Emily Hagedorn

About Emily Hagedorn

I lead the dynamic and rapidly growing team of online community ambassadors (OCAs) at Yelp, the go-to review platform powered by 287 million reviews that helps people explore their cities and support fantastic local businesses.Our team of 21 OCAs spans 40 of the largest metros in the U.S. We are the newest addition to Yelp Community, and our rapid expansion is a testament to our impact. I’ve enjoyed shaping this team, guiding it from its R&D phase into a thriving, results-driven force.Some of my favorite aspects of this role so far: thoughtfully hiring and building a diverse, engaged team, leading with a people-first approach to foster connections across our coast-to-coast team, strategically using metrics to drive our team\'s roadmap, crafting messaging that resonates and converts, collaborating with other Yelp departments to amplify our efforts, co-organizing our first-ever OCA Summit in San Francisco in 2022. Before stepping into program management, I was the Yelp community manager for Louisville, starting in 2013. This role encompassed PR, marketing, event planning, social media and business outreach. I worked closely with local businesses to host 260+ events, ranging from 20 to guests and including 40+ virtual events during the pandemic. I also helped businesses enhance their online presence and worked to be a resource on what was hot and new in Derby City. During my time in Louisville, I grew the community by 450%, outpacing similar and larger markets.In addition to my current role, I contribute to a committee that provides feedback on app and site upgrades. I\'ve also written for the Yelp Blog, served on the National Partnerships Committee and helped organize the 2018 Community Manager Summit at Yelp HQ. I am a member of The Community Community, an industry organization for experienced community professionals. Prior to Yelp, I was a reporter at the Louisville Courier-Journal and earned my journalism degree from the University of Kentucky. When I\'m not working, you’ll likely find me having fun with my family, reading fun books, indulging in anything with noodles or searching for the perfect Old Fashioned.

Experience

1. Regional Manager, Community

   Yelp

   Jul 2024 — Present

   Manages the nationwide Online Community Ambassadors program, which includes 21 OCAs covering 40 metros• Oversaw more than 150 OCA projects in 2023 focused on on-site engagement• Worked in collaboration with internal Culture team to develop on-site messaging in response to promotion of values-based holidays• Co-led efforts to create, disseminate and analyze an official survey of our Yelp Elite Squad members, turning results into actionable takeaways for the department• Helped develop guide for maximizing ROI from events, including how to target outreach to segments of event guests• Worked with our People team to expand the OCA development path• Served on committees focused on Yelp Elite Squad awareness, programming and promotion

Education

• University of Kentucky

  Bachelor of Arts (B.A.), Journalism

  2001 — 2005

• University of Southern California

  California Endowment Health Journalism Fellowship

  2006 — 2007

• Northwestern University

  Academy for Alternative Journalism

  2005 — 2005

Skills

• Editorial
• Newspaper
• Social Media
• Entertainment
• Newspapers
• Ap Style
• Investigative Reporting
• Facebook
• Web Content
• Online Journalism
• Creative Direction
• Creative Writing
• Narrative Journalism
• Feature Articles
• Wordpress
• Video
• Publications
• Editing
• Sound
• Copy Editing
• Headline Writing
• Publishing
• Quarkxpress
• Newsletters
• Strategic Communications
• Blogging
• Video Production
• Social Networking
• Multimedia
• Social Media Marketing
• Breaking News
• Photography
• Business Journalism
• Press Releases
• Digital Media
• Public Relations
• Proofreading
• Media Relations
• Fact-Checking
• Magazines