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Selected writing

01 / Selected work

The written word.

Corporate announcements, executive voice, and stories with a human point of view.

Executive voice & crisis communications

Giving a leader a steady voice in a crisis

McDermott · CEO message
March 17, 2020

An early-pandemic CEO message that starts with employees’ well-being, then gives clear direction: stay connected, support colleagues, and follow trusted information. It shows how empathy and practical guidance can work together in a leader’s voice.

My contributionExecutive message writing

“Don’t withdraw into an email-only mindset. Call each other.”

From the selected writing
Behind this piece

The brief

Employees were navigating changing health guidance, alternative work arrangements, and uncertainty. The message needed to acknowledge that pressure while making the next steps clear.

The editorial choice

The sequence moves from personal well-being to shared responsibility and specific actions. Short instructions — call each other, stay connected, and check trusted updates — make the leadership message useful beyond its reassurance.

Selected message: A United McDermott is a Resilient McDermott

Executive speechwriting

Technology, talent, and the future of energy

University audience
2023

An executive speech inviting university students to see energy as a place for technological innovation and meaningful work. Humor and a school-of-fish analogy connect individual talent with a shared ambition for change.

My contributionSpeechwriting

“First, however, let’s talk about fish.”

From the selected writing
Behind this piece

The brief

The communication goal is to make an energy career relevant to students drawn to technology and work with a wider purpose. The speech connects that motivation to the people needed to advance energy infrastructure.

The editorial choice

An unexpected school-of-fish analogy opens a conversation about coordination and shared purpose. Light humor creates a conversational voice before the speech turns to energy innovation and a direct invitation to consider a career.

Speechwriting sample: Technology, talent and the future of energy

Employee engagement & executive writing

Making employee listening part of the message

McDermott · CEO messages
March & October 2020

Two messages that give employees a reason and a way to speak up. One introduces a CEO podcast shaped by employee questions; the other explains a culture survey’s purpose, anonymity, and use. Together, they show writing that makes participation clear and credible.

My contributionExecutive message writing

“Please use this opportunity to help our organization better understand what is and isn’t working so we can prioritize and focus on areas in need of attention.”

From the selected writing
Behind this piece

The brief

The March message invites employees to submit questions for a CEO podcast amid the pandemic, oil-market uncertainty, and restructuring. The October message invites candid feedback through a culture and internal controls survey.

The editorial choice

Each message answers the reader’s practical questions: why participate, what to do, and how the input will be used. The survey invitation also explains anonymity and the time required.

Selected messages: Podcast and Poll Keep us Connected; Your Perspective and the Value of Transparency

Corporate & change communications

Communicating the completion of a restructuring

McDermott
June 30, 2020

A public announcement bringing together financial information, leadership perspective, and the company’s next chapter.

My contributionOne of the early and final editors

Behind this piece

The brief

The completion of McDermott’s restructuring called for a public account of the transaction and the company’s next steps. I contributed as one of the early and final editors of the announcement.

The editorial choice

The published announcement brings the financial facts together with leadership’s view of what comes next. Keeping those elements distinct gives readers both the details of the completed process and the company’s forward-looking message.

Published as: McDermott Successfully Completes Comprehensive Restructuring Process

Reporting & photography

A lost tortoise, a worried family, and a stranger’s kindness

The Woodlands Villager
October 23, 2014

Travis Flatt smiling behind his pet tortoise Samson in the grass
Travis Flatt and Samson at home in Chateau Woods.Photography by James Ridgway, Jr.

A boy’s missing tortoise became a story that traveled far beyond its Texas neighborhood. I reported, wrote, and photographed the original feature for The Woodlands Villager; ABC stations in New York, Chicago, and San Francisco republished it the next day.

My contributionReporting, writing, and photography

Behind this piece

The brief

A family’s search for a missing pet offered a story about trust, mistaken assumptions, and a stranger’s kindness. I reported and wrote the feature and took the photographs. It appeared locally on October 23, 2014; ABC station sites carried it under my byline on October 24.

The editorial choice

The appeal was bigger than a missing pet: a father reconsidering his assumptions about his neighbors, a child’s relief, and a stranger who did the right thing. I followed those human stakes through the reporting. The story’s pickup shows how a very local subject can connect with readers elsewhere.

Published as: Lost 60-pound pet tortoise returned to 11-year-old owner

Selected media