JENNA BISENIUS

Nationality: American (but currently based in Dubai, UAE)

View My Professional Profile on LinkedIn: www.LinkedIn.com/in/JennaBisenius

Email: j_bisenius@yahoo.com / Skype: j_bisenius / Dubai Cell: (+971) 559598221 (please do not call without emailing first)

Marketing | Business Development | Public Relations | Public Affairs | Strategic Communications | Corporate Communications | Community Outreach | Community Relations | Conference Facilitation | Event Coordination | Conference Management | Media Outreach | Media Relations | Media Analysis | Marking & Branding | Social Media | Civil Affairs | Project Management | Project Reporting | Program Analysis | Training | Capacity Development

MANAGEMENT PROFILE
18-year track record of implementing successful Marketing & Communication initiatives across international operating venues, including the last 7 years in Iraq, the UAE and Afghanistan. Also experienced in Business Development, Project Management, Program Analysis, and Project Reporting. Im a strong leader skilled at managing 35+ staff, excellent people skills, a natural networker, detail-oriented, highly computer-literate, and an excellent writer. Social media expert. Skilled at bringing together diverse individuals, organizations and cultures to work towards a common goal as well as liaising with top civilian, government and military leaders to resolve issues. My professional network includes 2,150+ contacts in the UAE, 1,270+ contacts in Iraq, and 600+ contacts in Afghanistan, both expat and local national, and it enables unparalleled access to key leaders, information and resources throughout the region. Thorough understanding of Middle East and South Asia cultures, customs and operating nuances and an ability to consistently get things done despite difficult security environments and minimal resources.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Independent Marketing / Communications / Business Development Consultant (Freelance)

Jan 2011 Present UAE / Afghanistan / Iraq

Nov 2011 Present: In Dubai, UAE providing Marketing / Communications / Business Development consulting services for various companies in the Middle East and South Asia region. Work has involved travel to Bahrain, Turkey, Oman, Afghanistan, and the U.S. as well as attending the Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition (ADIPEC) from 11-14 Nov in order to meet with companies within the Oil & Gas sector: 1,500+ exhibitors and 45,000+ participants. www.adipec.com Sep Nov 2011: In Baghdad, Iraq providing Marketing / Communications / Business Development consulting services for various companies in Iraq and the surrounding Middle East region. Attended the International Oil & Gas Conference in Basra, Iraq in November 2011 in order to meet with companies within the Oil & Gas sector: 400+ exhibitors and 10,000 participants. www.basraoilgas.com Aug Sep 2011: In Kabul, Afghanistan providing Business Development consulting to Defense Group Inc. (DGI). Accomplishments include: In less than three weeks of being on the ground in Afghanistan, generated four leads within ISAF and U.S. Government First Responder communities for the companys Emergency Management System (EMS) software, CoBRA. Provided a competitive analysis of other companies operating in the same niche (Public Affairs / Media Analysis / Information Operations) in Afghanistan. Provided an operating environment assessment of Afghanistan. Feb 2011 Aug 2011: Providing Marketing / Communications / Business Development consulting services for New Technology Research & Transfer (NTRT), an international operations & development company based in Dubai, UAE. Work involved travel to 9 countries: Iraq, Turkey, the UAE, South Africa, Latvia, Thailand, Malaysia, the U.S., and Jordan. Jan Feb 2011: In Baghdad, Iraq providing Marketing / Communications / Business Development consulting services for various companies in Iraq and the surrounding Middle East region

Acquisition Project Manager (short-term consulting assignment) Aug 2010 Dec 2010 Transformation Advisors Group, LLC Baghdad, Iraq The Transformation Advisors Group provided the Wide Area WorkFlow (WAWF) team in support of the Business Transformation Agency (BTA), Warfighter Requirements Directorate. WAWF is a secure web-based system that enables more streamlined electronic invoicing, receipt and acceptance of goods and services, and payment by the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) components and other government offices.

