Goodnow Communications

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CECELIA GOODNOW

• 12620 Manzanita Rd. NE                                                                         206-842-6955           
  Bainbridge Island, WA 98110                                            ceceliagoodnow@sounddsl.com

Summary: Award-winning communications professional with breadth of knowledge, deadline discipline and superior writing-editing skills. Creative, versatile and achievement-oriented. Skilled at building relationships, gathering and evaluating information and producing high-impact content for targeted audiences.

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS

Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Seattle, WA.                                               1983 to 2009

• Chronicled social trends, personalities and issues that shape life in the Northwest.
• Roles: Consumer Team Reporter, Life and Arts Writer, Parent and Family Reporter,  Children’s Book Reviewer, General Assignment Reporter. 
• Produced more than 1,200 bylined articles; senior writer on Life & Arts team.
• Emphasis: Health, social issues, education, family and parenting, cultural trends.
• Coordinated with graphics and photo teams to achieve effective visual presentation.
• Technical skills: Microsoft Word, Outlook, PowerPoint, Excel, Associated Press (AP) Style, audio slide shows, social networking (LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, blogging).

PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE
Covered Arizona State Legislature and Phoenix metro schools, community colleges and state university system for The Arizona Republic, a metro daily newspaper. Copy editor, Arkansas Democrat daily newspaper. Pulliam Fellow, Indianapolis Star. Editor, Arizona Daily Wildcat campus newspaper. Newsweek contract correspondent for Arizona.

PROFESSIONAL ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Writing

* Mastered diverse writing styles and “voices,” from hard news to humor, commentary and narrative storytelling, enabling P-I to connect with multiple target audiences on a lean staff.

* Employee of the Month award (June 2007) praised reporter’s “incredible versatility” and work ethic, adding, “She’s a remarkably capable reporter” whose articles are “exceptionally well written.”

* Narrative account of son’s serious bike crash drew strong reader response and demonstrated the life-changing power of helmets. Dr. Abe Bergman of Harborview’s Injury Prevention and Research Center predicted the article would save countless lives.

* Front-page feature “Indiana Jones and the legend of the obsessed fan” (May 2008) generated nearly 38,000 one-day page views at seattlepi.com and remained site’s top read through the week.

Information Gathering

* Stepped in for P-I medical reporter to handle breaking news of major Hormone Replacement Therapy study. Co-created a comprehensive “what it means” report for next day’s paper so anxious readers quickly got the information they needed.

* Interviewed people from all walks of life – from the destitute to celebrities and high-profile business/political leaders – building knowledge base that lent depth and authority to coverage.

*Strengthened ties to African American community through comprehensive, four-part series on Seattle’s black history. Crafted under tight deadlines, the series exceeded managers’ expectations and generated calls and letters of appreciation from readers.

Product Development

* Pioneered coverage of books for children and teens, turning the Post-Intelligencer into the authoritative local source for industry trends and consumer reviews.

* Front-page trend analysis, “Teens buying books at fastest rate in decades,” was the most e-mailed story at seattlepi.com for days after its March 2007 publication and remained in the top 10 for two weeks. Result: P-I gained national exposure and enhanced stature.

* Grew new audience demographic by generating content and ideas to help launch Seattle@home, a weekly home/garden section targeting women readers.
    
Marketing

* Participated in staff-wide, strategic planning initiative to rebrand the P-I for a changing market, resulting in more local news and outreach to younger readers.

* Developed poster-style format for twice-yearly book-review roundups for display in libraries and bookstores, raising P-I’s profile in the marketplace. 

* Built customer relations and product awareness as part of volunteer team staffing P-I presence at the Northwest Flower & Garden Show.

* Raised profile of P-I-sponsored Seattle Home Show through news-you-can-use articles spotlighting new products and trends.
                       
EDUCATION
University of Arizona, B.A. Journalism, High Distinction. Attended George Mason University. 

AWARDS
American Association of Sunday and Features Editors/Excellence in Feature Writing, Second Place, Short Feature (2007); Society of Professional Journalists, First Place/Lifestyles (2002 and 1992), honorable mention (2005); Stuttering Foundation of America Media Award, First Place (1997).