Calvin Jordan, Public Policy Student
| Emeryville, CA
OVERVIEW: Master of public policy candidate at the University of California, Berkeley Goldman School of Public Policy. Intensely passionate about housing, public transportation and criminal legal system reform. More than eight years of professional experience as a communications tactician with deep expertise in strategic planning, writing and editing, media relations, stakeholder engagement, internal communications and project management.
CORE COMPETENCIES: Communications Strategy and Planning; Media & Stakeholder Relations; Writing & Editing; Project & Event Management; Graphic & Editorial Production; Research & Technical Communication; Internal Communications; Data Analysis; Leadership & Personnel Management
SELECTED EXPERIENCE
Acting Communications Director, Fair and Just Prosecution (March 2024 – May 2024) Communications Manager, Fair and Just Prosecution (July 2022 – March 2024) • Worked with the executive director and senior team leadership to develop and execute strategic communications plans advocating for criminal justice reform, combatting misinformation about the criminal legal system and raising the profile of reform-minded leaders nationwide. • Conducted communications activities including media relations, messaging development and content creation to highlight organizational projects, successes from prosecutors in the network and new reform efforts.
• Wrote and disseminated communications materials including press releases, op-eds, media statements and other informational resources.
• Managed and disseminated digital media content for social media accounts, newsletter publications and website.
• Designed and produced visual communications products including social media graphics, event promotional materials and informative one-pagers.
• Analyzed public data, media reports, and research publications to provide reports to executive leadership.
• Supported reform-minded prosecutors’ offices by directly providing communications guidance, sharing media resources and facilitating open exchange of new research. • Tasked with maintaining a high level of knowledge about the U.S. criminal legal system, its inequities and innovations in the field.
• Selected ghostwritten publications:
o Reckoning with the Past Is the Only Way to Achieve a Just Society (American Bar Association Journal, May 2024)
o A family asked police to help man struggling with mental illness. Instead, they shot him. (USA Today, Dec. 2022)
o California’s ‘three strikes’ law still carries a devastating human and financial cost. End it now (Los Angeles Times, Aug. 2022)
Communications Manager, Pew Research Center (March 2019 – July 2022) • Lead communications officer and primary point of contact for all incoming communications for two research portfolios – one focused on U.S. politics and policy, requiring extensive understanding of public opinion of domestic political issues and challenges, the other on survey research methodology, requiring extensive understanding of challenges in high-quality survey research methods. Issue areas covered included trust in institutions & elected officials, political geography & demographic polarization, public attitudes toward varying policy domains, limitations of electoral polling, difficulties in rigorous survey sampling and communicating uncertainty in data.
o Regularly produced and disseminated media outreach materials including press releases, media alerts, embargo offers and newsletters, as well as occasional production of op-ed pitches
o Led production of talking points and proactive statements for incoming requests o Reviewed and updated website content as needed, working with web development staff o Assisted in development of stakeholder outreach tactics including direct communications and physical/virtual events
o Led outreach to specialty media contacts associated with survey research o Managed the organization’s stakeholder relationship with the American Association for Public Opinion Research (AAPOR), including coordination of sponsorship opportunities and communications about the organization’s presence during the annual conference • Supporting communications officer for internal communications and corporate reporting.
Responsible for monitoring, analyzing and aiding in development of success metrics (including media coverage, social media engagement and stakeholder engagement). Also responsible for writing content tailored to assigned primary organizational units and editing content produced by communications personnel associated with other organizational units. • Built and maintained internal institutional influence via strong working relationships with noncommunications staff including digital, design, legal affairs, operational and leadership officers.
Workplace Advisory Council Chair, Pew Research Center (June 2021 – July 2022) • Elected leader of organizational cross-functional employee advisory group advocating for employee interests, updating corporate policies & practices and coordinating programming for staff.
• Directly report on council activities and recommendations to organizational leadership including the president, HR director, finance director and chair of DEI council. • Advise council subcommittees on best practices, ideas and policy proposals related to social events, wellness programming, professional development opportunities and institutional recognition programs.
• Produce and disseminate internal communications related to the council’s work, including promotional language for social events and advisories related to employee resources. • Leader of institutional workgroup related to post-pandemic return to office, including the coordination of events, promotional materials and catering orders. • Independently designed, programmed, distributed, analyzed (using R) and reported on the Center’s first employee satisfaction survey in April 2020.
