Public Engagement
Writing during this internship did not stay on the page because as it turns out, research can become handouts, talking points, meetings, scripts, interviews, town halls, event materials, and public conversations. This internship taught me that writing can be evidence, memory, education, engagement, and action all at the same time.
Satire as Public Education
I wrote, developed, and then performed a satirical live-performance script with Charlie Berens and other statewide organizers. The script used humor and storytelling to make complicated issues, like data-center development, land use, utility infrastructure, corporate influence, and public accountability, more accessible to a public audience.
“My dad used to say: when someone offers you a big, complicated deal and says, ‘Don’t worry about the details,’ you should worry.”
I translated technical and political material into a live-performance format. The challenge was to make the material funny and recognizable without losing factual accuracy or minimizing the seriousness of the issue.
Skills Demonstrated
Satirical writing · Audience analysis ·
Public-interest communication · Creative nonfiction ·
Policy translation · Collaborative writing
What I Learned
Humor can make people more willing to engage with difficult public issues. It can lower the barrier to entry without making the stakes smaller.
“Now, I do want to address that some people have wild concerns: mass surveillance used by the federal government and the military, *hard pause, smile*
Right. So, Peperoncino is a family‑owned mega‑scale commercial developer with centuries of experience in hyper‑scale industrial projects. The kind of family that shows up whenever there’s a 430‑acre corn maze full of tax breaks on the table.”
Uniting West Wisconsin: Two Days of Music, Organizing, and Community
I served as logistics and volunteer coordinator for Uniting West Wisconsin, a two-day community event held in Eau Claire and Knapp. The event brought together more than 750 attendees, grassroots organizers, local residents, musicians, artists, advocates, and speakers from across Wisconsin.
The event used music, storytelling, public education, and community gathering to connect people facing development pressure, environmental concerns, and questions about land, water, energy, and local control.
My Role
I coordinated volunteer roles, event logistics, schedules, communication, and on-site problem-solving across a multi-location, two-day program. I helped make sure volunteers knew where they needed to be, what they were responsible for, and how the event’s different pieces fit together.
Skills Demonstrated
Event logistics · Volunteer coordination · Multi-day programming · Community outreach · Team communication · Problem-solving · Public engagement
Outcome
More than 750 people attended across two days, creating space for people from different communities to connect around responsible development, environmental protection, public accountability, and local self-determination.
Logistics and Volunteer Coordinator | Eau Claire and Knapp, Wisconsin
Featured Artists and Speakers
Them Coulee Boys
Madilyn Bailey
Charlie Berens
D. Janakey
Laura Buchholz
Ken Szymanski
Isaac Wold
Winona Storms
Brittany Keyes
Prescott Balch
Statewide organizers, local advocates, artists, and community members
AI Data Center National Day of Protest
Event Planning, Outreach, and Public Messaging
I planned a protest in Madison, WI as part of the AI Data Center National Day of Protest, on behalf of No Data Center DeForest and Wisconsin Alliance for Responsible Development. The event connected local concerns to a growing national conversation about artificial intelligence infrastructure, hyperscale data centers, water use, energy demand, land conversion, tax incentives, and community consent.
My Role
I planned the event structure, created outreach materials, designed flyers, developed public-facing messaging, and coordinated promotion. I translated complex concerns about AI infrastructure and data-center development into language that local residents could understand and share.
Skills Demonstrated
Event planning · Grassroots organizing · Strategic communications · Graphic design · Public messaging · Community outreach · Issue framing
NDCD Rebrand and Public-Facing Communications
My Role
I contributed to messaging, public framing, visual identity, and communication strategy for the organization’s next stage.
Skills Demonstrated
Strategic communications · Audience development · Branding · Organizational development · Public messaging
As the QTS proposal withdrew and the movement began looking beyond one project, I participated in the rebranding of No Data Center DeForest. We needed to consider how the organization could preserve its local roots while growing into a longer-term resource for responsible development, transparency, and community self-determination.
And there was the additional point that we had all just grown to like each other, and wanted to make sure we had a reason to see each other every week.
