I'm Leslie Flynn. It's so nice to meet you!
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For 30 years, I have had the pleasure of working for the city where I grew up - Oak Creek, Wisconsin - and took, quite possibly, the longest route to finding my true passion in the history of all career paths.
After graduating from the University of Wisconsin-Parkside with a Bachelor's degree in Geography, I was proud to work in my chosen field for nearly 18 years. Working with maps and data was very satisfying work; I had the honor of establishing Oak Creek's first base mapping efforts and Geographic Information System (GIS).
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In my spare time, I dabbled in photography and graphic design, and found great satisfaction introducing those passions to my work. When not actively serving as "Map Girl," as I was dubbed, I found myself assisting others with publications, flyers, posters, and other creative assets. It was a nice change of pace from map-making!
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In April 2012, with new city leadership, the trajectory of my career changed with a few simple words: "What do you know about social media?" After some careful research and a few deep breaths, I launched the City's official Facebook presence, which set me off on an adventure I never could have anticipated.
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Four months later, tragedy struck my hometown, when a mass shooting occurred in our local Sikh Temple. Instantly, Oak Creek appeared on the world stage, and the concept of "telling our own story" became top priority. My camera became my constant companion, and I began spending more time painting pictures with words and images for our social media and website.
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I always thought that I would continue making maps, along with my new creative role, but once again the city's leaders had a life-changing proposition: to hand off that role so that I could become Oak Creek's first Communications Coordinator. How often does one get to switch careers, and remain with the same organization? It was an opportunity I could not pass up, and I eagerly began my new adventure, learning as I went along!
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I now handle the City's digital and print media, manage our brand, administer our social media channels, act as the official photographer, and perform public and media relations . . . among many other things! My role includes a wide range of duties in an overly simple title! To learn more about my skills, click on the "View My Resume" button.