John Slights

Strategic communications leader with a strong background in public relations, marketing, and project management. Adept at developing and executing comprehensive communication strategies that enhance organizational visibility and stakeholder engagement. Experienced in media relations, crisis communications, and event coordination. Skilled in leading cross-functional teams and aligning messaging with organizational goals. Self-starter who thrives in fast-paced environments and adapts to pivot with changing priorities. Passionate about clear, concise storytelling that effectively conveys key messages.

Strategic Engagement Specialist, Information Technology Category | Dec 2024 – Apr 2025

General Services Administration (GSA) – Federal Acquisition Service | Remote  

• Communicates clearly and concisely to make it easier for other feds and the general  public to understand complex IT contracts for GSA’s main software procurement arm.
• Tracks all media articles highlighting and showcasing ITC’s contracts and work in the mainstream media.
• Spearheads a weekly White House report outlining upcoming events, webinars and media inquiries from ITC.
• Serves as a Zoom webinar host for facilitating ITC-related events.
• Processes travel requests, event management and travel budgets for ITC professionals.

Client Communications Specialist, Real Estate Client Team |  March 2023 – Dec 2024

General Services Administration – Office of Strategic Communication | Washington, DC & Remote

• Supported the Public Buildings Service,  Office of Leasing and the Office of Portfolio Management and Customer Engagement. 
• Provided building managers for thousands of federal buildings with a strategic plan to prepare for all possible water testing outcomes and hosted webinars to share information with tenants for ongoing water quality management efforts. 
• Managed internal trackers for clients, ensuring that projects were completed in a timely fashion and deadlines were met. 
• Collaboratively developed and maintained communications and marketing initiatives, including press releases and webpages, for GSA’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act programs.
• Oversaw development of the inaugural Biennial GSA Construction Awards, a program fostering relationships between construction professionals and the federal government by showcasing exemplary national federal construction projects.
• Created a multifaceted social media campaign, targeted mailing, online videos, and agency newsletters as part of strategic communications and program management for this project resulting in increased participation.
• Led multiple White House policy initiatives and various public-facing projects and campaigns on behalf of the agency.

Program Analyst, Enterprise Emerging Leadership Program (EELP) | Washington, DC & Remote Aug 2021 – March 2023

General Services Administration, Various Departments

• Member of Enterprise Emerging Leadership Program (EELP), a leadership development program providing comprehensive exposure to the inner workings of GSA while rotating through various departments: Office of Administrative Services, Office of Congressional and Intergovernmental Affairs, Technology Modernization Fund (TMF) Project Management Office, and Office of Strategic Communication. 

Program Analyst, Chief of Staff’s Office | Nov 2022 – March 2023

General Services Administration – Office of Administrative Services

• Updated Office of Administrative Services' Google website to provide employees with easier access to relevant information. 
• Maintained a spreadsheet logging Special Act Awards, ensuring that employees received awards on schedule. 
• Performed trend analysis of key performance indicators (KPIs) for leadership to highlight successes and areas of improvement. 

Program Analyst |  March 2022 – Nov 2022

General Services Administration, Office of Congressional and Intergovernmental Affairs

• Prepared the Week Ahead document for the Executive Suite at GSA, detailing the agency’s activities on Capitol Hill and various congressional offices and committees (as well as state and local government). 
• Developed a Smartsheet software office tracker to inform employees of project progress, issues, and resolution. 
• Learned the Smartsheet software and provided training to 9 other employees. 
• Facilitated stakeholder engagement by addressing congressional inquiries from multiple offices. 

Program Analyst |  Jan 2022 – March 2022

General Services Administration, Technology Modernization Fund (TMF) Project Management Office 

• Created five standard operating procedures for the office to outline the policies and guidelines of the Fund. 
• Developed TMF Investment Guide, a resource sent out to partnering agencies explaining the process of receiving funding. 

Program Analyst |  Aug 2021 – Jan 2022 

General Services Administration, Office of Strategic Communication 

• Created multiple agency-wide Town Hall surveys to provide event organizers with feedback on issues important to employees. 
• Redeveloped internal Google Site to house multiple documents and presentations for onboarding and in-house functions. 

ADDITIONAL EXPERIENCE

Intern/Segment Producer | WUGA Public Radio |  April 2018 – May 2021

• Part-time segment producer for Athens News Matters, WUGA’s flagship news program. Checked program logs, hosted programs and wrote scripts for newscasts reaching thousands of listeners. 

Research Assistant | University of Georgia: Grady College of Journalism & Mass Communication |  Aug 2018 – Dec 2019 

• Multimedia project co-sponsored by the Latin American-Caribbean Studies Institute and the University of Georgia.

Intern | Office of U.S. Senator Chris Coons, United States Senate |  Jan 2016 – April 2016

• Synthesized constituent communication for electronic delivery to the Senator, allowing easier interaction with residents.

American University, BA 2017 (Political Science)
University of Georgia, MA 2019 (Journalism and Mass Communication)