You’ve been working hard to rise through the ranks and into a communications leadership role. But what does it really take to make the jump?

Join CAPIO for this quarter’s Mentorship Monday event where you will hear from three fellow communicators who have recently made the leap to leading communications for their agencies. This moderated discussion and Q&A will cover a variety of topics, including personal branding, finding a mentor, professional development, networking, important skill sets to hone, polishing up your resume, work-life balance and more.

CAPIO’s quarterly Mentorship Monday series offers a one-of-a-kind opportunity for communications up-and-comers to obtain priceless advice and guidance from the most respected leaders in our industry today. Learn from seasoned communications professionals from across the state and from varying backgrounds to support achievement, success, learning and growth.

CAPIO’s NEW quarterly Mentorship Monday series offers a one-of-a-kind opportunity for communications up-and-comers to obtain priceless advice and guidance from the most respected leaders in our industry today. Learn from seasoned communications professionals from across the state and from varying backgrounds to support achievement, success, learning and growth.

Recorded: Monday, December 6, 2021

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ABOUT OUR SPEAKERS

Katie Evans
Director of Communications and Conservation
Coachella Valley Water District

Katie Evans is the Director of Communications and Conservation for Coachella Valley Water District, where she leads a team of 25 people who work on Outreach and Education and Water Management for the District. She joined CVWD in August 2015 as the Conservation Manager.  Prior to her employment with CVWD Katie was the Public Information Officer for Desert Water Agency.  She also served as a Community News Reporter for the Desert Sun newspaper covering local news for the City of Palm Springs on matters concerning city affairs, city council activity and local elections before she began working in the water industry. 

Katie obtained her Bachelor of Science degree in Journalism and Mass Communications from Arizona State University with minors in Business and Political Science.  She completed her Master’s Degree in Public Policy Administration at Northwestern University. She has achieved water certifications in both Distribution and Treatment from the California Department of Public Health and is a Certified Water Use Practitioner.  Katie is a member of the American Water Works Association and Association of California Water Agencies. 

Katie is long-time resident of the Palm Springs area, and her love of the city and surrounding areas has been the driving force in her passion for sharing information to the public. She lives in Bermuda Dunes with her family and enjoys participating in sports and other outdoor activities. She is the founder and president of the Coachella Valley Youth Hockey Foundation.

Dominique Samario
Public Information Officer
City of Murrieta

Dominique is an experienced communicator with more than 15 years of experience developing effective communications, public relations and outreach strategies for government, nonprofit and private agencies.

She currently serves as the Public Information Officer for the City of Murrieta. She has also held communications roles at the cities of Santa Barbara, Goleta and Menifee as well as the County of Santa Barbara.

Dominique earned her Masters of Public Administration and Bachelors of Arts in Media Communication & Theatre from the University of Southern California. She currently serves as the secretary for the Municipal Management Association of Southern California.

Heather Sumagaysay
Communications Manager/Public Information Officer
City of Ventura

Heather has more than 15 years of public sector experience and currently serves as the City of Ventura’s Communications Manager where she is in charge oversees the City’s comprehensive  communications strategy and manages day-to-day public information programs, social media outreach, community engagement, media relations, and internal communication programs.

 She previously worked for the Ventura County Fire Department (VCFD) as its lead Public Information and Marketing Officer, as well as, managed crisis communication and community outreach efforts in coordination with Ventura County’s Office of Emergency Services (OES) during the 2017 Thomas Fire, 2018 Woolsey Fire, and 2019 Conception Boat Fire in Santa Cruz. Her public-sector communications experience also includes roles at the cities of Santa Clarita and Beverly Hills.

She earned a master’s degree in strategic communications from The George Washington University in Washington D.C. and has several affiliations with regional and national communications organizations. In 2018, she was recognized by the Greater Conejo Valley Chamber of Commerce as a “40 under Forty” award honoree.

Moderator

Christina Byrne
Public Outreach Department Manager
Orange County Transportation Authority

Christina Byrne is the Public Outreach Department Manager at the Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) and currently serves on CAPIO’s board of directors as the social media chair.

She has nearly 20 years of experience conceptualizing, designing, and implementing proactive public participation and community outreach programs for large-scale transportation infrastructure projects.

Christina leads a team of eight staff responsible for managing all communications for 13 separate community outreach campaigns totaling more than $9 million.

In honor of Christina’s exceptional leadership in public-sector communications, she was bestowed CAPIO’s highest honor: the Paul B. Clark lifetime achievement award. Her work has also garnered several CAPIO and PRSA awards.

Christina has a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Chapman University and a master’s in public administration from California State University at Long Beach.