Strategic Growth & National Expansion: Played a pivotal role in Waterford’s expansion from a Utah-based organization to a national leader in early childhood education, implementing targeted media placements and strategic storytelling to establish credibility and demand in new regions. Leveraged local known partners to advocate for early education and Waterford to assist in securing funding.

Revenue Growth & Marketing Impact: Led integrated marketing and PR strategies that drove measurable growth:

• Secured media hits in The New York Times, Washington Post, PBS, Yahoo News, USA Today

• Increased annual media coverage from 40 to 150+ articles

• Reduced negative sentiment from 10% to 3%

• Grew audience engagement from 91 to 164 interactions per post

• Expanded unique visitors per month (UVM) from 440K to 4.1M

Cross-Functional Leadership: As a member of the executive leadership team for four years, worked across teams—Advocacy, Community Engagement, School Relations, Professional Learning, and Curriculum & Research—to develop materials, campaigns, and executive messaging that align with Waterford’s mission and goals.​

Public Affairs & Strategic Partnerships: Built and nurtured relationships with state superintendents, government officials, and national organizations, directly contributing to policy wins and funding opportunities. Key achievements include:

• Leading efforts in Utah to strengthen relationships with agencies historically opposed to Waterford including Granite School District, USBE, United Way, Head Start, and Care for Kids Network. The relationship with Granite resulted in a multi-million dollar contract.

• Supporting Executive Director, Claudia Miner in USBE’s RFP process for UPSTART in 2019 where funding was secured.

• Securing support from the Utah State Superintendent, Syd Dickson who said, “Kim is the best hire Waterford could have made.”

• Establishing partnerships with United Way, Head Start, and school districts across Utah, Mississippi, North Dakota, South Carolina, New Mexico, Florida, as well as national groups like The Children's Movement, TED, and major media outlets.

Executive Representation & Thought Leadership: Served as Waterford’s primary spokesperson for over three years, leading media relations and public-facing advocacy efforts. Represented Waterford at legislative hearings in Utah, Indiana and Wisconsin, advocating for early childhood education funding and policy improvements.

Data-Driven Decision Making: Partnered with the CTO to develop ROI-tracking systems for recruitment campaigns, community engagement, influencer partnerships, advertising, and PR efforts, ensuring optimized resource allocation and improved performance tracking.