2020 Board of Director’s Candidates

2020 Board of Director’s Candidates

 

Candidate for President

Jay Warren, CPC
Director of Communication and Legislative Affairs
City of Arlington, TX

Biography

Jay Warren is communications professional with 24 years of experience in broadcasting, marketing, strategic communications, and public relations.

Currently, Jay is the director of communication and legislative affairs for the City of Arlington where he manages a 50-person department, $4 million budget, and the office of communication. In addition to the office of communication, the department also includes the city secretary’s office, the action center (Arlington’s telephone information service), federal and state intergovernmental affairs, document services, and the support staffs for the city manager’s office and the office of mayor and council.

Under Jay’s direction, the office of communication coordinates Arlington’s municipal branding, video production, cable channel, media relations, marketing, advertising, website design and content, graphic design, internal communication, and social media. During his seven years with the City of Arlington, the office of communication has won more than 100 state and national awards, recognizing the department’s storytelling skills, branding, creativity, and strategic planning. In 2019, Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Results for America awarded Arlington’s office of communication with its inaugural Sharman Stein Award for Storytelling Changemakers.

Prior to joining the City of Arlington, Jay lived in Virginia where he was the main anchor and senior political reporter at the NBC affiliate for 15 years. While there, he built the station’s political team from the ground up, making it one of the premier political reporting units in the commonwealth. Jay produced and moderated three statewide gubernatorial and congressional debates in Virginia, including the final debate in the 2012 United States  Senate campaign between former Senator George Allen and former Governor Tim Kaine. And, Jay was one of the first local reporters to reach the Pentagon after the 9-11 attack, reporting live from the scene for five straight days. He also anchored the station’s day-long coverage of the 2007 Virginia Tech shooting massacre.

During his time in journalism, Jay has been recognized statewide and nationally with numerous awards including the Walter Cronkite Award for Individual Achievement, the Virginia AP Reporter of the Year, and a national Peabody Award and regional Edward R. Murrow Award for his contributions to the station’s coverage of Virginia Tech massacre.

Jay is also an educator, having taught broadcast writing and broadcast performance for more than 15 years at the University of Texas at Arlington, Virginia Tech, and Hollins University. Currently he teaches strategic communication at Texas Christian University (TCU).

A Texas native, Jay is a graduate of TCU and Texas Tech University. He has also earned the Certified Public Communicator designation from TCU in 2015 and is one of only three people in the nation to have earned the Certified Public Communicator Master Designation in 2019.  Jay served as board chair for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southwest Virginia for four years. Currently, he is a member of the Arlington Museum of Art Board of Directors and Vice President of the Texas Association of Municipal Information Officers (TAMIO). He is also a graduate of Leadership Arlington and the Arlington Executive Education Program.

Nomination Question and Answers

  1. Explain why you want to serve on the TAMIO board and the leadership role you will assume if elected to this position.  Please accept this email as formal notification of my decision to run for TAMIO board president.
  2. Include any experience in serving on the TAMIO board or in a similar position.  Over the past four years, I have served on the executive board of TAMIO both as treasurer and most recently as vice president. I have also served as board chair for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Virginia and I currently serve on the Board of Directors for the Arlington Museum of Art.
  3. List any experience regarding attendance at TAMIO conferences, planning of TAMIO conferences, and serving as a speaker or in any other capacity. I relocated back to Texas in May 2013, as the marketing communications manager for the City of Arlington. I immediately joined TAMIO and attended my first conference in College Station in June of that year. I spent the first 20 years of my career as a TV news anchor and reporter and came into my new position with no municipal communication experience. That first TAMIO conference was so incredibly impactful to me. I was drinking through a firehose and it was fantastic! The knowledge I gained during that two-day conference made me a much more confident manager when I returned to Arlington, and the networking provided me with a list of contacts to call or email when I had a question (and I had a lot). I haven’t missed a TAMIO conference during my tenure in Arlington.
    Through the years, I have assisted in the development of TAMIO’s annual conference. I was a “local member” for the 2015 Arlington Conference Planning Committee and was tasked with organizing the opening general session. I also helped coordinate the tour of AT&T Stadium for conference attendees. For the past four years, I have served on the TAMIO Board which included multiple meetings to plan the annual conference and taking a leadership role in the development of general and breakout sessions. For the past six years, I have moderated a panel at every conference, usually multiple sessions. I have also played a behind the scenes role in 2019-2020 with Lauren Grossman and TML as we worked on the agreement with the Loews Hotel for our annual board meeting/conference planning session.
  1. Provide any experience in regard to the TAMIO awards program, including participation in the program, serving as a judge, or similar experiences.  I have served as a TAMI Awards judging captain for at least five years and would often pick up additional categories when other judges were unable fulfill their responsibilities. I was part of the TAMIO Board that made the decision to pursue online registration and judging and to partner with other state organizations for judging. I served also on the original awards committee that helped outline new awards categories, create/update category descriptions, and further hone the judging criteria for the TAMI Awards.
  2. List any other experiences that would be helpful with your role as a TAMIO board member.  TAMIO enters 2020 in a precarious position. The coronavirus pandemic and resulting economic downturn have forced the cancellation of the annual conference and it threatens to severely impact the 2021 conference in Round Rock due to travel restrictions and budget constraints in many Texas cities.

