Katharine Hughes

About Katharine Hughes

Over 20 years of leadership experience in public relations, marketing, media strategy, crisis communication, branding, and event planning. The first 13 years of my professional career were spent at Heron Agency, focused on clients in Chicago and New York City. Since 2015, I have led communications and public relations efforts for The Winnetka Public Schools, a nationwide leader in K-8 education for over 100 years. I am passionate about fostering excellence in public education through innovative marketing and branding strategies, supporting recruitment efforts for high-quality educators, enhancing stakeholder engagement, and promoting the benefits of experiential learning through creative written, visual and digital storytelling. This has included involvement in the development of two District Strategic Plans, supporting the development and implementation of both Redistricting and Educational Master Facility Plans, the successful approval of a referendum to support the District\'s Capital Improvement Plan and subsequent communication efforts surrounding ~$100M in construction. Crisis communication experience includes managing District communication throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. My work has garnered 73 awards from the Ilinois Chapter of the National School Public Relations Association (INSPA) since 2016, the highest in Illinois during that time.My strategic marketing, media relations, and branding expertise was honed at The University of Chicago\'s Graham School, I earned crisis communication certification from DePaul University, and received a BA in Mass Communications-Journalism from Taylor University, where I worked in the University Relations Department for four years.

Experience

1. Director of Communications

   The Winnetka Public Schools

   Mar 2024 — Present · Winnetka, IL, US

Education

• Taylor University

  Bachelor's Degree, Mass Communications-Journalism

  1998 — 2002

• University of Chicago

  Integrated Marketing

  2014 — 2015

• DePaul University

  Crisis Communications Certificate

Skills

• Brand Management
• Marketing Strategy
• Social Media
• Strategic Communications
• Crisis Communications
• Event Planning
• Corporate Communications
• Public Speaking
• Digital Marketing
• Advertising
• Press Releases
• Branding
• Marketing Communications
• Facebook
• Marketing
• Project Management
• Market Research
• Editing
• Public Relations
• Media Relations
• Publicity
• Social Networking
• Social Media Marketing