"I write the world I want to see."

19 years Print Journalism, 6 years Editorial 

EDUCATION

Xavier University of Louisiana, New Orleans

Bachelor of Arts, Mass Communication, May 2005

COMMUNITY OUTREACH

AROA (A Round of Applause), Baton Rouge, LA

Member, Board of Directors

A 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that works with youth, ages 12-19, to create their own quarterly magazine.

Forward Arts, Inc., Baton Rouge, LA

Public Relations Consultant – December 2011 to December 2017

Assist Marketing Director with coordinating the communication efforts, including press releases and media outreach.

PROJECTS

Founder, CreActiv, LLC, April 2019 – Present

• Raised $2000 on a $0 budget to benefit El Departamento de la Comida’s mission to restore 200 farms in Puerto Rico through event planning and management of 26-artist benefit showcase.
• Design efforts to normalize illness with “The Picture of Health” – a photography-based project.

Hosted kick off show, round-table discussion, and a panel discussion. Honored with mayoral proclamation for Invisible Illness Awareness Week, Oct. 13 – 19, 2019.

Public Relations Consultant, Black Out Loud Conference, LLC, June 2017 – Present

• Execute photo marketing and press campaigns for earned and paid media.
• Served as media liaison and marketing assistant for inaugural conference in August 2018 which yielded more than 200 attendees.
• Featured speaker on the ‘Artrepreneurship’ panel at the 2018 Baton Rouge Entrepreneurship Week.

Public Relations Consultant, Plank Road Master Plan, Build Baton Rouge, March 2019 – Nov. 2019

• Garnered earned media; Coordinated on-site press and studio interviews.
• Provided writing, editing, photography, and creative; Projects included weekly e-newsletter, “The Build Baton Rouge Bulletin;” a chronicle history titled, “#Imagine Plank Road: A look at Plank Road;” and the "I #ImaginePlankRoad" photo campaign.

ORGANIZATIONS

Member, 100 Black Women - Metropolitan Baton Rouge Chapter  

Member, National Council for Marketing and Public Relations

Member, Gamma Phi Delta Sorority, Inc. 

Vice-President, Eta Chapter, New Orleans – 2004-2005

AWARDS

35th Annual Educational Advertising Awards, Bronze, Integrated Marketing Campaign, February 2020 

35th Annual Educational Advertising Awards, Bronze, Special Video, February 2020 

2016 Best Feature Story, 2nd Place, Division 6, Louisiana Press Association Better Newspaper Awards, June 2017 (writer)

2015 Best Overall Sports section, Division 4 – Weekly Citizen, Louisiana Press Association Awards, June 2016 (editor)

2015 Best Publication, Advertising, Division 4 - Paint it All Pink, Louisiana Press Association Awards, June 2016 (editor)

Xavier University 40 Under 40 Young Alumni Award Class, November 2015

Sue Weinstein Excellence in Volunteerism, May 2015

SELECT PUBLICATIONS

ACADEMIC

Rose, Leslie D. "Criminal Minded." St. James Encyclopedia of Hip Hop Culture, edited by Thomas Riggs, St. James Press, 2018, pp. 99-101.

 

Rose, Leslie D. "Native Tongues." St. James Encyclopedia of Hip Hop Culture, edited by Thomas Riggs, St. James Press, 2018, pp. 311-314. 

Rose, Leslie D. "The Northeast." St. James Encyclopedia of Hip Hop Culture, edited by Thomas Riggs, St. James Press, 2018, pp. 329-333. 

 

Rose, Leslie D. "Rap as Marketing, Advertising, and Branding." St. James Encyclopedia of Hip Hop Culture, edited by Thomas Riggs, St. James Press, 2018, pp. 383-387

ARTICLES

“Abdullah Muflahi reflects on the loss of his friend and how his convenience store became a local protest landmark,” [225], May 27, 2017

“Heroin hits home: An Ascension Parish mother hopes to use son’s death to save others,” Weekly Citizen, March 20, 2016

“Alvin Temple offers program centered on clean eating, exercise,” The Advocate, Aug. 17, 2014

“Funky Fashion Advice: Q & A with funk legend, Bootsy Collins,” DIG Magazine, Oct. 23, 2013

POETRY

The Newsroom, Next Left Press, Nov. 2015

“Needles,” co-written by William Brian Sain, All Def Digital, Dec. 17, 2014

Various, Indiefeed: Performance Poetry, Episodes 1189, 1272, 1332, 1403, 1492, 1539, and 1594, June 2013 – Jan. 2016

“Conversations with my drunken brother,” Passages North, April 12, 2012

“Live, Laugh, Love,” Borderline Online Poetry Journal, Vol. 2 – Issue 4, 2011