James “Trey” Pollard
202-904-9187 - treypollard@gmail.com – 805 Rockland Ave, Charlottesville, VA 22902
SUMMARY
Strategic communications and public relations expert with a decade in national and local media and public relations in the renewable energy and environmental sector, emphasizing high-visibility, high-impact campaign creation and execution, internal communications, team leadership, and project management.
Skilled in developing effective paid, earned, and social media communications and marketing tactics, ranging from micro-targeted Twitter engagement to seven-figure television ad buys to extensive radio and print media campaigns to regular story placement in top targeted outlets, each customized to campaign plans and goals.
Created and maintains communications infrastructure that captures buy-in from across stakeholder groups and manages relationships with donors, vendors, and partners while remaining agile, creative, disciplined, and effective.
Built, developed, and remotely managed nationwide media team in conjunction with the Beyond Coal Campaign, named by Politico as “the most extensive, expensive and effective campaign […] maybe in the history of the environmental movement.” Recognized in New York Times for utilizing best social science practices for message creation around complex policies.
Designed, implemented, and managed dozens of successful public engagement events, varying in size, scope, budget, and goals, from job fairs to press conferences to major public rallies.
Developed new systems and protocol for effective coordination and project management and helped navigate and lead internal change processes while meeting numerous deadlines and securing victories and positive media coverage in the face of more highly-resourced entities with opposing agendas.
Writer and photographer with professional experience and national publication credits. Developed original music programming at three radio stations, including WUOG in Athens, Georgia and WTJU in Charlottesville, Virginia.
Experience
The Sierra Club
Washington, D.C. / Charlottesville, VA
Deputy Communications Director, 2015-2019
National Press Secretary, 2014-2019
Deputy National Press Secretary, 2011-2014
Serves in senior leadership position for one of the world’s largest non-profit organizations as national spokesperson, media strategist, principal press liaison, speechwriter, and messaging coordinator for comprehensive nationwide operation that regularly secures double the media of nearest competitor, with tone of coverage measured as overwhelmingly positive.
Built, developed, and manages national media team of nine staff and coordinates operations and messaging across team of more than 20 professional communicators spread throughout the country.
Manages, protects and leverages one of the non-profit world’s most recognizable and powerful brands by leading crisis communications efforts, developing and implementing internal communication strategies, crafting strategies around internal change processes, and turning brand challenges into opportunities.
Guides the development and management of numerous communications products, including video series, newsletters, and social media channels -- including Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook -- helping ensure messaging, targeting, and strategy is optimized for effectiveness and aligned with overall communications goals and best practices.
Engages with national, regional, and trade press on a daily basis, coordinating messaging, managing multiple spokespeople for regular national broadcast and print interviews, building relationships and successfully pitching stories to ensure the 24-hour news cycle works in favor of the organization’s goals.
Congressman John Yarmuth
Washington, D.C./Louisville, KY
Communications Director, 2009-2011.
Served as principal speechwriter, spokesperson, social media coordinator, and messaging strategist for member of Congress from Louisville, KY, designated messaging specialist for U.S. House leadership, and member of Budget, Oversight, Ethics, and Ways & Means Committees.
Established Yarmuth as a regular voice in national media, securing 50+ appearances on national broadcast and cable news while managing successful relationships with local media. During tenure, Yarmuth secured re-election despite national electoral losses for his party, and his seat largely became considered “safe” by most political analysts.
Covered breaking news and political beat for national online network; created multimedia content and wrote an average of five stories a day regularly cited by national outlets, including Politico and The Washington Post.
New York Observer Media Group / Politicker.com
Louisville, KY
Political Reporter, 2008
Principal staff photographer; beat writer, covering politics and labor for English-language online daily.
The Santiago Times
Santiago, Chile
REPORTER, 2007
Education
Served as instructor of political science and Southern Politics.
Completed thesis on Congressional voting behavior on immigration policy.
Completed semester at Oxford University
THE University of Georgia
MA - Political Science
Graduated Cum Laude
Completed thesis on Feminist thought on crime and punishment in early Modern Europe.
Completed semester at University of Westminster, London, UK
THE UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA
BA - POLITICAL SCIENCE
BA - History
A Little Bit More
Boxing Writer/Photographer: Served as contributor for Stiffjab.com, covering the East Coast boxing scene for online outlet with distribution links to the Washington Post.
Radio Host: Developed original talk and music programming at three stations on two continents.
Volunteer English Teacher
Freelance Contributor: Published writer and photographer with extensive freelance portfolio including contributions to AP, WAMU.org, Washington City Paper, and The Buffalo News.