Kathy Dougan

February 2016 to June 2021

MS Soil & Water Conservation Commission, 980 Monroe St., Ste. B, Jackson, MS 39202

(601) 354-7645, ext. 317, www.mswcc.ms.gov

Position: Public Relations Director

Duties: Responsible for website administration/maintenance; videography, photography, writing articles and news releases; design and provide content for brochures, annual report, posters, flyers; participate in commission and conservation events; make presentations for the division; responsible for booth/display set up/tear down at events. Primary point of contact for internal and external correspondence; maintain a point-of-contact database which includes contact information for all conservationists, conservation agencies and conservation-related resources throughout the state.

 

September 2012 to February 2016

State of MS, Office of State Aid Road Construction, 412 Woodrow Wilson Ave., Jackson, 39216

(601) 359-5378, http://msstateaidroads.us

Position: Contract Analyst II

Duties: Check and verify as-built plans, quantities and calculations for final engineering payments, final contractor payments including testing charges. Completes, reconciles and balances Final Fund Sheet for each completed Federal, State and Special Project. Answer inquiries from Contractors, County Engineers, and Bonding Companies on any questions they may concerning projects, forms, status of estimates, etc. Monitor contractor's wage reports for compliance with the Copeland and Davis-Bacon Acts.

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February 2002 to present

Self-Employed: Writer, designer, editor, photographer, social media/content provider

Duties: I freelance-write news releases, social media content and articles for publications including The Clinton Courier, The Canton News, The Long Beach Breeze, Mississippi Community Symphonic Band and Mississippi Swing! I design brochures, CD covers and inserts, flyers, programs, posters, buttons and promotional materials for bands, groups and organizations.
 

February 2001 to April 2002 (freelance writer April 2002-2006)

Gannett Inc., The Clarion-Ledger newspapers, 201 S. Congress St., Jackson, MS 39201

Website: www.clarionledger.com

Position: Health/Medical/General Assignment Reporter

Duties: Conducting interviews, writing stories and filing stories with editors to meet daily and weekly deadlines. Prepared weekly, monthly and yearly story budgets utilizing project management and word processing software. Scheduled photographer assignments for stories.

 

February 1998 to November 2000

The Anniston Star/Consolidated Publishing Co., P.O. Box 189, Anniston, AL 36202

Position: Assistant Metropolitan Editor/Senior Writer/Reporter

Duties: Assistant Metro Editor: Responsible for supervision of reporting staff including editing story and photo assignments, special projects and community news. Reporter: Responsible for environmental reporting, courts and police coverage, features and breaking news. Website Administrator: Responsible for daily editing and posting stories and photographs on the Anniston Star`s website.

 

February 1997 to February 1998

Albion Journal-Register, 19 West Main Street, Albion, IL 62806, (388) 875-7502

Position: Editor/Publisher

Duties: Responsible for production of weekly newspaper and weekly shopper; supervision of more than 10 employees, which included training, job scheduling, budgeting and billing; responsible for writing, editing, reporting, photography, developing film, pasting up newspaper, and at times assembling, bagging and mailing newspapers.

 

February 1992 to February 1997

Scripps-Howard, Evansville Courier Company, 300 East Walnut Street, Evansville, IN 47713

(812) 424-7711, www.courierpress.com

Position(s): Copy Editor; Writer; Pagination Coordinator

Dates: February 1992 - February 1997

Duties: Writer: Responsible for county reporting, features and obituaries. Macintosh Gateway Operator: Responsible for translating and troubleshooting electronic computer files to medium for four-color processing. Copy Editor: Responsible for editing, page layout design and headline writing for a 300,000-circulation daily newspaper. Electronic Pagination Coordinator: Responsible for startup and daily operation of electronic pagination, which included translating and troubleshooting Quark newspaper pages to medium for four-color processing; and troubleshooting and maintenance of Dolev equipment used to output full-page negatives.

Night Shift Assistant Systems Administrator/Macintosh: Assisted night shift end users, installed programs and upgrades, troubleshooting, problem resolution and other duties as needed.

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KNIGHT JOURNALISM FELLOW AT CDC

July 2001 to November 2001

John J. and James L. Knight Fellow at the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention,

1600 Clifton Road, Atlanta, GA 30333, (800) 232-4636, www.cdc.gov

Position: Fellowship at CDC (four-month fellowship)

Duties: John J. Knight Journalism Fellow at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which is an applied epidemiologic analyses and research fellowship. As part of the fellowship I participated in public health field experiences; and reported findings through written and oral scientific presentations. My fieldwork included working as a "disease detective" with the CDC Epidemiology Intelligence Service to define, track and diagnose outbreaks and epidemics in North Dakota, Montana, Puerto Rico and Mississippi. During my fellowship I worked for the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), based in Atlanta, Georgia, a federal public health agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. ATSDR serves the public by using the best science, taking responsive public health actions, and providing trusted health information to prevent harmful exposures and diseases related to toxic substances. I reported to the Chief of the ATSDR Office of Policy and External Affairs. I traveled with teams to Belcourt, ND, Libby, MT (site of former asbestos manufacturing facility) and Vieques, PR (site of bomb testing) and participated in preparing literature and talking points, and conducting public information meetings, training and informational seminars.

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NONPROFIT WORK

January 2012 to present

Mississippi Community Symphonic Band (nonprofit), 520 Pawnee Way, Madison, 39110-0969

(601) 497-3822, www.mcsb.us

Position: President and Communications Director, Publications Designer; member of the board of directors, certified flute technician (repair and restore instruments for donation to schools)

Duties: Publicity and grant writing, writing and design of news releases, promotional materials (brochures, posters, flyers, programs, etc.) for MCSB, a nonprofit all-volunteer organization.

 

July 2009 to July 2012

The Arts Council of Clinton, Inc., P.O. Box 572, Clinton, MS 39060 (nonprofit)

Position: President/Executive Director

Employees (Board Members) Supervised: 20

Duties: As President of the Arts Council of Clinton, Inc., a 501(c) 3 all-volunteer nonprofit corporation, I coordinated all activities of the organization. I worked closely with a 20-member board of directors, energizing and mobilizing their involvement to bring forth their best ideas and support, and to promote the Arts Council's identity as a prominent arts organization. I ensured that the Arts Council operated in a manner consistent with its mission, vision and goals, including planning and overseeing program development, fiscal management and budgeting, fundraising and development, strategic planning, grant writing and public relations.

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HONORS AND AWARDS

Wrote award-winning about Environmental Contamination in Anniston AL (PCB and heavy-metal contamination, asbestosis, etc.) Environmental Justice Curriculum: University of CO, University of MI, University of AL, the AL Department of Environmental Management, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Environmental Protection Agency and Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry case studies, and justice studies throughout the world. • John J. Knight Journalism Fellowship with the CDC in Atlanta (2001) • State of Alabama award for Outstanding Environmental Journalism (2000); • Associated Press team reporting honors, Anniston environmental contamination (2001); • Alabama Department of Environmental Management award for outstanding journalism (2000) • Academic Achievement Award in Advertising, University of Southern Indiana (1993)