MINNA JUNG
Mountain View, CA | 215-534- 6763 | jungminna@gmail.com
minnajungconsulting.com
Summary
Writer, strategy leader, communicator, communications advisor, people manager, culture-builder, and facilitator seeking to help people be better at what they do. Main interest: helping others do good work. How? By building culture, helping people communicate with each other and engage new audiences, and developing and sharing the stories that define us.
Skills & Abilities
- Designing and implementing communications and organizational development plans for foundations and nonprofits and corporate social responsibility teams;
- Leading strategic communications: brand development and implementation, marketing for growth, communication strategy planning, message development, issue advocacy, national public education campaigns, crisis communications, strategic planning, board/executive communications, government relations;
- Building organizational culture and internal communications: intranets, employee recognition programs, projects on team-building and process improvement, and workshops and trainings for staff;
- Strategic planning: working with outside consultants and designing customized processes;
- Designing and facilitating meetings, ranging from large conferences to workshops and training sessions for employees at all levels
- Able to quickly grasp and de-mystify deeply complex topics and create compelling messages and stories for target audiences
- Clear, compelling, and exceptionally quick writer and editor across multiple genres: blogs, position/strategy papers, executive speechwriting, and digital content
Experience
Writer (Self-employed)
7/15/19 – Present
I’ve been exploring creative writing since leaving my last job, and I’ve been writing content and stories (message platforms, opinion editorials, website and social media content, etc.) for clients working in corporate social responsibility and in the social sector.
Communications and Public Relations Leader, Actelion Pharmaceuticals
South San Francisco, CA
5/22/2019 – 7/5/19
I took a turn from policy and nonprofit communications into corporate communications for a pharmaceutical company recently acquired by Johnson & Johnson/Janssen Pharmaceuticals. I resigned after two months and am happy to elaborate on the reasons why in conversation if asked. While I was there, I learned and did a lot: I provided strategic counsel on the ongoing integration workstreams; supported external public relations initiatives; served as a liaison between corporate communications and culture initiatives at the Janssen/J&J level and Actelion US; launched the internal Yammer channel and podcast series for the president; and helped to coordinate and plan all-employee events.
Consultant, Minna Jung Consulting
6/2018 – 2/2019
I worked with foundation and nonprofit clients on a range of projects: strategic communications planning, developing and updating messages, managing contractors, and writing and editing marketing materials.
Vice President of Communications, Earthjustice
San Francisco, CA (Headquarters)
6/2015 – 12/2017
Earthjustice is the largest and oldest environmental legal organization working in the public interest with a rapidly expanding communications department representing a broad range of communication skills and disciplines: advocacy, visual storytelling, media relations, digital (including interactive design, website and email program), content creation, social media, and internal communications. Handled all executive-level responsibilities such as budget, administration, growth management, strategic planning, and setting policies and guidelines for staff. Built organization’s capabilities in marketing to donors and in internal communications.
Responsibilities and accomplishments:
- Elevated overall brand profile of highly impactful environmental law organization through brand trainings, guidance on brand execution and marketing, and storytelling. Led planning for future growth in brand marketing recommended out of organization’s strategic planning process;
- Led and advised on all confidential, top-tier communications issues as they arose, including reputational threats and crisis responses;
- Developed and led organization-wide efforts to improve culture and practices around diversity, equity, and inclusion, through improved internal communications, staff recognition programs, and participation in ongoing learning and training programs made available to executive staff;
- Designed and led regular workshops for communications and fundraising staff on creative brainstorming, message development, brand training, measuring impact, and more;
- Guided staff in setting and implementing strategic goals, objectives, and measures of success;
- Guided staff on specific initiatives and campaigns, such as the organization’s digital content strategy, editorial calendar, and advocacy campaigns focused on organization’s most high-profile litigation efforts;
- Built organization’s internal communications capabilities through the launch of new technology platforms and the hiring of a staff person dedicated to managing internal communications
- Ensured that organization’s external and internal communication practices were aligned with values of diversity, equity, and inclusion
California Communications Director, Environmental Defense Fund
San Francisco, CA
9/2014 – 5/2015
Environmental Defense Fund is one of the largest environmental nonprofit organizations dedicated to working with public and private partners on a wide range of environmental issues. Led all communications efforts on behalf of two of EDF’s most important areas of work, climate change and clean energy. Focus was on California’s groundbreaking climate policies (with a focus on the cap-and-trade program) and policies and regulations to promote clean and renewable energy sources.
Responsibilities and accomplishments:
- Led two roll-outs for major reports released by EDF, one on the state of California’s climate agenda and another on promoting a demand-driven approach to managing energy use efficiently and in ways that take advantage of renewable energy sources. These roll-outs involved extensively editing the reports’ content, writing executive summaries, drafting core messages and media materials, media pitching, guidance on all social media content, media training for colleagues, and ongoing outreach and pitching on the data in the report.
