner work

Featured Brands

I led brand strategy and creative delivery for new identities, Empower sub-brands, and established partners. Open each project to explore the brand system and its applications.

RAZ-32

RAZ-32 (Rural Alliance Zone 32) brings together six public high schools in Indiana to expand career and technical education opportunities.

My role: Principal Consultant & Creative Director. I led the brand-development process from concept through launch.

View RAZ-32 brand system and applications

Color palette

#025492

#DAA520

#122620

#F4EBD0

Typography

Proxima Nova & Calibri

View brand kit

Website

The brand in use on a public website connecting students, families, schools, and employers with the partnership’s career pathways.

Visit raz32.com

County Commissioner Brief

The identity applied to a November 2025 brief presenting the partnership’s programs, student outcomes, and request for county support.

View commissioner brief

NY4ECP

New York Alliance for Early College Pathways (NY4ECP) is a coalition focused on early college pathways in New York State.

My role: I created NY4ECP’s brand identity as a sub-brand of Empower Schools, giving the coalition its own distinct identity within the broader Empower brand system. I also trained stakeholders to use the brand consistently across materials.

View NY4ECP brand system and applications

Selected brand colors

#042065

#3F959F

#3D4C77

#AAB8D5

Typography

Gotham & Lato

View brand kit & assets

Data Snapshot Report

The brand in use in a published report on early college pathways in New York State.

Read the report

Brand Template

Reusable layouts with content placeholders give stakeholders a consistent starting point for branded materials.

View brand template

RSIZ

The Rural Schools Innovation Zone (RSIZ) supports college and career pathways for rural students in South Texas.

My role: I built on an external agency’s initial creative work to complete and launch the RSIZ rebrand through the annual report and supporting applications. I continued to develop and extend the brand system as needs evolved, including designing three of its six submarks.

View RSIZ brand system and applications

An evolving brand system

A shared visual system connects the primary RSIZ identity with academy submarks and communications materials.

Academy submarks

Ignite Technical Institute

Grow Your Own Academy

Next Generation Medical Academy

PTECH

STEM Discovery Zone

Tradewinds Academy

Annual Report & Brand Launch

The 2022–2023 annual report introduced the refreshed identity, with the rebrand feature on PDF pages 30–31.

View annual report

Website

The brand in use across the public website, including the six academy pages.

Visit thersiz.org

Other agency work

Communications Consulting, Design & Production

I provided communications strategy consulting, creative direction, design, and production for organizational teams and external partners. These projects show how I translated complex policy, program results, and stakeholder needs into clear communications people could use.

Texas Education Agency

SB 1882 Prekindergarten Partnerships Guide

The brief

District leaders needed a practical way to understand and assess SB 1882 prekindergarten partnerships, from partnership models and funding to design, launch, and implementation.

My contribution

I led creative direction, design, and copy editing for the guide, using clear hierarchy, takeaways, FAQs, and linked resources to help readers navigate complex policy and operational information.

My role

Creative Director, Lead Designer & Copy Editor

View guide (PDF)

Louisiana Department of Education

Reimagine School Systems: 2024–2025 Results

The brief

Louisiana needed to communicate what Reimagine School Systems had achieved across more than 30 school systems, bringing varied local initiatives into a clear statewide story.

My contribution

I authored the publication and led its creative direction and design, connecting outcome data with district examples to show progress in student access, innovative school models, and educator pathways.

My role

Author, Creative Director & Lead Designer

View results report

Cover of the Rural Colorado SGO Companion Brief

Empower Schools · Colorado

Colorado SGO: Strategy & Risk Management

The brief

A high-stakes policy communications effort: explain a politically sensitive issue to rural education leaders while protecting Empower’s credibility and partner relationships.

My contribution

I assessed and managed reputational risk, aligned coalition messaging, established review practices, and sequenced public engagement. I shaped a recorded briefing and companion resources to keep information consistent and support informed stakeholder engagement.

My role

Communications Strategy, Risk Management & Stakeholder Engagement

Explore the briefing & resources

Strategic impact

A service model with business value

I turned communications expertise into a repeatable service that combined strategic advice, creative direction, and production. Shared processes supported consistent delivery across a federated organization, while integrating communications into partner contracts increased average revenue per contract.

Back to selected work