Associate Director Records, 2003-2020

Summary

This accession consists of the email account of Carolyn L. Martin, Associate Director of Public Affairs. Martin earned her bachelor's degree from the University of Alabama and went on to be a reported for WALA-TV in Mobile, Alabama. Later, she was the senior communications officer for the American Association for the Advancement of Science and then earner her master degree in environmental studies from Antioch University New England in Keene, New Hampshire. She then was a reporter for The Keene Sentinel, covering education, the environment, and other issues. Martin first joined the Smithsonian Institution in 2003 as the Director of the Office of Public Affairs at the National Zoological Park (NZP). In 2006 she joined the main Smithsonian Office of Public Affairs as a Public Affairs Specialist and then in 2008 she became the Director of Internal Communications. In 2010 Martin was appointed as Associate Director of Public Affairs. Martin's email account consists of approximately 131,239 messages and covers the time period of June 2003 to June 2020. The correspondence documents Martin's work as the Director of the Office of Public Affairs at NZP where she managed public affairs and media relations; planned, produced, and oversaw special media events; and provided media training for senior staff. As a Public Affairs Specialist the materials document her work developing proactive and responsive communications strategies as well as documents her service as the media and communications liaison for Acting Secretary Cristián Samper. The records also document her work as the Director of Internal Communications where Martin served as the primary liaison for Smithsonian offices serving the Board of Regents, Congress, donors/supporters, the Smithsonian National Board, museum advisory boards, and Smithsonian staff and volunteers. In this role, she also worked to implement a new internal communications process to ensure stakeholders received Smithsonian information in a timely and coordinated manner. Finally as Associate Director, this correspondence covers Martin's work managing communications for the Office of Public Affairs including media relations, social media, crisis communications, the online newsroom, the main Smithsonian website, and internal communications. In this position, Martin created and managed the Crisis Communications Team to handle sensitive issues as they arose as well as served as the lead for communications on pan-institutional special projects, initiatives, events, and announcements. She also managed the branding consultant, website design firm, and Smithsonian communications team to design, create content and launch the website centerpiece of the Smithsonian's first national ad campaign and branding initiative, "Smithsonian Seriously Amazing." Materials are in electronic format.

Subject

• Martin, Carolyn L
• Samper, Cristián
• University of Alabama
• WALA-TV (Television station : Mobile, Ala.)
• American Association for the Advancement of Science
• Antioch University
• The Keene Sentinel
• National Zoological Park (U.S.) Office of Public Affairs
• Smithsonian Institution Office of the Secretary
• Smithsonian National Board
• United States Congress
• Smithsonian Institution Board of Regents

Notes

For a description of the record series of which these materials form a part, refer to the "Forms part of" above.

Organization

Chronologic

Repository Loc.

Smithsonian Institution Archives Capital Gallery, Suite 3000, MRC 507; 600 Maryland Avenue, SW; Washington, DC 20024-2520

Date

• 2003
• 2003-2020

Restrictions & Rights

Restricted for 15 years, until Jan-01-2036. Records may contain personally identifiable information (PII) that is permanently restricted; Transferring office; 08/26/2021 memorandum, Toda to File; Contact reference staff for details

Topic

• Design
• Public relations
• Communication in crisis management
• Advisory boards
• Social media
• Branding (Marketing)
• Museums
• Press coverage
• Web sites
• Museums--Press coverage
• Museums--Public relations
• Web sites--Design

Form/Genre

• Electronic mail
• Collection descriptions
• Electronic records

Local number

SIA Acc. 21-083

Full Record

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