Tag: Member Stories

Ariana Solis Gomez, director of strategic communications at Hogan Lovells, may be new to WWPR, but she’s already making her mark by focusing on our organization’s diversity and inclusion efforts. I chatted with her for this month’s Member Spotlight to learn more about her soon-to-launch blog series for WWPR and her commitment to advocating for women of color and other minority groups.

The Journey to DC

Ariana was born and raised in Mexico before moving to DC over six and a half years ago. Her life in the District began after she landed a scholarship from the Washington Center, where she took on an internship at the Hispanic Association on Corporate Responsibility (HACR) while taking a course on public policy and project management. Ariana turned the internship into a full-time position and built the communications department from the ground up—with an emphasis on the digital strategy—eventually becoming the director of communications.

Currently, she is part of Hogan Lovells’ Strategic Communications Practice Group, a new branch that is part in-house PR, part  public affairs and government relations. In this capacity, Ariana develops strategic issue advocacy campaigns to help move the legislative needle, increase brand visibility, and cultivate relationships with potential key audiences. 

Advocacy for Diversity & Inclusion

In and out of the office, Ariana is a tireless advocate for diversity and inclusion. She first found her passion for diversity and inclusion when she moved to the U.S. and found herself faced with new challenges related to diversity. At HACR, she was introduced to the organization’s mission to increase representation of Hispanics in corporate America, and she also worked closely with other organizations hoping to do the same with other minority groups.

Ariana still thinks there’s a long way to go to see more progress on that front, especially in leadership positions. One thing she always tries to do is bring awareness to the issues—including unconscious bias—and providing action items on best practices that individuals can take back to their communities or places of work, which she hopes will lead to substantial growth.

Diversity & Inclusion and WWPR

As part of her role on WWPR’s Content Committee, Ariana will be launching a new blog series focused on diversity and inclusion, including highlighting women of color who are making strides in the field. When she was considering joining the organization, she noted a lack of resources tailored to minority or other affinity groups, and flagged that as an opportunity for WWPR. Among other ideas for the series, she is hoping to take a look at what other women of color are doing in terms of diversity and inclusion, address unconscious bias, and share challenges that many face in the field.  

In addition to her efforts on the Content Committee, Ariana is also a member of the Emerging Leaders Awards Committee where she’ll be a liaison for the finalists—helping them navigate the process and becoming the point of contact for questions.

Her Ideal Weekend

Ariana’s favorite way to spend time out of work? Soul Cycle! She is a huge fan and describes the time in the studio as her treat. She also decompresses outside of work by watching movies, getting in quality time with her husband, and having dinner with friends.  

In the Morning…

Ariana recently updated her morning routine as part of her renewed focus on her health. She now begins her day at 5:45 a.m. with a high-intensity interval training workout. Since she’s not naturally a morning person, it’s a bit new for her, but she says having a routine has helped and now she’ll even feel a bit guilty if she skips a day. After the workout, she’ll get ready with a cup of coffee. Then, it’s off to work to check that inbox (and get more coffee!).

Her Advice:

Take more risks! Life happens outside your comfort zone.

Stop second guessing yourself – you are fully capable.

Check out Ariana’s latest blog post about how diversity leads to success in the workplace.

WWPR Vice President Danielle Veira, Senior Manager, Public Relations and Advocacy Communications at the American Diabetes Association, has found her passion combining her PR skills with nonprofit advocacy. WWPR talked with Danielle about her advocacy work and career, and her advice for WWPR members wanting to get involved in PR for a nonprofit or association.

Her Unique Journey to Advocacy Communications

Danielle’s journey to finding the right career path began with a passion for policy. The initial plan was to be a health or education policy expert with her background in political science and sociology, but while getting her start on Capitol Hill working for an Ohio Senator she found helping the press secretary draft content turned out to be her true passion.

After deciding to make the career change to communications, joining WWPR was one of her first moves, ultimately leading to her first job in PR through a WWPR connection. Her first full-time job in communications was with a strategic communications firm, which eventually led to her current role.

Once she found her stride in nonprofit communications, Danielle knew it was where she wanted to be. She says her favorite part about her advocacy role is finding a way to tell a story in a way that influences people to take action. She also loves the richness of stories that can be found working at a mission-driven organization, and that the end goal is to improve people’s lives.

Advocating for People with Diabetes

At the American Diabetes Association, Danielle works directly with the government affairs and advocacy department to support the organization’s policy and advocacy efforts. She helps share the stories of the millions of people affected by diabetes to stress the urgency of the diabetes epidemic, with the goal of creating awareness among our nation’s leaders and affecting policy.

In her day-to-day efforts, she’s usually involved in a combination of several activities. These range from publicly urging Congress to protect access to care for people living with diabetes; collecting stories from patients, caregivers, and health care providers affected by diabetes; building relationships with key reporters; prepping spokespeople for interviews; and supporting the organization’s advocacy initiatives.

In addition to her work, Danielle has a personal connection to diabetes. She was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes almost 20 years ago, and counts herself as truly blessed to be doing work that directly affects herself, her family and nearly 116 million other people each day.

Volunteering with WWPR

Shortly after Danielle joined WWPR, she got involved with the 2012 PR Woman of the Year committee. She has continued being involved in the organization and is currently serving for her fourth year on the WWPR Board.

Danielle’s passion for WWPR is rooted in her belief that WWPR not only provides female communicators with a network of support and professional development, but it is also a place where women can cultivate life-long friendships. By being so much more than a professional society, WWPR is committed to helping women in the communications field reach their career goals and find inspiration.

Advice for WWPR Members Wanting to Advocate for a Good Cause

Danielle believes that communicators have a unique skill set that makes us so valuable to nonprofit and advocacy organizations – especially those that can’t afford PR services. She encourages members to make a significant impact by volunteering time and skills to organizations like these, and help provide the critical strategic support that many nonprofits may not have access to.

In The Morning…

Danielle’s morning routine:

• First thing – read a daily devotional (right now it’s a compilation of daily devotionals that President Obama’s faith advisor authored)
• A quick 30-45 minute workout and shower, if she can avoid the dreaded snooze
• Then a green smoothie to help her take on the day

Article by Melinda Tolliver, a digital communications specialist who has worked in a variety of settings throughout her career. She loves the thrill of stringing together powerful, eloquent messages in under 140 characters, and creating thoughtful visuals to go with it. Her current position is with the Association of American Law Schools as a digitally-focused communications coordinator. Follow her tweets and ‘grams at @mmptolliver.