Alumni Spotlight: Jessica Noonan
Jessica Noonan,
Internal and Executive Communications Manager at Google
“As I’ve progressed in my career I’ve learned that flexibility is so important to find yourself a career that’s interesting and exciting.”
What was your undergraduate experience like?
At American I earned a dual degree - a BA in Public Communications and a BSBA specializing in marketing. That led me to activities and experiences that were focused on communications and business. I was (of course ;)) a super active PRSSA member, serving on AU’s board and the PRSSA national committee. It was one of the most rewarding experiences of my undergraduate career, and I couldn’t recommend it more. I was also actively involved in Alpha Kappa Psi, the business fraternity and worked with some of the best people at the Kogod Center for Career Development. Having as much of a close connection to Kogod as I did to SOC really helped me build solid business skills before starting my job post-graduation.
Where has your career path led you since graduating?
Immediately after graduating I went to NYC and started my full time role at Burson-Marsteller. I had interned there the summer before graduating and spring of my senior year. I got to work on a ton of interesting clients and PR campaigns there, including putting a Mustang on the empire state building.
Then I learned about the world of internal communications and found out I had a true passion for communicating to an employee audience. That led me to work with the Employee Engagement and Change Management Group at Weber Shandwick where I got to help companies communicate with their employees through major moments of change. And that led me to my move across the country and current role doing internal communications at Google.
What does your current role entail?
The majority of my role is helping Google executives communicate with their teams. What exactly that looks like varies by the day — sometimes it’s developing and running an employee event to share timely updates, other days it’s crafting an email around an organizational change, and sometimes it’s something completely random. It all comes down to making sure our internal communications inform, excite and engage our employees.
What’s one thing you love about your current job or working in public relations?
I love getting to be creative and trying new things. For the most part, we all have the same vehicles to communicate (emails, blog posts, etc.) but what really makes a communication standout is approaching it from a fresh perspective. I really enjoy finding ways to do something outside the box.
What’s your proudest accomplishment across your career so far?
From my early PR days, I loved the work I got to do with Ford Motor Company, we did such fun and interesting PR events. Beyond the above mentioned car on the Empire State Building, I equally enjoyed attending the Consumer Electronics Show and meeting with 20+ reporters each day of the event. Today a lot of my work is for internal audiences only, but most recently I’ve been really proud of the impactful communications my colleagues and I have done throughout the really tough year that is 2020.
What’s in the future for you?
When I was in college I had planned for a long career in agency PR. But once I was open to new opportunities I found something I was really passionate about. As I’ve progressed in my career I’ve learned that flexibility is so important to find yourself a career that’s interesting and exciting. So, I’m not sure exactly what’s in the future — but I know that I love having communications be a part of my day-to-day.
How have your experiences with PRSSA supported you in your professional career?
The biggest benefit of PRSSA is the network that you create. For me, in particular it was the network that I built beyond American. I got to meet so many young PR pros through PRSSA and make lifelong friends (including my NYC roommate) and connections that I now go to regularly as gut checks.
What advice would you give to current AU PRSSA members to prepare for a career in public relations?
It’s an evolving industry, but one skill remains essential to being a good communications professional: writing well. Most jobs you apply for will have a writing test and your ability to quickly craft communications is critical. So build out your writing skills first and then figure out what type of PR / communications you’re interested in most.
Fun fact!
Pre-quarantine, my favorite hobby was the flying trapeze. I did it at least once a week and can’t wait to get back to it once things are open again. Until then, I spend as much time as possible walking, hiking and playing with my Shiba Inu pup named Yuki!
Jessica Noonan is a Communications Manager at Google where she oversees internal and executive communications for Google’s Advertising team. Her specialty is helping executives inform, inspire and engage their teams through influential communications. Jessica's experience spans across multiple industries, including technology, advertising, healthcare, crop protection, financial services, automotive and consumer products.
Jessica holds a Bachelor of Arts in Public Communication and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, specializing in marketing, from American University. She resides in San Francisco with her husband and their Shiba Inu.