- Led training sessions for colleagues on message development to advance climate and clean energy work in California;
- Worked in partnership with program experts on thought leadership through blogs, speeches, and roll-outs of reports and white papers;
- Worked with campaign targeting EDF members to promote a consumer-friendly energy pricing approach that relies on clean energy sources
- Strengthened relationships with California-based reporters covering climate, clean energy, and other environmental topics;
- Overhauled content and framing for EDF’s policy and media pages on website.
Communications Director, The David & Lucile Packard Foundation
Los Altos, CA
9/2010 – 6/2014
The Packard Foundation is one of the largest private foundations in the United States with a preference for a low public profile relative to their grantee organizations. Led the Foundation through an organizational evolution focused on building the capacity of staff at all levels (executive, program, administrative) to communicate well and effectively when appropriate about the organization’s values, brand, and the issue areas supported through the foundation’s grants and other resources. Recruited and built a team from the ground up to effectively serve the communications needs of the entire organization.
Responsibilities and accomplishments:
- Led organization-wide effort on branding and organizational identity that resulted in greater clarity about the organization’s values and overarching communication goals and objectives.
- Led effort to provide targeted, strategic communications support to program staff working on climate change, oceans and land conservation, children and families, reproductive health, and supporting local nonprofit organizations and leaders
- Led efforts to experiment in more active and visual methods of storytelling by staff and grantees, and helped support experiments in the innovative sourcing of ideas for new strategies and using social media channels to achieve strategic objectives
- Measurably improved internal and external communications with grantees, colleagues, and other thought partners and audiences
- Developed and led implementation for organization to appropriately recognize and celebrate its 50th anniversary
- Led two major renovations/upgrades of organization’s website
- Served as primary contact for reporters and meetings with government officials
Director of Policy Outreach, The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
Princeton, NJ
1/2010 – 9/2010
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation is the largest healthcare philanthropy in the United States. In this particular role, oversaw all government relations functions and worked closely with the organization’s senior leadership, staff, and grantees to ensure that research and other types of information were disseminated to government officials in timely, coordinated, and effective ways. Ensured compliance with all lobbying guidelines applicable to private foundations.
Responsibilities and accomplishments:
- Provided guidance to staff and grantees on appropriately engaging federal and state officials
- Shared pertinent information with senior management and staff about current events and recent developments in the federal executive and legislative branches of government
- Managed a longstanding training program for foundation grantees to enable them to connect and communicate more effectively with members of Congress on health and health care issues
- Developed and disseminated messages, talking points, and planning documents on the possible impact of federal and state legislation on the foundation’s work (e.g., the Affordable Care Act)
Senior Communications Officer 1/2005 – 12/2009
Communications Officer 1/2003 – 12/2005
Communications Associate 9/2001 – 12/2002
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
Princeton, NJ
For the majority of RWJF tenure, led communications for a number of large grantmaking portfolios, including supporting community-based services for older Americans and increasing the number of Americans with health insurance. RWJF’s model of grantmaking is one of active partnership, with resources provided to grantees that extend well beyond the grants. Led one of the largest portfolios of work involving access to affordable, high-quality care, with particularly active communications outreach taking place during the lead-up to the Affordable Care Act in 2010. Launched and managed: multi-region public education campaigns with media and digital and advocacy components; website builds; message research and testing; communications and media trainings for grantees.
Responsibilities and accomplishments:
- Led all aspects of communications related to the foundation’s goal to improve the quality of health care in America. This role involved strategic counsel and support for the foundation’s grantees in this area; development of digital content to share with target audiences; outreach through digital and traditional media outlets; and efforts to test and develop message platforms for a wide range of health care stakeholders to use.
- Led all aspects of communications related to the foundation’s goal of reducing racial and ethnic inequality in health care. This role involved reaching out to minority-led advocacy groups; planning major conferences to connect health care advocates to racial equality advocates; and facilitating national dialogues about how data collection and increased transparency in health care institutions can improve the quality of care for everyone.
- Managed a large team comprised of internal staff and external consultants and public relations firms, with annual budgets ranging from $5 to 10 million.
- Led special projects for the foundation’s enterprise-level communication functions, like planning all-staff retreats, launching a blog on healthcare reform, developing organizational guidelines on branding and intellectual property questions, and leading a special initiative to connect with media outlets serving people of color.
Other Experience
- Research/policy analyst for criminal justice/sentencing reform nonprofit
- Internships with federal and state judges during law school
- Editorial assistant, children’s book publishing
Education
- Fordham University School of Law, Juris Doctor (retired from New York State Bar)
- Brown University, Bachelor of Arts, with honors
Leadership
- Communications Network Board, 2005-2016 (Served as Board Chair from 2013-2015; oversaw executive director transition and critical phase of membership and revenue growth for organization)
Minna Jung Consulting 