Portfolio

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Leah was the lead communications team member on this one-of-a-kind research, education and outreach endeavor. She brought a high level of enthusiasm and professional ability to the table. She and her team were responsible for securing valuable media attention locally and nationally as well as planning and coordinating numerous public relations events. She is a real PRO!

Dr. Jeremy Pattison, former faculty, N.C. State University Plants for Human Health Institute; now Senior Research Scientist, Driscoll’s

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Leah oversaw the marketing communications aspect of this project, which resulted in significant media attention for both universities and our students. She did a great job in planning and meeting objectives, involving our team and showcasing our students’ contributions.

Mark Allison, former Dean of Culinary Education, Johnson & Wales University in Charlotte; now Senior Vice President Culinary & Kitchen Operations, Chanticleer Holdings, Inc.

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Your high standards, eye for detail, candor and sense of humor have made work on The Produce Lady project one of the best experiences of my life. Every step along the way, you have been creative, dependable and tenacious. You will always be my first partner of choice!

Brenda Sutton, The Produce Lady

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The true measure of Communications effort boils down to Impact, and the value you’ve added has been established and validated unambiguously. Thank you for your efforts on behalf of the entire operation, and we appreciate your professionalism.

Excerpt from Performance Evaluation, Plants for Human Health Institute

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Leah Chester-Davis was instrumental in helping the North Carolina Nursery and Landscape Association become involved with the original Extension's Successful Gardener program. This experience was both beneficial and educational to our association as it represented our first effort to market the green industry's goods and services directly to the consumer. Leah set the bar high with well planned and colorful information on plants and gardening practices that consumers could not resist. I look back on that involvement as the initial foundation of our consumer marketing outreach.

Mark Peters, Past President North Carolina Nursery and Landscape Association

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Leah has the ability to bring a project from a concept to a final product. Her experience and connections with others in the communications field allow Leah to accomplish what novices like me can only dream about. Leah takes pride in everything she works on and she takes ownership of the project until the end.

John Vining, County Extension Director, Polk County, North Carolina

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It’s not a secret that the biggest challenge to creating good content is finding good writers! Leah solved that challenge for us! She does her research, knows agriculture and rural living and has a great ability to build rapport quickly. All these skills help her produce outstanding blogs and articles we’ve been able to use in our magazine, on our website and social media. Her articles are attention grabbing and educational and written so we can repackage them for use across many channels. Leah has helped us spotlight customers and their farms, special projects and even highlight employee expertise. Working with Leah enables us to leverage the skills and resources we have in the marketing department to our advantage. She’s been a wonderful ‘addition’ to our marketing department!

Maggie G. HammSVP Chief Marketing Officer, Carolina Farm Credit

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It is because of Leah’s vision that the North Carolina Cooperative Extension Family and Consumer Science agents have a quality publication that they can be proud of and that they can distribute throughout the state. Even after she stepped down from the board and turned the newsletter solely over to the agents, the publication has continued. This speaks volumes about her leadership skills and about her ability to guide others so that projects are sustainable long after she has moved on. Her work in packaging and positioning Successful Family has resulted in North Carolina Extension having a high quality product and recognizable brand that has served the two major universities (N.C. State and N.C. A&T State University) well over the years.

Sally McNeill, RD, LDN, N.C. Cooperative Extension

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Leah is a strategist, a team builder and a master of collaboration. She initiated and coordinated numerous award-winning efforts for N.C. Cooperative Extension. She brought together agents in counties across the state, packaged programs for impact and high visibility, attracted media and corporate sponsors, and packaged information to reach both key funding partners and thousands of citizens.

Dr. Deborah Crandall, RD, District Director, and Ms. Martha Burris, County Extension Director, N.C. Cooperative Extension