Deirdre Mikolajcik

I am a storyteller and wordsmith extraordinaire specializing in public relations, strategic planning, internal communications, and project management with a passion for media, growth & development, and relationship building.

FREEMAN COMMUNICATIONS (Lexington, KY)                                                      2022-Present

Account Manager, Public Relations & Content Marketing Specialist

Day to day management of key agency accounts working directly alongside agency Founder & Director of Marketing Strategy. Managed interns, monitored press coverage, and established foundations for on-going relationships with media and influencers on behalf of clients. 

HGPR INC. (NYC/LA/Lexington, KY)                                                                        2021-2022

Vice President of Content and Strategy

Created and managed multi-tier public relations strategies and timelines with an integrated marketing component to yield consumer brand recognition and media interest. 

DEAR MIK (Lexington, KY/Remote)                                                                         2018-2023 

Owner: Marketing, PR, and Communications Consultant

Independent contract consulting: built and managed training materials for national companies such as Necco Corp.; wrote and edited merger and acquisitions playbooks, newsletters, talking points etc. for Bluebird Communications’ clients; wrote strategic plans and proposals for boutique PR firms.

UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY (Lexington, KY)                                                          2013-2021

Instructor (Writing, English, & Gender and Women’s Studies) 

Primary instructor for undergraduate in-person and online courses, including composition, communication, critical inquiry, research, business writing, literature, and film courses. Received consistent positive evaluations, and my students achieved departmental recognition and awards. Advised, counseled, and coached students in small classes and individually. 

THE SAYRE SCHOOL (Lexington, KY)                                                                       2019-2021

Upper School English Teacher

Instructor of English in private, non-religious high school. Taught Advanced Placement English Literature, two tenth grade English classes, and philosophy electives in traditional, remote, and hybrid modalities. I was also head coach of the swim team and on the faculty awards committee. 

GLEAN KENTUCKY (Lexington, KY)                                                                         2019-2020

Community Outreach & Development Coordinator 

I conducted interviews with non-profit and for-profit organizations, compiling information into an organizational growth strategy for Glean Kentucky’s 10-year anniversary rebranding. Managed gleaning initiatives across the state and reported progress to Executive Director. Wrote and published a community gleaning field guide for use in communities across Kentucky. 

Ph.D. English, University of Kentucky — 2019

M.A. English, University of Missouri, Kansas City — 2012

B.A. English, Wichita State University & Lewis University — 2010