Kayla Goodson

I am an expert in strategic communications and digital democracy specialist driven by a desire to serve others and strengthen democratic societies. I am passionate about using storytelling to bring people together and elicit social change.

Resume

 

Strategic Communications Consultant, Institute for Strategic Dialogue

 

  • Lead the development of a cross-cutting, storytelling campaign for the organization’s 20th anniversary to highlight the widespread impact of ISD’s work in collaboration with the CEO, COO, communications team, development team, and program leads

  • Advise on best practices for editorial and communications work to better align processes and messaging with the organization’s priorities and strategic goals

  • Edit complex policy reports and craft engaging communications to share this work with the media, policymakers, and the public

 

Communications and Policy Research Lead, Center for News, Technology & Innovation

 

  • Moved CNTI’s communications in-house; developed CNTI’s communications strategy, expanded the organization’s reach, and established media relationships to elevate CNTI’s status as an industry leader

  • Was lead author of an AI policy report analyzing the impact of 190 national and regional AI policies on journalism across every region of the world

  • Commissioned and edited a series of essays in which nine award-winning journalists from around the world shared their stories of reporting while facing threats to press freedom, such as censorship, legal proceedings, and violence. The series has been collectively viewed more than 2,000 times.

  • Translated highly technical research and survey data into accessible and engaging content and tools for journalists, policymakers, and website users

  • Spearheaded CNTI’s website redesign to improve user experience and better showcase the value of CNTI’s work

 

Digital Democracy Specialist and Special Advisor, U.S. Agency for International Development

 

  • Detailed to USAID for one-and-a-half years

  • Hand-selected by Agency’s first Chief Digital Democracy and Rights Officer to be a special advisor on digital democracy issues, including strategic communications, artificial intelligence, and information integrity

  • Wrote talking points and speeches for Agency principals’ public and interagency appearances to ensure the timely and clear communication of USAID’s priorities

  • Represented the Office of Global Trends and Technology in working groups on gender equality and environmental governance

Senior Communications Coordinator, Alliance for Securing Democracy at the German Marshall Fund

 

  • Led product roll outs to communicate their newsworthiness to and generate interest among journalists, policymakers, and the general public

  • Ghost wrote and fact-checked scripts, op-eds, and other external outputs

  • Served as back-up Russian disinformation analyst for weekly publications

  • Maintained responsibilities under communications coordinator and assistant headings

 

Communications Coordinator, Alliance for Securing Democracy at the German Marshall Fund

 

  • Promoted ASD’s work and experts to media outlets in the U.S. and Europe to raise the organization’s profile by writing press releases, reporter notes, blog posts, and pitches, leading ASD to be the most-cited team at GMF

  • Established and ran ASD’s communications internship program

  • Planned and executed high-level dialogues with policymakers, scholars, and journalists

  • Supervised all external outreach, including press relations, the newsletter, Congressional relations, and event planning

 

Communications Assistant, Alliance for Securing Democracy at the German Marshall Fund

 

  • Cultivated relationships with reporters covering AI, disinformation, emerging technologies, election security, and authoritarian interference across the U.S. and Europe; tracked relationships using Cision and Muck Rack

  • Developed ASD’s social media strategy, significantly increasing presence and interaction

  • Monitored impact via social media, website, and newsletter analytics

  • Copy edited all ASD publications according to GMF's style guide, including policy papers, newsletters, and op-eds

  • Created a standard design for all ASD publications to build a consistent and professional brand identity

  • Received GMF’s Marshall Award for exceptional work