Conducted business development / sales activities to promote WAWF use theatre-wide by clients and vendors, liaising with Contracting Officer Representatives (CORs), the U.S. military, U.S. Central Command (ARCENT), Defense Finance & Accounting Services, and CENTCOM Contracting Command (C3) Page 1 of 5

Jenna Bisenius

Trained nearly 100 local nationals, U.S. military and government personnel on how to use the electronic procurement tools required for BTAs Cash off the Battlefield initiative to increase use of electronic invoicing and acceptance through WAWF electronic receipt and acceptance process

Developed WAWF training materials (brochures, instruction pamphlets, PowerPoint presentations, etc.) that explained the

Provided WAWF technical support, training, and customer service to incoming CORs and local and international vendors via phone, email and site visits in order to ensure $70-$90 million in invoice transactions per month were successfully processed training needs; used the results of the survey to highlight weaknesses and strengths of the WAWF training currently in place so that management could make better use of manpower and funding to focus on areas needing improvement

Developed and managed a comprehensive database of thousands of WAWF users, then sent out a survey to determine

Analyzed WAWF output and generated comprehensive weekly reports detailing WAWF program impact to C3, the Iraq Regional Contracting Centers and stakeholders both Stateside and in Afghanistan

Communications & Reporting Manager May 2009 Aug 2010 Inma Agribusiness Program (USAID project implemented by the Louis Berger Group) Baghdad, Iraq The Inma Agribusiness Program was a $169.8 million U.S. Government initiative awarded to the Louis Berger Group by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) in 2007 to increase the competitiveness of Iraqi agriculture and agribusinesses. Located in 14 governorates throughout Iraq, the program assisted commercial agribusinesses producing high-value agricultural products, thereby increasing employment and revenue of farmers and associated businessmen.
Liaised with Iraq Ministry of Agriculture and Ministry of Water representatives at all levels to secure their support of, and

participation in, the Inma Agribusiness Program, as well as linking them with local agricultural leaders throughout Iraqs agribusiness value chain
Managed two conferences monthly with 50-200+ participants at the Al Rashid Hotel in Baghdad, to include: drafting talking

points, Q&A, speeches, PowerPoint presentations, and bios; facility booking; food / beverages; guest list, invitations and RSVPs; agenda, handouts, certificates, badges, etc.; podium, microphones, speaker systems; and translation services (personnel & equipment); coordination with printers to create / deliver / set up signage; transportation & security coordination; setup of photo walls, booths and other displays; facilitation of guest entry / VIP meet & greet and guest orientation upon arrival; media management / escort during event; coordination of photo & video support; and compiling After Action Reports for use by USAID and other stakeholders in theatre and back Stateside
Managed four staff (two graphic artists, one public affairs specialist and one reporting specialist); twice monthly during the

conferences I mentioned above, the number of local national staff I managed grew to 35+
Responsible for all programmatic reporting, to include weekly reports (seven pages on average) and quarterly reports (100

pages on average); also responsible for providing quarterly Provincial Fact Sheets; quarterly Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction (SIGIR) reports; for responding to ad hoc reporting requests from USAID or Louis Berger home office; and for close coordination with the Inma Monitoring & Evaluation unit to document results and programmatic impact
Directed graphic artists production of banners, posters, storyboards and other signage; brochures, flyers and other handouts;

giveaways such as folders, pens, hats, key chains, calendars; etc.

Wrote program overviews, sector & project fact sheets, technical reports, value chain reports, misc. briefs, and activities

maps; created training handouts; generic USAID-Inma packets (folders containing basic program information); technical manuals; certificates of completion for trainees, etc.
Provided internal support to the program, including creation of PowerPoint presentations; assistance or training in Adobe

Photoshop, MS Publisher, Adobe Acrobat, photography, etc.; graphics (maps, illustrations, photo editing, report covers, promotional materials, business cards, badges, photo / video support, etc.); managed photo database and visual library (logos, graphics, etc.); fielded public queries sent to the Inma website
Performed QA/QC of staff outbound materials, ensuring all program-affiliated items were properly branded and met USAID

branding & marking guidelines; liaised with the USAID public affairs representative and the USAID Contracting Officer Representative to get approval on materials; worked closely with local national staff to get all programmatic materials translated into Arabic and Kurdish Public Affairs Officer / Project Reporting Officer Jan 2008 Jan 2009 Community Stabilization Program (USAID project implemented by IRD) Baghdad, Iraq International Relief & Development (IRD) implemented the Community Stabilization Program (CSP), a $644 million U.S. Government initiative awarded to IRD by USAID in 2006 to help stabilize and economically revitalize Iraq. Located in 15 critical cities, CSP assisted Iraqi communities through rehabilitation of community infrastructure and essential services, vocational training, apprenticeships, job placement, business development, youth engagement, and conflict mitigation.

