Heather Watson

About Heather Watson

15+ years serving a variety of consumer brands to be financially successful and deliver an amazing consumer experience with my culture-driven communications and ROI-driven attention-hooking marketing including:• Valvoline Inc.• Valvoline Instant Oil Change• Great Canadian Oil Change• Valvoline Tire & Auto• Wasau Paper• Costco• Staples• Office Depot• Blackbaud• Office Max• Kronos• PayCycle• Ritz Carlton• University of GeorgiaMy KPI-driven hands-on experience includes:• Communications: employee, HR, franchisee, global, brand, product, investor, storytelling, PR• Channels: web, intranet, presentations, email, newsletters, custom event experiences and more• Marketing: print, mail, social, digital, merchandising and brand• Surveys: needs assessment, survey writing, deployment and metrics/dashboards• Program development and management: campaigns, technical systems, change management, etc.• Engaging events: Town Halls, retail grand openings and ribbon cuttings, industry trade showsTechnical skills include:• Microsoft Office suite• Social: LinkedIn, Instagram, X, Facebook, Yammer• Communications platforms: FirstUp, Contact Monkey, Constant Contact• Survey tools: Qualtrics, Contact Monkey, Slido• Marketing and communications: Canva• Project management: Monday.com, Workfront, Smartsheet• Event apps: Attendify, EventMobiSoft skills I have received positive feedback about in performance reviews and from work teams include:• Strong writer with a friendly, human voice• Trust-builder who focuses on the customer experience end-to-end• Creative, broad thinker who implements practical, innovative solutions to business needs• Reliable project manager

Experience

1. Procurement Communications Strategist

   Kentucky Apex Accelerator

   Nov 2025 — Present · Lexington, KY, US

   The Kentucky APEX Accelerator program\'s mission is to empower Kentucky-owned business economic development through advocacy, coaching, training and networking to help them successfully sell their products and services within government markets. I support a talented, committed outreach team with strategies to continue to elevate our program visibility, partner engagement and direct impact across the Commonwealth.Responsibilities include internal team communications and external parter communications via:State newslettersSocial Informational webinarsPartner eventsBoard, state and federal reportingDepartment of Defense compliance

Education

• Eastern Kentucky University

  Bachelor's Degree, Communications

  1989 — 1993

• Eastern Kentucky University

  Bachelor's degree, Communication and Media Studies

• Eastern Kentucky University

  Communication and Media Studies

• The University of Georgia

  Master's degree, Human Resources & Organizational Development

  1997 — 1998

Skills

• Competitive Analysis
• Project Management
• Marketing
• Process Improvement
• Multi-Channel Marketing
• Crm
• Key Account Management
• Sales Management
• Marketing Communications
• Retail
• B2b
• Direct Marketing
• Change Management
• Product Management
• Direct Mail
• Team Building
• Organizational Development
• Product Marketing
• Strategic Planning
• Cross-Functional Team Leadership
• Marketing Strategy
• Strategy
• Training
• Marketing Management
• Lead Generation