Kate Meyers Emery

About Me

An accomplished nonprofit leader in communications with a proven track record of developing and executing creative engagement strategies. Uses experimentation, data, and creativity to transform complex stories into simple yet compelling, human-centered content. Has a strong sense of curiosity, depth of industry knowledge, and curiosity that contributes to success.

    Experience

    Senior Digital Communications Manager, Candid, March 2022-Present

    • Leads strategic vision, content production, and analysis of organic social media (275K followers), email (500K subscribers), and supports blog (30K monthly readers) for a data-driven 501(c)(3) nonprofit that gets funders and nonprofits the info they need to do good
    • Transformed social media by creating bold, engaging, and human-centered content:
      • Engagement boosted 400% on Instagram and 137% on LinkedIn over 2 years
      • Led implementation of video program for Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok, resulting in 2x engagement and 500K views in first 3 months
      • Manages digital community via social listening and active engagement; 11K replies in 2023 alone
    • Plans, produces, edits, and, occasionally, acts as on-screen talent for short-form videos, in collaboration with internal team; producing 2x short-form videos per week
    • Designs all graphics for social media, email, and blog, and supports broader visual communication
    • Oversees Candid email program; leads A/B testing, journey development, and list cleanup, grew list from 250K to 600K and increased open rate to 34%
    • Conducts qualitative and quantitative analysis of outreach to ensure alignment with OKRs and KPIs; adjusts strategy to guide experimentation and improvement; presents in monthly and annual deck
    • Works with C-suite and senior staff to develop their thought leadership on social media and provides creative support with conference presentations to ensure clear visual communication
    • Crafted organization’s social media brand guidelines, voice, and outreach strategy
    • Mentors staff on social media, WordPress, Salesforce Marketing Cloud, Canva, and other platforms
    • Oversees communications intern; provided 4 interns with professional development over 2 years
    • Manages budget for digital experimentation and brand awareness on social media
    • Led re-development of alt-text requirements and accessibility standards for social media
    • Serves as co-chair of the Women’s Diversity Resource Group in 2024

    Manager of Digital Engagement, George Eastman Museum, March 2016-March 2022

    • Led strategic vision, management, and content production for all public facing digital engagement for internationally recognized museum, including social media, audio tours, Drupal website, virtual tours, e-newsletters, mobile app, online events, and onsite interactives to create a unified visitor experience both on-site and online
    • Led transformation of digital experiences across the museum:
      • Social media audience grew 70% and engagement by 100%;
      • YouTube views increased by 143%;
      • E-newsletter opens increased by 137% and clicks by 78%,
      • Mobile app users increased by 738%
    • Provided strategic vision and project management leadership for grant-funded program to experiment and develop engaging, and unified online experiences for diverse audiences, including virtual tours, webinars, educational videos, and sharing of collections materials
      • Supervised a team of over 20 staff members and managed grant budget
    • Conducts qualitative and quantitative analysis of all digital outreach to ensure alignment with goals; adjusts strategy accordingly to continuously improve
    • Supervises videographer and oversees the entire process from script development to filming and editing to distribution; production of over 20 videos annually
    • Oversees team of three content producers for website, social media, and e-newsletters
    • Manages the historic process workshops program, which engages audiences in STEAM learning online via live demonstrations and virtual field trips; leads creative vision and production, including lesson planning and educational materials
    • Leads production of educational materials, including graphic design
    • Guides crisis management on all digital platforms, specifically social media
    • Develops and maintains influencer relationships
    • Leads annual silent auction fundraising, and aids Development in production of digital mid-year and year-end annual appeals
    • Collect, assess, and analyze quantitative and qualitative data to inform strategy
    • Trains staff in digital literacy and related skills
    • Oversees and implements WCAG 2.0 and accessibility compliance
    • Served as a member of the DEI committee and led re-interpretation of museum’s namesake

    Adjuct Professor and Educator, Various, May 2011 – March 2020

    • Taught courses in creating social media strategies, developing dynamic online presences, and designing effective digital campaigns for individuals and organizations at including:
      • Rochester Brainery
      • Michigan State University, including Graduate School and Anthropology department
      • Nazareth University
      • Rochester Institute of Technology.

