Jessica VanderKolk

In my final years in that role, I had the opportunity to tell the stories of local government from a media perspective. So when I stepped into the role of Communications Manager for Battle Creek more than 8 years ago, the shift into local government was a great fit. Now, I still get to tell stories about the government – just from a new perspective. I tell these stories through press releases, blog posts, social media, newsletters, town halls, and more! I am passionate about public information and work with our entire organization to promote, market, feature, and show our transparency and credibility as a full-service local government.

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A highlight of my career in local government so far has been featuring 10 or so of my teammates with video profiles during National Public Works Week. The posts on social media received so much positive engagement, which is rare these days. It warms my heart to see such positivity surrounding something I created which features our incredibly skilled team. Local government work can be thankless, and it is such a boost when hard work is recognized and validated. 

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