About Lora
Background
I grew up in a small town on the Colorado side of the Colorado/Kansas border along Highway 50. Think less than 1,000 people in the town, wheat and corn fields stretching far and wide, and you’re lucky if your road was paved. I am proud to come from rural America; it shaped my work ethic, gave me an appreciation of slower living, and taught to give back when I can because communities thrive when citizens take pride in their town.
After completing high school, and through earning the Daniels Fund Scholarship, I pursued a Bachelors in Communication with a minor in Entrepreneurship and an interdisciplinary study in Automotive History at McPherson College in McPherson, KS. McPherson gave me unique and fantastic opportunities - an internship at the Studebaker National Museum, a study trip in Japan, another internship at a major automotive event company in Monterey, CA, and tours of many, many car collections with the chance to meet owners, restoration professionals and celebrities. Post-graduation, I took some time to work before going back to school to earn my Master of Arts in Communication Studies at Kansas State University. I combined my knowledge of communication theories and my interest in automotive culture and uses to study the link between transportation and communication. Topics included forced car ownership, transportation deprivation and lack of pro-social participation, and rural America’s reliance on transportation for community building. I’m passionate about well-planned cities that support multimodal transportation.
EXPERIENCE
Community Engagement Coordinator Geoprobe Systems®
Salina, KS 2024 - Present
Built, monitored, and maintained relationships with community partners, such as:
Technical colleges across Western and Central Kansas
Universities offering mechanical engineering majors
Salina Chamber of Commerce, Kansas Dept. of Commerce
Created a registered apprenticeship program in partnership with Salina Area Technical College for four production departments
Developed communications strategies in collaboration with HR and marketing teams to attract top quality candidates
Gathered and analyzed applicant trend data to adjust recruitment efforts
Worked closely with all levels of leadership to communicate initiatives and activities to employees in all departments
DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS & EVENTS THE GARAGE, SALINA AREA EDUCATIONAL AUTOMOTIVE MUSEUM (SEAMA)
Salina, KS 2022 - 2024
Managed donor communications and internal updates, including newsletter creation and social media curation
Coordinated logistics and staffing for public and VIP events to engage members and potential donors
Managed schedules of 10 staff members and resolved staff conflicts.
Created visually engaging materials using Canva and WordPress
Collaborated with executive leadership on event messaging and donor relations
Worked alongside the entire team to plan, design, and execute quarterly shows and supporting events
Served as engagement leader for team of 15 volunteers; ensured volunteer opportunities were available for people of all skill levels
Engaged with education community to bring educational activities to the museum
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Community engagement coordinator Child Advocacy & Parenting Services, INc. (CAPS of Salina)
Salina, KS 2021 - 2022
Engaged 20+ volunteers to meet varied needs in agency programs through active recruitment, recognition and retention strategies
Produced content for contractors to increase the community’s awareness and to engage new and existing donors by telling CAPS story through its child abuse prevention and intervention programs and fundraising activities.
Coordinated marketing campaigns through varied mediums including social media, internet, direct mailings, radio and TV for all of CAPS Programs and fundraising events
Implemented fundraising activities to meet annual goals through individual donations, local foundations, corporate sponsorships and event sales
Managed contributions and cultivated individual and corporate donors through a strategic use of customer relationship management database in partnership with the Executive Director and Board of Directors
Communications Coordinator Lyon County History Center
Emporia, KS 2019 - 2021
I took over the History Center’s social media pages on February 1, 2020. I steadily increased followers by an average of 2 followers per day, and increased engagement by an average of 25% within the first three months.
Job responsibilities:
Maintained the social media presence of the Lyon County History Center on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter
Oversaw internal and external communication for the Center
Assisted the Deputy Director in event planning and management
Organized and researched interactive events for patrons
In COVID times, my duties expanded to:
Management of front desk duties, such as greeting patrons and organizing meetings with the Director and Deputy Director
Sanitized all areas, especially heavily touched items
Tracked guest capacity and limit the number of patrons in the building
Monitored all local outbreaks and recommend schedule adjustments as necessary
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Project Manager Assistant, Research Assistant Our Town, Our Kids
Dr. Greg Paul
Manhattan, KS 2018 - 2019
Assisted the Project Manager of the KSU Juvenile Justice Collaborative in the following areas:
Financial:
Created price comparisons, purchase orders, expense reports, and fulfilled general accounting needs
Logistics:
Coordinated meetings, car rentals, and hotel rooms for data gathering excursions
Managed the Project Manager’s calendar
Research & Data Gathering:
Fulfilled research requests for the Project Manager
Traveled to study sites to gather qualitative data concerning juvenile justice in Western Kansas
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Research Assistant Kansas State University
Dr. Heather S. Woods
Manhattan, KS 2019
Assisted Dr. Woods during research of AI communication techniques, specifically the use of Amazon Alexa in smart home applications
Presented work at the 106th annual meeting of the National Communication Association
Kirmer, Lora and Heather Suzanne Woods. “Platforming the Kinesthetic Rhetorics of Amazon Echo Auto: Efficiency Extension and Platform Capitalism.” 106th annual meeting of the National Communication Association, Virtual due to COVID-19, November 2020. (Panel organizer-Communication in Transition).
