Kelly Burton is a writer and communications professional living in Washington, DC. She currently works as the Associate Director for Advancement Communications at the National Parks Conservation Association. She holds a master's in public relations and corporate communications at Georgetown University and a bachelor’s from Florida State University. She enjoys reading, running, traveling, hiking and being outside. She is currently learning to play tennis and is improving…slowly.
I received my bachelor’s degree in English with a focus in Editing, Writing and Media from Florida State University. The EWM track focused on writing and editing both in print and for the digital age. I learned how to write and edit for an online audience; examined the development of text and written communication over time; studied rhetoric; and looked at publishing online, in books and in magazines.
This class looked at the different writing styles between various magazines and newspapers. It also studied the importance of design, color, and layout, and how those parts of a publication or website influence the overall message.
This course examined the differences in writing for print and online mediums and focused on how to write for the digital age.
Public speaking is a required course for all students at Florida State. The class taught how to write and deliver both persuasive and informative speeches.
I was involved in the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life at FSU for all of my four years of undergrad. I spent two years as a team captain of one of the top fundraising teams at FSU.
I spent one year as a staff writer for Uloop Campus News, writing online articles about important academic and social news at Florida State University.
I received my master’s degree in public relations and corporate communications at Georgetown University. I pursued my degree part time while working full time over two and half years.
Elements of Communications Planning is a required course for MPRCC students. As part of the class, I developed a communications plan for United Airlines. I conducted secondary research, wrote on goals and objectives, created strategies and tactics, and decided how the plan would be measured to determine success.
The public relations writing course focused on how to write the most common types of PR materials, such as press releases, op eds, letters to the editor and speeches. The class examined how to write specifically for your audience, particularly to engage and entice reporters, editors and other members of the media.
The speechwriting course was a master class in both political and corporate speechwriting. We studied the written and rhetorical devices that separate writing speeches from other forms of writing and applied them to our own speeches. We wrote political, crisis and commencement speeches of our own and practiced delivering them to understand their effectiveness.
This course examined what makes people engage with organizations and nonprofits using behavioral economics, neuroscience and social science and psychology and how to implement that knowledge into communications strategies and materials.
This course focused on understanding the basics of digital communications, including social media and web presence. As part of the course, I analyzed the brand, digital presence and target audiences of a hypothetical client in order to build a comprehensive digital communications plan.
In this class, we discussed how to anticipate, manage and recover from a digital crisis. We looked at best practices that can be used across multiple crises and platforms, and examined case studies for major crises. I created a crisis plan for my organization, and participated in a “live” crisis response.
For my capstone, I created a communications plan for a DC-based bag and leather goods brand called Quavaro. I had never worked on B2C communications and wanted to expand my skillset. I had to adapt and adjust my plan when Covid-19, so suggestions became a mix of suggestions to accommodate both Covid-19 restrictions and for post-coronavirus life. The plan can be found on the portfolio page.