Candidate for Vice President

Dorothy White, CPC
Public & Media Relations Director
City of Garland, Texas

Biography

Dorothy has handled media and public relations duties for the City of Garland since 2002.  She has managed a wide variety of media relations projects including the launch of Garland’s red light camera program, various annual festivals, the kickoff of the Garland Youth Council’s “Teens in the Driver Seat” project, as well as many topical news events.  She oversees the City’s government access channel, website, social media and bi-monthly citizen’s newsletter.  She and the public and media relations department have been recognized the Texas Association of Municipal Information Officers (TAMIO), the Texas Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors (TATOA), the National Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors (NATOA), and the City-County Communications and Marketing Association (3CMA) for excellence in communications.

Prior to her service to the City of Garland, Dorothy spent almost 20 years in the television news industry as a reporter, anchor, producer, news manager, and news director at various television stations in Texas and Alabama.  Her favorite news assignment was covering astronaut John Glenn’s return to space in 1998.

Dorothy has a Certified Public Communicator designation from Texas Christian University and a master’s degree in public administration from the University of Texas at Dallas, and holds a Graduate Certificate in Local Government Management.  She received her bachelor’s degree in journalism at Texas Tech University.  She has completed FEMA’s Advanced PIO Course at Emergency Management Institute.

On a personal level, Dorothy has a daughter, Ashley, who is a singer/songwriter in Nashville.  The two enjoy singing together and in various choirs and ensembles.  Dorothy is also an avid camper and enjoys hiking with a camera in hand.

Nomination Question and Answers

  1. Explain why you want to serve on the TAMIO board and the leadership role you will assume if elected to this position. I have been involved with TAMIO since 2002. At that time, I was transitioning into a new career after 20 years in news. The resources and networking I found through TAMIO were vital to making that a successful transition. This organization has provided me guidance, growth and professional development, and opportunities to mentor and support others. Ours is a fast-changing profession filled with energetic, innovative people who are making a difference. It would be my honor to continue on the Board and support these talented professionals and their continued growth.
  2. Include any experience in serving on the TAMIO board or in a similar position.  I have served TAMIO as a Region 2 Representative and as Secretary. In those roles, I’ve helped coordinate regional sessions and the annual statewide conference. As Secretary, one of my key responsibilities is to manage our annual TAMI Awards program. During my two terms in this role, the TAMIO Board moved to a digital awards submission and judging platform and established judging partnerships with organizations in other states. It’s been exciting and satisfying to be part of these important achievements. The move to a digital platform has simplified the submission and judging process, while the judging partnerships have added an enhanced level of integrity.
  3. List any experience regarding attendance at TAMIO conferences, planning of TAMIO conferences, and serving as a speaker or in any other capacity. As a TAMIO Board member, I have assisted in planning and coordinating multiple conferences, breakout sessions and speaker opportunities. I’ve served as a panelist or moderated panels for several sessions. As a TAMIO member, I have attended most conferences since 2002.
  4. Provide any experience in regard to the TAMIO awards program, including participation in the program, serving as a judge, or similar experiences. Prior to serving as secretary, I have been a judge or facilitated judging panels for the TAMI Awards for many years. Judging these awards has always been a highlight of my year because of the great work our members produce! These entries have served to inspire me to do greater things with my own city. Additionally, with the advent of our partnerships with North Carolina, California, and Minnesota, I have been even more impressed with the quality of work from my peers here in Texas! It is great to see that our work product measures up that of anywhere else in the nation.
  5. List any other experiences that would be helpful with your role as a TAMIO board member.  In addition to the TAMIO Board, I have served with the Garland Chamber of Commerce Leadership Garland program for many years, as a class advisor, steering committee chair, and on various subcommittees. I find great satisfaction in helping other find their pathways to success and growth through these programs. I currently serve on the Garland Sports Hall of Fame Board of Governors, coordinating both their annual banquet and assisting with their annual golf tournament.

Candidate for Secretary

Molly Fox, CPC
Director of Communications
Town of Flower Mound, Texas

Biography

Molly Fox is currently the TAMIO Treasurer and previously served as Region 2 Director from 2017 to 2019. With almost 10 years of municipal communications experience, Fox is the director of communications for the Town of Flower Mound, a suburb of the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. Prior to working for the Town of Flower Mound, she worked in the communications department of a large school district and is a former newspaper reporter and assistant managing editor. Fox earned a bachelor’s degree from Texas A&M University in 2002, a master’s of journalism degree from the University of North Texas in 2004, and received the Certified Public Communicators program certification in 2016. Under Fox’s leadership, the Town of Flower Mound communications department has won more than 100 awards from TAMIO, TATOA, NATOA, and 3CMA.

