Hello, I am

Robert Alford

Creative Strategist

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About Me

With purpose and insight, I help clients achieve today’s goals and prepare for tomorrow’s successes. My background spans higher ed fundraising, work in luxury consumer magazines, and doctoral study in Film and Media, and this experience has made me into a systems thinker with a strong visual sensibility. I thrive when imagining new ways to communicate with the people who matter and translating thought into action with imagery, words, and experiences. Where do you want to go next, and how can I help you get there?

PhD, Film and Media, 2016
University of California, Berkeley

MA, Rhetoric, 2010
University of California, Berkeley

BA, Art History, 2006
Swarthmore College

My Experience

2021
-
present
Associate
SteegeThomson Communications

Specializing in development communications, I create the full range of communications deliverables for higher ed, arts and culture, and independent school clients. I work closely with clients to understand internal culture through intensive discovery interviews, develop comprehensive communications plans to help them meet their goals for internal and external audiences, create highly visual messaging and cases for support in print, video, and digital vehicles, and steward critical donors.

2019
-
2021
Associate Director, Donor Relations
Swarthmore College

At Swarthmore I kept donors updated on the campus activities they support by creating reports and drafting communications from the College. In particular, I managed the Endowed Scholarships process, which resulted in tailored reports to 500+ donors annually. I also oversaw the creation of presidential acknolwedgment letters and other correspondence, and stategized compelling ways to engage donors and recognize them on campus.

2017
-
2018
Assistant Director, Donor Relations
UCLA School of the Arts and Architecture

I maintained relationships with major donors to the School by designing and coordinating programming, drafting and disseminating reports, tracking funds, and ensuring that donors receive regular updates and invitations to events. I was also in charge of the scholarship acknowledgement process in the Dean’s Office, where I liaised with staff, faculty, and students throughout the School to gather materials and plan events.

2017
Grant Writer
Hammer Museum

I managed all aspects of the grant process, inclusive of research, solicitation, drafting proposals, internal review, submission, database maintenance, and reporting. Notable grants I won included a $200,000 multi-year grant from the Ford Foundation and a $100,000 grant from The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts.

2008
-
2016
PhD Candidate / Instructor
UC Berkeley

At Berkeley, I organized and delivered 11 courses for class sizes ranging from 11 to 67 students, and designed and executed a long-term, qualitative research study on media consumption in LGBTQ+ communities. I also had many opportunities to mentor and advise students and peers, and I led teaching workshops for first-time graduate student instructors.

2006
-
2008
Fact Checker
American Express Publishing

I maintained the accuracy and tone of consumer publications including Travel + Leisure and Departures by researching topics, verifying information with external parties, liaising with editors, and assuming copyediting duties when needed.

My Skills

Writing and Editing

14+ years experience writing, editing, and publishing work in print, digital, and social media.

Research

Familiarity with a variety of resources and research methodologies to find and leverage important information.

Collaboration

Extensive experience liaising with a wide range of internal and external stakeholders to achieve shared objectives.

Project Management

Understanding of all needs of a project and how to construct timelines and build out tasks to meet ambitious goals.

Communication

Ability to act as a bridge between different backgrounds and make complex ideas accessible to a wide range of audiences.

Experience Design

Attention to environmental factors and behavioral patterns to create experiences that make messages and ideas stick.

My Portfolio