Staff Spotlight: Meredith Mitts
Meredith Mitts, who recently joined Rapp Strategies as a Senior Account Executive, brings a background in public speaking, creative campaign creation, writing and editing, event planning and management, and community engagement.
“I am excited to be physically back in an office and be surrounded by great writers and communicators who I can collaborate with! Getting back into a job that focuses on strategic planning and brand management and allows me to write and edit was the goal, finding such a friendly, hardworking, and energetic team to do it with is the icing on the cake.”
Prior to joining Rapp Strategies, Meredith worked as the public affairs specialist for AAA – The Auto Club Group in Minnesota and Iowa. There she took point on media relations, was a leading member for an award-winning campaign creation team, assisted in government relations, and lived and breathed all things traffic safety. From public speaking to event planning to community engagement and coalition meetings, Meredith gained experience in tailoring writing and messaging styles to the individual medium, situation, and group.
Before the Auto Club Group, Meredith held a similar, but more localized position with AAA Minneapolis, which focused on content writing and internal communications. She also ran the AAA Minneapolis’s nonprofit The Minneapolis Auto Club Foundation for Traffic Safety, handling funding, projects, and external grants.
In addition to working with the two AAA companies, Meredith has managed brand voice and branding, social media, newsletters and website updates for multiple small businesses and nonprofit organizations and did an internal communication and marketing internship with Cook Children’s Hospital in Fort Worth, TX. Meredith holds a B.S. in Strategic Communication with an emphasis in Public Relations and a B.A. in Studio Art – Photography from Texas Christian University (TCU).
“I want to see a positive change in the world, and truly believe that the best intentions and plans on paper will fail if not properly communicated. Working with Rapp Strategies, I will have the opportunity to help so many different organizations and groups succeed in their endeavors by helping them communicate the What, Why, When and Where of their work.”
What motivated you to pursue a career in strategic communications?
Originally, I was pursuing a career in communication studies because the why and the how people communicate fascinated me, but I didn’t want to be only a researcher the rest of my life. Strategic communication allowed me to continue delving into these interactions while utilizing my skills in writing, editing, and public speaking.
What is your favorite professional experience?
My favorite professional experience was either planning a 250-person drugged driving prevention summit or working on the award-winning “move over for me” campaign with AAA – The Auto Club Group. For the campaign I was a key part of the team from idea inception all the way through the end. I had the opportunity to research, create collateral, run a robust internal communication campaign for 10,000 employees, compile award submissions, and present at the Lifesavers traffic-safety conference. The campaign helped strengthen Slow Down, Move Over laws in eight states this legislative season and won multiple awards including the Public Affairs Council Communications Innovation award, AAA Traffic Safety and Advocacy award, and was a finalist for multiple other major industry awards.
What is one habit that makes you more successful?
Showing up even when I don’t “feel” like it (obviously excluding if you are sick/contagious). Sometimes you don’t sleep well, or allergies are bad, or you just don’t feel like dealing with people, but if I only have ‘40%’ to give that day, I am going to give 100% of it.
As a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?
When I was really little, all I wanted was to own a horse ranch and ride horses all day! As I grew older, I thought biomechanical engineering would be fun. My fall back always was and still is to become a doctor or a lawyer.
What do you consider your greatest accomplishment?
Pulling off not one, but two weddings to the same person without getting divorced. We had a big wedding planned, but the pandemic hit so we held a small ceremony in my uncle’s backyard in Iowa, then did the big celebration with everyone on our one-year anniversary!
What is one thing about you few people know?
If I tell you, more than a few people will know about it, so you can have a quirky fun-fact instead. I used to have a rubber duck collection. It consisted of a couple hundred rubber ducks, 2 blankets, 3 rugs, 3 pairs of pajamas, 20 duck plushies, headphones and necklaces and earrings and more. I have pared it down a bit, but it’s still out of hand.
What is the best advice you have ever received?
Be careful what you share on social media and how you respond and talk about things that upset you. Something you did, said, or shared as a teen (or any time in life) can come back to haunt you in your future career.
The other one is no job or friendship is worth compromising your morals. Find a different way to pay the bills or have support and stay whole instead of living your life with anger or regret.
What is one piece of wisdom you would give your younger self?
You don’t have to be everyone’s cup of tea. It is more important to surround yourself with a few people who will challenge you and encourage you to grow than it is to be surface level friends with everyone and constantly wonder where you stand and who you are.
What is one thing you simply cannot resist?
Tucking in tags on the backs of shirts. It’s a pet peeve when they are out.
What is the best place you’ve traveled to and why?
Either Germany or South Africa and Botswana. Germany just feels like coming home after a long day. I love the people, culture, and food in addition to the sights. South Africa and Botswana were awesome though, because I was able to go on a safari and be up close and personal with the animals, visit wine country to relax a few days and then finish up the trip with shark cage diving. That was the last big trip I was able to go on before the pandemic hit, and I loved every minute of it.