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Bolstered awareness of the organization's mission and accomplishments, built organizational credibility, and garnered support & funding from Congress, military, local government and other parties; devised communication plans and approaches to be used in interacting with local and international media; stories and photos from local national and expatriate field personnel to create program highlights for dissemination in-country and back Stateside

Wrote 32 good news stories that showcased programmatic impact and increased positive public perception; solicited success

Developed press kits, including program and project fact sheets, biographies and FAQs; drafted project brochures that

explained the programmatic goals and focus for use within local communities; created project maps to showcase activities at both a governorate and countrywide level; created trip books for USAID and congress members in preparation for project site visits; edited maps, templates, logos, photos and banners; created and managed databases for same
Wrote verbiage for and edited field staff submissions for four 100-page quarterly reports that were submitted to USAID, as

well as provided layout and design support for the final products; answered quarterly data calls from the Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction (SIGIR); provided verbiage for congressional testimony; edited submissions from expatriate and local national staff and worked with USAID to ensure unified / consistent external messaging and branding
Trained expatriate and local national staff on photography techniques; oversaw the vetting and hiring of two local

photographers and managed their photography of a broad selection of IRD project sites to document project activities Public Affairs Officer / Program Operations Analyst Sep 2004 Jan 2008 Project & Contracting Office (PCO) Baghdad, Iraq The PCO was responsible for planning and executing more than $18.2 billion in infrastructure reconstruction projects throughout Iraq. Rebuilding efforts focused on Iraqs Electricity; Oil; Water; Facilities & Transportation; Security & Justice; and Buildings, Health & Education sectors.
Transformed the way the organization viewed and responded to the media and public by establishing cohesive media plans,

developing key messages and engaging in regular press conferences and other communications to promote favorable organizational perception

Forged collaborative inter-governmental, inter-agency and local national relationships to integrate and synchronize communications among internal/external stakeholders, including representatives from the U.S. military; Joint Contracting Command-Iraq (JCC-I); Iraq Transition Assistance Office (ITAO); Department of Defense (DoD); the U.S. Department of State (DoS); U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID); Gulf Region Division, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (GRD USACE); Coalition commanders and others U.S. / local government organizations to minimize infighting and promote collaboration to achieve mutual objectives

Brought together and maintained open communications with contract groups, military and civilian public affairs offices, and Devised communication plans, media approaches and unified messaging for Iraq Ministry officials to use in communicating

with local and international media; coordinated numerous press conferences, including spokesperson training, talking points and slide presentations; created comprehensive media kits, including project and program fact sheets, speaker biographies, and FAQs; created promotional materials such as brochures, posters and fliers
Solicited story ideas and photos from sector personnel; used this data to write articles for dissemination nationally and

internationally; was published in upwards of 40+ electronic and print media outlets
Utilized a database of 575+ local and international public affairs offices, news agencies, magazines, websites and 30+

industry specific outlets to get the word out and regularly showcase stories related to sector activities; developed tracking mechanisms to assess the volume of press coverage and gauge perception by the media and public
Fielded requests from ABC News, The New York Times , The London Times, The Washington Post, CNN, NPR, BBC,

Azzaman Newspaper, Technical Review Middle East, IEE Review, Power Engineering Magazine and other media outlets for interviews, site visits, and background information for use in stories related to reconstruction efforts in Iraq; set up site visits of projects throughout Iraq for local / international media and VIPs to showcase reconstruction projects
Created technical papers, speeches and PowerPoint presentations for major international conferences both in the Middle

East and Stateside, enabling contractors to showcase program successes, share best practices, build organizational credibility, and solicit funding and awards for future projects
Produced 7+ monthly reports, as well as ad hoc PowerPoint slides, website content and other documents to bolster

awareness of the organizations mission / accomplishments, and garner support from U.S. Congress, GRD USACE, military, local government and other parties

SPECIAL PROJECTS IN IRAQ 2004 PRESENT

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 Built an extensive personal network of 760+ contacts comprised of coalition military, foreign embassies, civilian contractors,

governmental and non-governmental organizations, and local nationals, thereby earning a reputation for being the go to person for information or assistance in the International Zone
Assisted with charity fund raisers and civil affairs programs aimed at funding community projects within Iraq and

building goodwill within Iraqi communities

Raised over $7K in funds for wounded soldiers and civilians in the IZ Combat Support Hospital and launched a

grassroots donation program to provide items needed by hospital patients and staff; also served as a volunteer at the hospital in the evenings
Participated in mock casualty exercises with security company medics to help hone their combat lifesaving techniques

