About Monica Miller Rodgers, APR
Under the white tent during a hot Georgia summer day was a chaotic scene as reporters dashed about and soldiers assigned media badges and answered questions. Troops were returning from Operation Desert Storm, and at age 7, I watched in awe as my father, a military public affairs noncommissioned officer, directed soldiers while providing media interviews. The action moved fast but coordinated.
Years later when I was preparing for college, I would remember this moment in deciding where I wanted to go on my career journey. Pursuing education and experience in communications, I graduated with a bachelor’s degree in public relations from Valdosta State University, minoring in political science, along with internships in travel and tourism, civic organizations and political parties. I went on to complete my Master of Science in Communications Management at Syracuse University where my thesis was Business Without Borders: The Global and Social Evolution of Entrepreneurship.
I also obtained my Accreditation in Public Relations through a challenging process of communications planning development, board presentation and standardized testing.
Aubia Communications, a portmanteau of Auburn and Georgia, was established in 2012 when I struck out on my own to provide entrepreneurs and solopreneurs communications services to help build their businesses abroad. The firm has since evolved to intrapreneur content development and consulting services.
I began my professional career in Atlanta with the public relations firms of Edelman and Eberly & Collard where I gained experience in media relations, content writing and client management.
A dream opportunity soon materialized when I was offered a position working in public affairs for the Department of Defense. I gained many skills and experience in my time with DoD public affairs offices in Kentucky, Michigan, Virginia and the Pentagon, along with premiere instruction at the Defense Information School in Maryland. My expertise grew in strategic and employee communications, media and community relations, crisis management, content and social media marketing, writing and editing, and branding. In my many roles, I developed communications plans, such as rolling out new initiatives, worked with regional, national and international media to cover stories from service members practicing the Muslim faith to F-22 Raptor flight restrictions, and managed responses during national crises.
When the time came to share and hone these skills in another area, I made the commitment to serve expat solopreneurs and small business owners who could benefit from strategic communications planning. Living abroad, I met and shaped ideas with expat entrepreneurs in Brazil, China and Switzerland who were working hard to build their own businesses outside their home countries.
After two and a half years of helping clients meet their business objectives on the international scene, I accepted a multinational corporate marketing position with Hexagon Geosystems where I started as a senior writer telling the story of innovation in information technologies solutions for the geospatial industry. In a little more than a year, I was promoted to communications director where I led a team in developing internal and external communications strategies supported with sound content and brand marketing.
Today, I lead employee communications for Aflac, the No. 1 provider of supplemental health insurance products and a Fortune 500 company. I work daily to keep employees and other internal audiences actively aware and engaged in dialogue supportive of the company’s brand, values and corporate strategy, accurately sharing the vision and supporting key business objectives. My team and I design, implement, measure and test internal communications campaigns for employees that inspire advocacy for the well-known Aflac brand while developing and sustaining consistent messaging and authentic content.
During a two-year travel assignment with my husband, we blogged about our experiences abroad at Working 2 Live, Living 2 Travel. After spending four years living and working in Switzerland, I returned to the United States where I now split time between multiple locations in the south of the country.
Skills
Monica's Expertise
Strategic Communications Planning
As an Accredited in Public Relations professional, I use a four-phase concept of research, planning, implementation and evaluation to develop strategic communications frameworks around any issue, event, program or campaign a company is handling.
Media Relations and Training
Developing relationships with journalists from all over the world, I’m an experienced spokesperson with a keen understanding of how to work with media in crisis and other public relations activities. I’ve been quoted in local and international publications.
Content Marketing
Is content king or is it your delivery? Overseeing the production of an internal communications program and then conducting content marketing strategies for independent contractors, I’ve learned it’s a combination of both. Content has to be unique, valuable and targeted to accomplish business objectives.
Management Experience
To lead, you must first be willing to do. Leadership is about setting the example for your organization and learning from others. As a former public affairs officer, I’ve had the privilege of mentoring and working with talented and dedicated communications professionals who taught me just as much as I taught them.