Nomination Question and Answers

  1. Explain why you want to serve on the TAMIO board and the leadership role you will assume if elected to this position. I cannot imagine my role as a PIO without the backbone of TAMIO. While we all have the ability to be individually creative and strategic, having the combined expertise and knowledge of hundreds of PIOs from around the state is an incredibly powerful tool at our fingertips.
  2. Include any experience in serving on the TAMIO board or in a similar position.  I have served as treasurer since June 2019 and, prior to that, as TAMIO Region 2 Director from January 2017 to June 2019. While I’ve been treasurer, I’ve been an administrator on the TAMIO Facebook group and worked with Lauren to fulfill the financial side of the role. When I was the Region 2 Director, I coordinated monthly lunch meetups, which brought Region 2 members together for fellowship, networking, and collaboration. I also served as a resource of TAMIO-related information for Region 2 members and provided them the contacts and/or answers they had.
  3. List any experience regarding attendance at TAMIO conferences, planning of TAMIO conferences, and serving as a speaker or in any other capacity. I have assisted with the coordination and planning of the past four TAMIO conferences (even though the 2020 one was canceled) and delivered the event’s Film Fest keynote in 2018 and 2019. I have also presented at the TAMIO conference regarding website design and content, coordinated sessions (including volunteering my staff), and continue to do so for the 2021 conference.
  4. Provide any experience in regard to the TAMIO awards program, including participation in the program, serving as a judge, or similar experiences. Starting in 2019, I began to have discussions with Dorothy White about her role as secretary and have been included in award planning conversations ever since, including the training and implementation of the new online judging system. For several consecutive years, I have served as a judge and judge coordinator, along with my staff, for other organization’s work through the TAMIO awards program. Each year, the Town of Flower Mound submits numerous projects for consideration in the TAMI awards and have provided feedback to Dorothy when requested about the system or overall program. Also, in 2012, I helped coordinate the TAMI awards process through the former Flower Mound Director of Communications Michael Ryan, who was serving on the TAMIO Board at the time as secretary.
  5. List any other experiences that would be helpful with your role as a TAMIO board member.  Working for a mid-sized community and having a four-person communications team, I share the same perspective of many cities from around the state as far as capabilities, interests, and budget constraints when it comes to planning the TAMIO conference.  I will support changes to contest rules and the addition of categories in the future that will provide additional opportunities for members and ensure members’ best work is recognized.I received my certification from the TCU Certified Public Communicator’s program in 2016, which TAMIO actively supports.Finally, I believe it is incredibly important for TAMIO members to engage with Board members (and vice versa) to provide feedback to ensure the organization is meeting their needs and providing conference content that is relevant to their role. I’m always ready to answer an email or phone call from members or potential members.

Candidate for Treasurer

Sara Bustilloz, CPC
Assistant Director, Communications and Marketing
Round Rock, Texas

Biography

Sara joined the City of Round Rock as the communications and marketing manager in February 2018, and currently serves as the department’s assistant director. She entered into the world of government communications as the City of Midland’s public information officer in December 2012, where she handled media and public relations for all departments, including police and fire. She then became the Pflugerville Police Department’s public information officer in July 2017.

Sara currently represents Region 5 on the TAMIO board of directors. She received her bachelor of journalism from The University of Texas at Austin in 2009 and graduated in the first cohort of the Certified Public Communicator program at Texas Christian University.

Nomination Question and Answers

  1. Explain why you want to serve on the TAMIO board and the leadership role you will assume if elected to this position. I would like to continue serving the TAMIO membership by offering my knowledge of past operations while planning for the future. TAMIO has provided so much support for me in my profession and I am passionate about sharing that same value to our members. I have shown my leadership skills on the board by creating engaging sessions for our annual conference, as well as most recently creating a mid-year retreat and network opportunity that brought together members from across my region. I expect to bring this same level of creativity and leadership to an executive board position.
  2. Include any experience in serving on the TAMIO board or in a similar position.  I have served on the TAMIO board since 2014, representing both Regions 1 and 5. This experience representing municipal government communicators from a wide diversity of cities has allowed me to see several sides of any issue that the board considers when planning our annual conference. I also oversee our Communications and Marketing budget at the City of Round Rock. I believe this gives me helpful experience when helping the board make financial decisions that may have an impact on our members.
  3. List any experience regarding attendance at TAMIO conferences, planning of TAMIO conferences, and serving as a speaker or in any other capacity. I have attended all TAMIO conferences since 2013 and been part of planning the conference since I joined the board in 2014. I have served on panels and moderated several sessions on media relations, websites, public safety communications, communications planning and more. I have previously represented TAMIO through a media relations presentation to new council members in Central Texas.
  4. Provide any experience in regard to the TAMIO awards program, including participation in the program, serving as a judge, or similar experiences. I have served as a TAMI awards judge for several years and been in charge of submitting award entries on behalf of my department. I’ve been fortunate to have been part of ongoing board conversations over the years about our TAMI awards programs, which is constantly being improved and expanded upon.
  5. List any other experiences that would be helpful with your role as a TAMIO board member.  I am a graduate of the Certified Public Communicators program at TCU, which I believe is an important partner organization for TAMIO. The experience also helped me make better connections for potential programming at conferences and mid-year retreats, and gave me knowledge that I’ve been able to pass along to our membership in regard to strategic communications.