Case Studies

THE CHALLENGE
Like every other jurisdiction in the country, the City of Atlanta government had to act quickly to navigate the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, including maintaining City services while keeping City staff and residents safe. Thirty days into the pandemic, Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms was in need of a communications leader and strategist who could hit the ground running on short notice.

THE RESULT
As the head of Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms’ Office of Communications, Lydia developed comprehensive multi-media strategies that she employed to lead City Officials through the multi-faceted crisis and media storm. This was all during highly contentious racial justice demonstrations and the 2020 presidential election cycle which stretched the City’s resources and placed Mayor Bottoms in high media demand. Her communications strategies included press, digital and social media, press events, partner collaborations, media interviews, billboard messages, and launching Mayor Bottoms’ public virtual city-wide briefings.

THE OPPORTUNITY
During President Obama’s Administration, the Office of Minority Health (OMH) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) was embarking upon the 30th anniversary of the federal government’s first report (Report of the Secretary’s Task Force on Black and Minority Health/Heckler Report, 1985) to examine health disparities and high rates of death among Black and minority people. OHM was tasked with developing high visibility opportunities for administration officials to elevate conversations and action to further address disparities in minority health.

THE RESULT
Lydia was the lead architect in developing the Administration’s national observance of the Heckler Report during National Minority Health Month (2015). The observance included a national media and social media campaign and website; a campaign toolkit; stakeholder communications and events; blog posts; digital ads; and a national live-streamed summit on Capitol Hill including members of Congress, White House officials, former HHS Secretary Margaret Heckler, former U.S. Surgeon General Dr. David Satcher, health equity advocates and stakeholders from around the country. Lydia and her team were awarded the 2015 HHS Departmental incentive and performance award leading this observance and influencing change in health behaviors.

THE CHALLENGE
The National Park Foundation (NPF), the official charity of the National Park Service (NPS), was seeking to revive the Foundation’s defunct African American Experience Fund (AAEF), to raise funds to help preserve, tell the stories of and increase visitors to African American historic sites and parks across the nation.

THE RESULT
During her tenure as Executive Director, Lydia was recognized by AAEF’s Board, which included civil rights icon Ernie Green of the Little Rock Nine, for successfully reviving the Fund; serving as a spokesperson to media, institutional and individual donors, congressional leaders and White House staff; managing and growing the Board; increasing fundraising by nearly a half-million dollars annually and growing AAEF’s portfolio of park programs. She inaugurated a high-visibility Washington, DC-based fundraising awards gala, coordinated with The White House and NPS to designate eight new heritage sites as national parks, and led planning for the National Youth Summit during the 50th Anniversary of the Civil Rights March on Washington.

THE CHALLENGE
The American Psychiatric Association (APA) was seeking ways to address the loss of market share among its members. The APA needed to reinvigorate their brand, as well as advocate for legislation to increase parity and coverage for mental health services with The White House and Congress.

THE RESULT
Lydia was hired to both rebuild the Communications team and launch a rebranding campaign to reinvigorate APA’s brand and elevate its influence among legislators, policymakers, advocates, APA members and the public. Lydia secured the services of a national public relations firm to conduct consumer research to build the case for the rebranding campaign. The end result was the creation of an award-winning national rebranding and consumer education campaign, “Healthy Minds” — APA’s first-ever external-facing consumer campaign, featuring a media toolkit, spokesperson media training, a national satellite media tour, marketing materials and a new website.

THE CHALLENGE
A Washington, DC-based newspaper published an article that could potentially damage the District of Columbia Government Child and Family Services Agency’s reputation at a time when the agency was building a case to end court oversight and receivership.

THE RESULT
Lydia developed and released a rapid response statement on behalf of the agency’s director and developed a briefing packet and talking points for the Office of DC Mayor Muriel Bowser, which was lauded by agency leadership and the Mayor’s Office of Communications.

THE CHALLENGE
Since 2004 the City of Atlanta, Georgia has relied upon passage of the City’s 1-cent Municipal Option Sales Tax (MOST), to help raise millions of dollars to fund a court-mandated order to improve and maintain the City’s aging water and sewage infrastructure. In the midst of the continuous 2020 presidential election cycle, the City needed to launch an intense multi-channel, issue awareness campaign to ensure City residents voted on the reauthorization of the MOST during the presidential primary election.

THE RESULT
As Communications Director for the City’s Department of Watershed Management, Lydia led the Communication team’s effort to retool and launch the city-wide campaign, using a mix of earned (radio and TV interviews); paid radio ads in English and Spanish; paid billboard and bus/metro ads and community leaders. Atlanta residents overwhelmingly passed the reauthorization of the MOST.

THE CHALLENGE
During Minority Health Month (2018) the Black Women’s Health Imperative (BWHI) wanted to raise awareness and support for policies that improve access to quality health and reproductive health services for Black and Brown women among Members of Congress, especially during the Trump Administration, when support for health equity was at an all-time low.

THE RESULT
Lydia’s prior experience working on Capitol Hill and relationships with staff in the U.S. House and U.S. Senate that she has maintained, placed her in a position to lead the team’s planning of a policy briefing with Congressional Members and health advocates, which was also live-streamed and viewed nationally.