STATESIDE EXPERIENCE 1995 2004

Proofreader: Proofread real-time streaming text during live quarterly earnings calls for major public corporations listed

in the S&P, NASDAQ, FTSE, Eurotop and others. High level of visibility -- These conference call transcripts were used by both buy and sell-side financial analysts on Wall Street, C-level executives, portfolio managers, PR consultants, reporters and individual investors for day trading and equity research. Performed extensive research prior to each call to include each companys background, product or service set, executive team, stock performance, R&D progression, marketing initiatives, industry terms and specifics. Organized all of the above data into at-a-glance cheat sheets for easy reference during conference calls; created hundreds of these documents over time. Created detailed spreadsheets to track quality control issues with the documents that our company was responsible for publishing online to ensure corporate quality and performance standards were being met.
Graphic Artist: Worked with corporate and government customers to transform their ideas into polished copy / art /

logos for print production; managed data archival; sourced vendors; scheduled shipments; assisted production and finance departments in resolving customer issues. Created a wide range of business forms for both internal and external use by utilizing QuarkXpress and Freehand; these forms were used by both civilian and government organizations. Regularly cleaned up and organized art file databases on server to maximize space available. Proofread any text that came through the art department to be typeset.
Promotional Accounts Manager: Collaborated with internal departments and external businesses to facilitate the

sale, creative design, production and shipment of branded products and promotional merchandise to key customers
Technical Support / Customer Service / Sales Representative: Provided technical support, customer service and

sales services for IBMs subsidiary software, Lotus. Researched / resolved software issues and customer queries by utilizing approx. 100 databases. Helped to test beta software and documented issues for product development group. Created product databases to organize software information for quick reference. Wrote online help for Lotus software.

MILITARY SERVICE 1994 2002

Print Journalist (46Q) / Public Affairs Officer U.S. Army (deployments included U.S. / Bosnia / El Salvador)
Collected / summarized / disseminated field operation information to senior military leaders, soldiers, and the public Designed & produced a 6-page / 4-color glossy newsletter that kept service personnel informed and connected Helped prepare senior officials on Q&A and hot topic talking points for interviews, press conferences, executive

briefings, and spokesperson activities

Developed a library of digital photographs, audio recordings and print stories for easy access to information for

dissemination to military and civilian media news outlets across the U.S. and overseas
Trained soldiers on digital photography, Adobe Photoshop / PageMaker, field-based reporting, media relations, etc. Completed a nine-month overseas assignment in Bosnia with the coalition press information center; fielded press

queries and forged effective relationships with local, international and U.S. media; volunteered for extra-duty missions into the surrounding community with civil affairs and psychological operations units
Spent three weeks in El Salvador in the aftermath of Hurricane Mitch as a photographer highlighting the militarys

humanitarian efforts
Produced articles and photographs for Army Reserve Magazine, the Sentinel, the Wildcat, and other publications Acted as the IT desktop support person for my Army unit as part of my extra duties, to include installing and removing

operating systems, printer drivers and other software, wiping hard drives clean, dealing with virus-infected PCs, Jenna Bisenius Page 4 of 5

resolving internet connectivity issues, replacing or swapping out hard drives or CD-ROM drives, adding or swapping out memory, helping end users retrieve lost documents, etc.

EDUCATION
Microsoft Certified Expert (MCE) - Certified in Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook by Microsoft

(2005)

Additional Software Also skilled in Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Acrobat, Freehand, Quark, Microsoft

Publisher, and SharePoint; extremely computer literate and able to pick up new software programs quickly and easily
Public Affairs / Print Journalism Defense Information School (DINFOS) in Indianapolis, IN Public Relations / Journalism Atlanta Metropolitan College in Atlanta, GA Journalism Brenau College in Gainesville, GA

(1994-1995) (1994) (1991-1992)

CONFLICT / POST-CONFLICT OPERATIONS TRAINING (1994-2011)

Conflict Analysis Negotiation & Conflict Management Interfaith Conflict Resolution Hostile Environments: Orientation, Security & Safety Information Assurance / OPSEC Situational Awareness React to Direct / Indirect Fire Convoy Operations Mine Awareness First Aid Mass Casualty Response / Triage / Medical Evacuation

Jenna Bisenius

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