    Institute on Digital Archaeology Method Assistant, Michigan State University, August 2015 – August 2016

    • Aided the NEH-ODH funded institute faculty and staff in workshops and operations, map-based projects, live-tweeting, and Knowledge Base.

    Associate Editor for Bioarchaeology, Society for Archaeological Sciences Bulletin, April 2012 – May 2016

    • Wrote and edited articles for a quarterly bulletin summarizing topics and current events in Bioarchaeology, including topics on stable isotope analysis, archival research, climate, conference presentations, and more. All nine articles are available open access online.

    Campus Archaeology Fellow, Michigan State University, September 2010 – May 2016

    • Coordinated public outreach both in-person and online through social media and blogs based on onsite programming and research informed by collections and archival research
    • Oversaw maintenance and design of WordPress website and related digital assets including virtual museum; led team of content creators to produce online materials
    • Found creative ways to engage students and alumni community in the archaeology and heritage of Michigan State’s campus
    • Managed team of graduate and undergraduate archaeologists

    Lead Game Designer for Red Land Black Land, Michigan State University, 01/2011 – 05/2012

    • Responsible for content design, scenario design, written dialogue, project management, and led user testing for Civ V mod that educated on different interpretations of Ancient Egypt’s history

    Cultural Heritage Informatics, Michigan State University, January 2010 – May 2014

    • Experimented with the design and creation of various digital humanities tools and methods, including mobile applications, geospatial tools, video games, databases
    • Developed map based database for classifying pre-Christian cemeteries in England; CMS for a historic archaeological collection; geospatial mobile app

    Selected Publications

    Blog contributions (see menu for links):

    • Candid insights, March 2022-Present
    • Museum musings, May 2016-March 2022
    • Bones Don’t Lie (bonesdontlie.com), August 2010 – May 2016: Personal blog for news and opinions on mortuary and bioarchaeology. Ranked among top Anthropology blogs, editor’s choice for Research Blogging, and certified academic source through Research Blogging and Science Seeker. Over 1.7 million views during active period.

    Selected Presentations

    • Conferences and Panels Organized
    • Panel Co- Organizer, Presenter, and Moderater, All It Takes is Staff Time: Lightning Round of Low to No Budget Projects. Museum Computer Network, October-November 2021
    • Panel Organizer, Expanding the Experience: Using Digital Technology to Re-imagine Exhibitions. Museums and the Web, April 2-6, 2019
    • Chair and Organizer, Work is Never Over: Different Approaches to Digital Engagement in an Ever-Changing World. Museums Association of New York, April 7-9, 2018
    • Chair, Invited Symposium: Buried, Burned, Bundled and Broken: Approaches to Co-Occurrence of Multiple Methods, Treatments and Styles of Burials Within Past Societies. Society for American Archaeology Annual Meeting, April 6-10, 2016
    • Chair, Invited Symposium: Place and Space in a Digital Landscape: New Perspectives on Analyzing and Sharing Geospatial Data in Archaeology. Society for American Archaeology Annual Meeting, April 24, 2014.

    Conference Workshops

    • Meyers Emery, Kate and Jennifer Aho 2018. Workshop: No Cheat Codes Needed: We Built a Digital Game for a Museum and You Can, Too! Museums and the Web. Vancouver, BC. April 18-21, 2018.

