Detroit PBS Dispatch - Stories of Strength

Developed the Detroit PBS Dispatch, an eight-page executive communications publication that translated Detroit PBS's strategic priorities into compelling storytelling for more than 1,500 of Michigan's business, government, philanthropic, and civic leaders attending the Mackinac Policy Conference. Originally created as a conference leave-behind, the publication continues to support fundraising, donor cultivation, underwriting, and stakeholder engagement as an executive communications resource.

Read the Detroit PBS Dispatch

The Mackinac Policy Conference is Michigan's premier leadership gathering, bringing together more than 1,500 business executives, elected officials, foundation leaders, educators, and community stakeholders to discuss the state's future.

Recognizing an opportunity to elevate Detroit PBS's presence beyond traditional conference materials, I led the creation of the Detroit PBS Dispatch—an eight-page newspaper-style publication designed to communicate the organization's mission, strategic priorities, and measurable community impact through editorial storytelling rather than promotional messaging.

Built around the Embrace our Potential. Meet the Challenge. Imagine the Possibilities. (EMI) communications framework, the publication unified Detroit PBS's work across journalism, education, arts and culture, caregiving, environmental reporting, and community engagement into a single, strategic narrative.

The Opportunity

Detroit PBS needed a communications vehicle that would:

• Differentiate the organization from traditional conference brochures and marketing collateral.

• Demonstrate organizational impact through compelling storytelling supported by measurable outcomes.

• Reinforce Detroit PBS's long-term strategic priorities.

• Strengthen relationships with policymakers, major donors, corporate underwriters, foundation leaders, business executives, and community partners.

• Create a communications asset that could continue supporting executive outreach, fundraising, and stakeholder engagement beyond the conference.

Executive Leadership

I led the strategy, editorial direction, and development of the publication by:

• Creating the overall communications strategy and editorial vision.

• Developing the EMI (Embrace our Potential. Meet the Challenge. Imagine the Possibilities.) messaging framework that guided every story.

• Identifying organizational priorities and translating them into compelling, audience-focused narratives.

• Collaborating with executive leadership and department leaders to shape messaging and editorial direction.

• Directing editorial planning, writing, design, production, approvals, and distribution.

• Ensuring every article reinforced Detroit PBS's mission, strategic priorities, and long-term vision.

• Producing a publication that could serve multiple organizational objectives, including executive communications, fundraising, stakeholder engagement, and institutional storytelling.

  
  

Rather than highlighting individual departments or programs, the publication positioned Detroit PBS as an essential public service organization delivering measurable impact through trusted journalism, lifelong education, arts and culture, environmental reporting, and community engagement.

Featured Stories

The Detroit PBS Dispatch showcased the organization's impact through a unified editorial approach, including:

• Completion of the $7.5 million Fred and Barbara Erb Family Foundation Challenge Grant one year ahead of schedule for the new Fred and Barbara Erb Public Media Campus.

• A cradle-to-career education strategy powered by Detroit PBS KIDS and the Michigan Learning Channel.

• Trusted journalism through One Detroit and American Black Journal.

• A multiplatform caregiving initiative connecting families with trusted information and community resources.

• Regional arts and culture storytelling through Detroit PBS, 90.9 WRCJ, and PBS Books.

• Environmental reporting and public engagement through Great Lakes Now.

Results

The Detroit PBS Dispatch became a flagship executive communications publication that:

• Was distributed to more than 1,500 influential leaders attending the Mackinac Policy Conference.

• Introduced the organization's EMI communications framework, establishing a consistent messaging approach across executive communications and stakeholder engagement.

• Unified Detroit PBS's diverse initiatives into a single strategic narrative, making the organization's impact more accessible to external stakeholders.

• Demonstrated measurable organizational impact through data-driven storytelling and community outcomes.

• Continues to serve as a strategic communications resource for Detroit PBS's development team, supporting meetings with major donors, corporate underwriters, foundation leaders, elected officials, and community partners.

• Created a reusable executive communications asset that continues to support fundraising, partnership development, executive outreach, and organizational storytelling well beyond the conference.