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Instructor of Public Speaking Kansas State University
Manhattan, KS 2018
Taught Public Speaking to Kansas State University students
Planned assignments, quizzes, and speech topics
Created classroom activities to foster learning beyond lectures
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Research Librarian Lyon County History Center
Emporia, KS 2017 - 2018
Management:
Managed a small team of volunteers to support the museum archive collection
Organized and documented archive materials
Research:
Researched information for events and exhibits
Outreach:
Planned events for the public to participate (example: Genealogy Workshop for Beginners, Community Game Night)
Created an online presence via social media platforms for the History Center
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News Anchor KVOE 1400 AM/96.9 FM
Emporia, KS 2017
On-air afternoon news anchor and reporter
Hosted long-form interviews on the Talk of Emporia twice weekly
Wrote and logged stories on KVOE.com and KVOE social media sites
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Interim News Director KVAY 105.7 FM
Lamar, CO 2017
Served as temporary News Director and on-air news anchor
Covered local stories in Southeast Colorado
Covered agricultural news impacting area farmers
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Tutor, Coach, Substitute Teacher Holly School District RE-3
Holly, CO 2016 - 2017
Tutored ineligible students after school twice weekly to reach eligibility
Managed tutoring services and scheduling of one-on-one tutoring
Substituted in Pre-K to 8th grade classrooms
Assisted coaching of high school cheerleading
Internships
Executive Assistant Intern McCall Events, Inc.
Monterey, CA 2015
Coordinated payment and contract deadlines with sponsors of the McCall Motorworks Revival
Acted as main liaison between clients and the company before and during events
Assisted in event set up and tear down
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Kakehashi Participant The Japan Foundation
Tokyo and Shizuoka, Japan 2014
Selected as one of 23 students in the state of Kansas to participate in a 10-day exchange program with students in the Shizuoka prefecture
Represented the state of Kansas and University of Kansas in Japan as a student ambassador
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Archive Intern Studebaker National Museum
South Bend, IN 2013
Created monographs of specific Studebaker vehicles to be sold in the museum gift store
Wrote articles for the Studebaker intern blog
Promoted events via Facebook and other social media presences
Skills
Interests
Quick Facts about me for those who like talent assessments:
Gallup Clifton Strengths: Communication, Woo, Input, Responsibility, Adaptability
Working Genius: Discernment, Enablement | Galvanizing, Tenacity | Wonder, Innovation
Local tourism: Exploring one’s own home (or new home!) is a proven activity to ground oneself in their environment and feel part of a larger community, thus increasing happiness in where you live. I believe in seeing your home, whether that be property, town, or state, as a place worthy of exploring beyond normal routine and should be treated as a desirable destination.
My love for local tourism started with the book The Kansas Guidebook 2 for Explorers, which inspired me to get out and see the state.
Volunteering: Giving my free time to others brings much joy to my daily life and improves my mood consistently. Integrating volunteer work with work experiences increases the joy ten-fold. My volunteer experience includes building houses, animal shelter work, tutoring for low-income households, serving on boards & committees and being a Big in Big Brothers Big Sisters of Salina.
Lifelong Learning: Nothing is better than getting to spend an afternoon in a museum, or taking a class, or just reading. I’m constantly on the hunt for new knowledge and want to feed my curiosity daily. I come from a long line of educators; I guess it just comes naturally.
September 10, 2022 - Eloped at Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs, CO
April 3, 2020 - Successfully defended my MA comprehensive exams via Zoom
May 12, 2016 - Graduated from McPherson College
Education
Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS
M.A. Communication Studies
Graduate Certificate in Dialogue, Deliberation and Public Engagement (DDPE)
2020
McPherson College, McPherson, KS
B.A. Communication
Minor in Transformative Entrepreneurship
*Interdisciplinary studies in Automotive Restoration - History
2016