Account Executive, Tilson PR (May 2016 – Jan. 2019)
• Served as lead client relations and strategic planning officer for up to a dozen accounts centered on the food service, hospitality and nonprofit industries, with particular focus on statewide Florida and local South Florida communities. Responsible for maintaining a deep understanding of individual client goals, consumer preferences and restaurant management practices. o Primary point of contact for all incoming media requests related to assigned client portfolio. Regularly produced and disseminated communications and media outreach materials including press releases, media alerts, fact sheets and talking points. o Placed special emphasis on broadcast media relationships, including local and regional TV affiliates and FM radio broadcasters, requiring knowledge of specific human interest and entertainment programming spanning more than 100 media markets nationwide. • Managed specialty social media influencer outreach efforts for five client accounts, including pitching partnerships, planning media events and gathering metrics to report to clients primarily in the hospitality and food service industries.
• Managed training and oversight for interns and entry-level staff, including education on media outreach tactics, writing (including social media) and principles of visual communication.
Contributing Writer, Palm Beach Post (Nov. 2015 – Dec. 2016) • Researched, sourced, pitched and reported on business, politics and other local news in southern Palm Beach County.
• Edited articles (in accordance with AP style) submitted by fellow student contributors before final submission to managing editors.
• Built relationships with Palm Beach County community figures, government officials and business leaders.
OTHER EXPERIENCE
• Graduate Assistant, Lynn University | Boca Raton, FL (Jan.-May 2017) • PR Intern, Luxury PR | Palm Beach, FL (Oct.-Dec. 2015) • Marketing Intern, Hollander Sleep Products | Boca Raton, FL (June-Oct. 2015) • Shift Leader, Coldstone Creamery | Miramar, FL (July 2014 – Jan. 2019)
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
Member, Tulsa Remote (April 2023 – June 2024)
• Selected to receive a $10,000 grant from the George Kaiser Family Foundation to relocate to Tulsa, OK for one year to support social and economic development in the region.
Member, United Tenants of Tulsa (May 2023 – June 2024)
• One of the founding members of Tulsa’s first-ever association focused on organizing renters around state and local policy issues related to housing.
EDUCATION
University of California, Berkeley Goldman School of Public Policy Master of Public Policy (M.P.P.) [Anticipated Graduation May 2026] • Honors, awards and memberships:
o Goldman Departmental Fellowship – Selected by the 2023-2024 admissions committee to receive a full-tuition financial fellowship to support my time at the Goldman School in recognition of academic promise.
Lynn University, Boca Raton, FL
Master of Science (M.S.), Communication & Media [Graduated Dec. 2017] • Selected coursework: Communication & Media Technologies; Visual Communication Practice; Media, Publics and Social Change; Media Law & Regulation Lynn University, Boca Raton, FL
Bachelor of Arts (B.A.), Public Relations & Advertising [Graduated Dec. 2016] • Honors, awards and memberships:
o 2017 Commencement Speaker – Selected by a committee including the President of the University and Vice President for Student Affairs to deliver the student commencement address for the Class of 2017 at graduation.
o 2017 Freshman Convocation Speaker – Selected by a committee including the Vice President for Student Affairs to deliver the student address welcoming the Class of 2020 at their incoming convocation.
o Karl A. and Madira Bickel Journalistic Scholarship – Selected by a committee including the Dean of the College of International Communication to receive an academic scholarship in recognition of journalistic excellence and work as the editor of the student newspaper.
o Snyder Endowed Scholarship – Selected by a committee including university trustee Steven Snyder and the Vice President of Student Affairs to receive an academic scholarship and designation as the 2016-2017 Snyder Scholar, recognized as a rising senior who has made significant contributions to the university through leadership and community engagement.
o James J. Oussani Award – Selected by a committee including the University Board of Trustees and the Vice President of Student Affairs to receive a financial award and recognition at the 2017 undergraduate commencement ceremony as being the most innovative out of the class in completing a baccalaureate degree program. o Lambda Pi Eta – Earned membership in the national communications honor society. • Extracurricular Activities:
o Lynn iPulse (student newspaper) – Served as editor-in-chief Feb. 2016-Jan. 2017 and as managing editor Aug. 2015-Feb. 2016. Devoted approximately 10-15 hours per week. o Pulse Agency (student PR agency) – Served as founding director Sept. 2015-Dec. 2016.
Devoted approximately 10 hours per week.
o Student government – Served as parliamentarian officer from Aug. 2015-May 2017.
Devoted approximately 5-10 hours per week.
o Lynn Drama – Served as lead performer and student instructor from Aug. 2014-May 2017.
LANGUAGES
• STANDARD – English (native speaker); German (intermediate proficiency); Spanish (elementary proficiency)
• CODING & ANALYSIS – HTML; R