    Paper and Submitted Presentations

    • Meyers Emery, Kate 2024. How to make more content (with less work). Nonprofit Technology Conference, Portland, OR. March 12-14, 2023.
    • Meyers Emery, Kate 2024. How to find content when you don’t have puppies. Nonprofit Marketing Summit, Virtual, March 4-6, 2025.
    • Meyers Emery, Kate 2023. A data-driven approach to social media strategy. Nonprofit Technology Conference. Denver, CO. April 12-14, 2023.
    • Meyers Emery, Kate 2021. No one understands my job, and that’s a problem. IGNITE session. Museum Computer Network. Virtual. October-November 2021.
    • Stuber, Tracy and Kate Meyers Emery. Frankenstein’s Museum App: Learning from the Landscape of Digital Initiatives. Paper Presentation. Museums and the Web. Boston, MA. April 2-6, 2019.
    • Meyers Emery, Kate and Hannah Barry 2017. #MuseumLove: Working Together to Promote Local Cultural Institutions. Paper Presentation. Museums and the Web. Cleveland, OH. April 19-22, 2017.
    • Meyers Emery, Kathryn 2016. Resting Places and Digital Spaces: ieldran : The Early Anglo-Saxon Cemetery Mapping Project. Digital Middle Ages Invited Symposium. Medieval Academy of America Annual Meeting. Boston, MA. February 24-26, 2016.
    • Meyers Emery, Katy 2015. Digital Digging: The impact of technology on learning and digital confidence in an undergraduate archaeology course. Center for the Integration of Research, Teaching and Learning: All-Network TAR Presentations. Online Presentations. April 30, 2015.
    • Meyers Emery, Katy 2015. Diverse Digital Archaeologies- CAA-NA & DDIG Event. Forum Discussant. Society for American Archaeology Annual Meeting. San Francisco, CA. April 16, 2015.
    • Meyers, Katy and Lynne Goldstein 2014. Social Media for Engagement, Communication, and Collaboration: The MSU Campus Archaeology Program, Invited Honorary Speaker. Midwest Historic Archaeology Conference. Niles, MI. September 28, 2014.
    • Meyers, Katy 2014. Linking the Spaces of Resting Places: GIS, Anglo-Saxon Archaeology & Linked Open Data. Invited Symposium. Society for American Archaeology Annual Meeting. Austin, TX. April 24, 2014.
    • Meyers, Katy 2014. Blogging Archaeology, Again- Discussant. Invited Symposium. Society for American Archaeology Annual Meeting. Austin, TX. Saturday, April 26, 2014.

    Invited Presentations

    • Meyers Emery, Kate 2021. When Cultural Organizations Become Videogame Producers. We Are Museums. November 18, 2021.
    • Meyers Emery, Kate 2017. CTRL + ALT + DELETE: Tips & Tricks for Creating & Managing Your Digital Identity. Upstate Social Sessions. September 15, 2017.
    • Meyers Emery, Kate 2017. A Roadmap For Creating Cool Digital Maps. Rochester Advertising Federation: 20 Minutes and a Beer. September 12, 2017.
    • Meyers Emery, Kate 2017. Not Everything to Everyone: Observations from Creating A Social Media Brand. William A. Kern Speaker Series. February 16, 2017.
    • Meyers Emery, Katy 2015. Digital Digging: The impact of technology on learning and digital confidence in an undergraduate archaeology course. UMass Amherst CIRTL Network Invited Lecture. September 29, 2015.

    Education

    Michigan State University, PhD, Anthropology

    University of Edinburgh, MSc with Distinction, Archaeology

    State University of New York at Geneseo, BA, Anthropology

    Skills

    • Engagement: LinkedIn, X (Twitter), Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Threads, emerging social media platforms, Constant Contact, Salesforce Marketing Cloud
    • Audio & Video: TikTok, YouTube, Instagram Reels, Vimeo, Audacity, iMovie, SoundCloud, Adobe Rush
    • Design: Adobe CSuite (Photoshop and InDesign), Google Suite, Microsoft Office, Canva
    • CMS & CRM: Drupal, WordPress, OMEKA, OnCell Mobile Tours, Sprout Social, Hootsuite
    • Organization & Data: GitHub, Jira, Basecamp, Meta Business Suite, Google Analytics
    • Programming Languages: HTML 5, CSS 3, Bootstrap, KML