I am a digital storyteller and Journalist Program Manager at Facebook. I am also an Adjunct Professor teaching social media at the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. Prior to Facebook, I worked as the Community Manager and Social Media Strategist at Mashable.com where I worked on building its online and social community, as well as social-related integrations on Mashable.com I also covered trends in the media industry. Before Mashable, I  worked on social media at The New York Times. I have a Master of Science degree in Digital Media from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism in New York City where I produced NYC 3.0, a website that included an in-depth documentary on New York City’s tech startup community. Prior to Columbia, I studied at the University of Minnesota where I received a B.A. in Journalism, summa cum laude, in 2009. While at the University of Minnesota, I worked as a reporter, managing editor and editor-in-chief for four years at The Minnesota Daily, the fourth largest newspaper in Minnesota. There I worked to re-design Mndaily.com, increased Web production and directed new Web enterprises, including: blogs, multimedia, forums, Campus Tweets, the Daily Facebook application, Twitter account and more.

I have also written for PBS NewsHour, Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal, the Star Tribune, Poynter.org, Mashable.com and more. My interests are in digital media and how to best utilize social media to reach audiences. I am an ideas person and am passionate about the future of storytelling online.

In the News

*CNN -“Facebook trying to “friend” journalists”
*Poynter - “Your Picks & Ours for 35 Influential People in Social Media”
*Artful Living Magazine - “Virtual Virtuoso”
*CNN – “Foursquare takes lead in where-am-I apps”
*Austin American-Statesman – “Social Media Awards winner Williams hopes Gowalla gets people exploring”
*Mediabistro – “On The Menu: Digital Journalism And Going To J-School”
*Poynter Online – “Experimental Facebook use rewards news readers”
*Mpls.-St. Paul Magazine – “Meet the New Press”
*The Huffington Post – “A Minnesota College Newspaper Editor on Israel-Hamas Conflict”
*USA Today – “Reporting on Middle East”
*Knight Foundation – “U of M researchers using Facebook application to engage youth in news”
*Minneapolis/St. Paul City Pages – “An interesting experiment by The Minnesota Daily student newspaper”
*Knight Digital Media Center: News Leadership 3.0 – “Facebook: Engaging young people in news”
*Minneapolis/St. Paul City Pages – “Minn. Daily editor writes firsthand account of life in Israel during attacks”