Director of Community Affairs
June 2021 - Present
Looking for new challenges and a reason to stop setting my alarm clock for 2:30 AM, I made the leap to become a senior manager at WOOD TV, running our Community Affairs department. I still enjoy the community storytelling on air while tackling additional responsibilities of managing the respected community brand and image of WOOD TV.
From the strategic planning for the entire station, to where our team will volunteer each year, this position has presented tremendous areas for growth. Here I am still in front of the camera for the day-to-day stories of the community but I am also looking at the bigger picture and days ahead; aligning our community messaging with local organizations that share a passion and commitment for the community. I created our Football Frenzy Food Drive which mobilized young people to be a part of the hunger solution in their communities and I help give the mega phone to local nonprofits, elevating their critical missions and messaging so the greater community is aware of the resources and work happening around them — because together, we win.
Morning News Anchor
June 2015 - 2021
In June of 2015, I started behind the desk on the #1 Morning Show in West Michigan. Humbled by the experience to hold the seat at such a prestigious desk, I wasted no time making my mark on the position. I pulled overnight shifts when a story called for it, worked split shifts or stayed well into the evening hours to piece together important content for other shows throughout the day, all while continuing to deliver each morning what the community expected; breaking and developing news, overnight developments, any update they needed to get out of the door in the morning.
Mornings became such a crucial part of my life. It was the only part of the day that viewers had been unplugged and tuned out. I used my energy to spark changes to the show and the process for how it was put together. That energy was evident to those around me and those at home - the community reception to me in the mornings was overwhelming.
I used the increased role to increase my community involvement; I routinely emcee events with 1,000 people in the crowd at charity events or galas. But my favorite part is being in the classroom and inspiring young minds.
For the last four years, I've spent nearly 13 hours a week on live tv; it is much more than being alert to current events, it's being tuned in to what's around you, what people are expecting from you and your station, what they depend on. From tornado alerts and coverage to historic flooding and cleanup weather has played a massive role in my time on air. I created a morning show that traveled into the community each Friday for nine weeks; we took the entire show and gathered entire communities.
Tragedy has found it's place in the community as well. A mass-murdering Uber driver changed the community forever; a drugged-up driver who killed six cyclists in a bike gang led to laws being rewritten; A disappearance that has baffled a community may have been solved by a brave 16-year old that escaped her kidnapper; the constant for our viewer through all of it, my place at the desk, with the history of experience and the character of integrity that I help carry with it.
Sports Anchor & Reporter
August 2012 - June 2015
WOOD TV8 has always been the station I admired growing up. It has always been the leader for West Michigan. In August of 2012, I took the role of Weekend Sports Anchor, a job that hadn't opened in over 16 years. Within the first year, I encountered more than some would experience in an entire career. I covered the Detroit Tigers in the World Series, another football coach in Detroit, I traveled to the Sweet Sixteen in Dallas where I MMJed unparalleled live coverage of Michigan's run to a National Championship. The following year I was covering the Rose Bowl Parade in Pasadena as Michigan State held off Stanford in the Rose Bowl. I ruined suits from the champagne celebrations in the locker rooms and watched the tears of defeat fall over and over again. I also produced, edited and anchored our half-hour sports show, Sports Overtime; with special features, Casey's Cut and the Great 8.
News Reporter & Fill-in Sports Anchor - WSJV
August 2012-August 2013
My first job in television was for the Fox affiliate in South Bend (it doesn't exist anymore). I put my foot in the door of the business by reporting 3 times a week and filling in the sports department. It was the best of both worlds, the traditions of Notre Dame sports and the power of giving a voice to the community. I covered a historic mayoral race for the city and helped save a neighborhood from an eminent domain that the city was taking shortcuts on.
