Krissa Corbett Cavouras

 

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Professional Experience

Brooklyn Public Library | 2014 to present

Consultant, Digital Engagement

January 2023 to present

I’m currently consulting on the marketing & content strategy components of a major website refresh and Drupal 9 upgrade, leading the user experience engagement to thoughtfully overhaul the Library’s sitewide navigation and information architecture in order to deliver a better patron experience on our website.

Director of Digital Engagement, Marketing & Communications

July 2017 to December 2022

In my tenure as Director, I helped transform the Library’s digital marketing strategy, making it a crucial element for promoting our campaigns and core services to Brooklyn’s diverse 2.5 million residents across our 61 branches, and positioning us as a digital-forward organization.

  • I helmed a four-person team of copywriters and social media specialists; we wrote, edited and updated all the content published on the Library’s website, email and social media channels to highlight our resources, drive attendance and  increase engagement for programs and services.

  • I led the content strategy for our 2017 website relaunch, working internally to streamline and harmonize tens of thousands of pages into a patron-first framework that increased discoverability of our content while highlighting our brand traits of accessibility and inclusion. 

  • Working with our Development team, I coordinated the digital components for our end-of-year fundraising efforts across web and email; we’ve more than doubled our digital fundraising revenue in my tenure, primarily through improved email targeting and website engagement touchpoints.

  • I transformed our flagship biweekly email newsletter, Bookmark, continually improving the layout and editorial direction to drive attendance at our events and increase engagement with our collections; since 2016, we’ve nearly tripled our audience to over 500,000 subscribers and our engagement has more than doubled, with average open rates of 28% in 2022. 

  • I helped research and launch our award-winning flagship podcast, Borrowed, and served as a founding co-host. Since its launch in 2019, Borrowed has been reviewed in The Guardian and the BBC, named on Best Podcast lists from Los Angeles Review of Books and Town & Country Magazine, and yielded over 105,000 downloads and counting.

Engagement Manager, Marketing & Communications

december 2014 to June 2017

Hired as Engagement Manager, I handled the flagship social media presence for the Library and supported our website and email communications expansions. 

  • I led our expanded Instagram efforts, yielding a 2000% increase in Instagram followers over my first two years.

  • I helped launch BPL’s Check Out BKLYN initiative, with hundreds of celebrity and influencer book recommendations posting across BPL website and social media channels. 

  • I coordinated our onboarding for Salesforce Marketing Cloud as the Library’s primary email marketing platform, bringing a dozen disparate department newsletters into brand and editorial alignment.


Prior Experience | 2002 to 2014

KNOWLEDGE MANAGER

SMARTSIGN LLC | 2012 - 2014

As Knowledge Manager for SmartSign’s marketing department, I built and managed a database for news stories and research relevant to our product lines to keep our customer service teams updated on emerging trends and regulations; as well as publishing content directly for a B2B audience through our blogs, email and social media channels. 

RESEARCH ASSISTANT

BARON EDMOND DE ROTHSCHILD CHEMICAL DEPENDENCY INSTITUTE at BETH ISRAEL MEDICAL CENTER | 2010 – 2012

I served as Research Assistant for two ongoing grant-funded projects, and provided each research team with specialized data and knowledge management solutions.

CONTENT STRATEGY ASSISTANT

COPYRIGHT ADVISORY OFFICE AT COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY | SUMMER 2010

I worked with Copyright Advisory Office Director, Dr. Kenneth Crews, on updating the website and implementing new content. I researched and delivered Q&As for copyright issues based on real submissions to the CAO; researched for and collaborated with Dr. Crews on two new teaching tools: Researching Copyright Status of a Book and The TEACH Act, Fair Use, and Copyright.

 

GRADUATE ASSISTANT

DR. CRISTINA PATTUELLI, PRATT institute School of information | 2010-2011

As Dr. Pattuelli’s Graduate Assistant, I created and updated software tutorials for in-class activities, helped with research data and visualization, and maintained the class website. I also designed and taught weekly lab activities for Dr. Pattuelli’s Knowledge Management classes on controlled vocabularies, thesauri, and DublinCore.

 

OFFICE MANAGER

THE AMERICAN CENTER FOR THE ALEXANDER TECHNIQUE [2007-2010]

As the self-directed office manager of a 200+ membership organization and teacher-training facility, I was responsible for financial maintenance and accounts payable/receivable, distributing the monthly membership newsletter and public outreach communications, and managing our membership database.

 

ASSISTANT EDITOR & EDITORIAL ADMINISTRATOR

AMERICAN PHOTO MAGAZINE [2002-2006]

I wrote one to three articles per issue and edited all incoming copy. I was also involved in proofreading, copy-editing, and fact checking. Administrative duties: in charge of databasing and cataloguing all incoming media and liaising with studios, as well as maintaining databases of clients and contacts.


EDUCATION

Bachelor of the Arts, Sarah Lawrence College, May 2002

Master of Science, Information and Library Science, Pratt Institute, May 2011

2011 Recipient of the Pratt Circle Award for Outstanding Academic Achievement

 

SKILLS

Web: Google Analytics, Google Ads, Google Business Profile, Drupal 7

Email:  Salesforce Marketing Cloud, Mail Chimp, Litmus

Social Media: Twitter, Facebook and Instagram (both paid and organic), Sprout Social

Communications: Slack, Asana, Google Business Suite and Microsoft Office 365

Languages: French (fluent) and Portuguese (native)

 

Other Stuff

Back in the salad days of the Internet, I started a blog called le petit hiboux. That means "the little owl" in French, because I like owls. Back then, blogs weren't about anything -- they were about you. Now there are blogs about kids and knitting and pencils and traffic signs and all manner of wonderful things, but my blog was only ever about my life and my friends and sometimes my dog or my feelings.

I stopped writing a personal blog in 2011, but I like to do other things, and some of them end up on the internet.

Writing on the Web

Review: Decline of a Master [Gothamist, 2006]
Review: God Save Prince Freddy, Please [Gothamist, 2006]
Essay: Mundaneum [Hawaii Women's Journal, 2010, p. 43]
Essay: Pizza Brigouras [Uborka, 2013]
Uborka Book Club: GOLDFINCH by Donna Tartt [Uborka, 2014] -- part one, two, and
Essay: Getting Schooled -- A Season in Learned League [Frontier Psychiatrist, 2014]
Essay: Saunas, Socialists, and Scandis -- Brooklyn's Nordic Roots [Frontier Psychiatrist, 2014]

Essay: I Thought I Loved My Dog Unconditionally, And Then I Had A Baby [Romper, May 2021]

Radio Interviews

Interview: Insects, Cheese and Gastronauts of the World on PRI's The World, 2012
Contestant: "We Might Be Giant Nerds" on NPR's Ask Me Another, 2014