Assisting Flagler County Emergency Management, Flagler County Fire Rescue, Delaware Division of Motor Vehicles and Tolls, and other agencies with crisis communications and recovery operations for both short- and long-term campaigns.
5+ YEARS OF PUBLIC INFORMATION AND COMMUNITY RESPONSE ROLES IN STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT (2018-2025)
tornado (DE — response)
earthquake (DE — interagency tabletop)
hurricanes (DE and FL — response)
extreme flooding (DE and FL — response)
bioterrorism attack (FL — interagency tabletop)
contagious disease (DE — response)
structure/vehicle fires (DE and FL — response)
extreme temperatures (DE and FL — response)
armed campus assailant (FL — interagency field exercise)
international airline incident (FL — interagency field exercise)
disaster preparation, public education, and mitigation messaging (DE and FL.)
“blue skies” integrated products or services campaigns for government entities (whether in-house, managing OOH, or collaborative/interagency.)
FLAGLER COUNTY FIRE RESCUE
2025 National Award Winner: Taco the Therapy Dog
In 2024, Flagler County’s annual nominations for, and recognitions by, the National Association of Counties (NACo) awards program set records. The introduction of Taco (the first therapy dog in the Fire Rescue department’s history) gained national media coverage and engagement across digital and event channels, in collaboration with the county’s communications team. This initiative not only raised awareness about mental health but also provided a holistic resource to the community in real time through Taco’s presence.
Design Notes: With a compact team supporting 17 internal departments, the county recognized the value of efficient templates to serve Flagler County Fire Rescue. Building on the existing branding established by Lacy Martin in 2021, I developed a complementary style guide and a familiar tone for FCFR’s public-facing channels.
This empowered representatives such as Fire Rescue Chief Michael Tucker, Fire Rescue Deputy Chief Percy Sayles, and other officers to demonstrate thought leadership, respond to national and local crisis, create or update websites, communicate fire and public access statuses, raise event awareness, and distribute cohesive information.
Highlight: Prioritizing Employee Engagement
I focused on requests that directly benefited first responders from within, such as recognitions and ceremonies, while fostering a unified branding approach that reflects the strong bond among sworn personnel. About 20% of the county’s brand identity, media, and strategy efforts in 2024-2025 focused on FCFR. I especially enjoyed creating resources for digital media and outreach events, including Taco coloring pages and pumpkin carving stencils.
Integrated support of FCFR proved immensely rewarding, bringing collective vision to life on behalf of dedicated public servants.
Internal and public-facing personnel recognition in print-forward formats. By request, this and other designs have been made into a Canva template for accessibility.
In collaboration with: Flagler County Fire Rescue
DIVISION OF MOTOR VEHICLES AND TOLLS – MARCH 2020 – MARCH 2022
During the “essential personnel” period, the DMV and Tolls communications team adeptly navigated the challenges faced by a frontline public “enterprise” agency, generating $569.6M in FY21 and $619.3M in FY22. This was accomplished with a designated outreach budget (paid, earned, owned) of under $500,000 for all external print, production, and digital efforts.
My Role:
March 2020 found me as a Public Information Officer on this team, followed by a June 2020 promotion to Chief of Communications. Serving four Motor Vehicles and three Toll Operations locations statewide (as well as 1M+ constituents and visitors) I crafted communications re: issuance and modification of over 100 operational impacts across the division. Our team ensured that these changes were consistently communicated to the public while also generating original, engaging design and thought leadership amid unexplored horizons.
Recognition:
The team’s internal/external initiatives garnered state and national recognition consistently from 2018-2022, including Governor’s Award acknowledgement for the DMV Online Appointment Scheduler (the first of its kind in Delaware, and a life-changing resource for vulnerable populations seeking accessible division services.)
FLAGLER COUNTY EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT (Milton, October 2024)
Field Notes:
During Hurricane Milton in October 2024 (my first mandatory activation in Florida) I played a key role in facilitating community safety and resource conservation. Collaborating with various agencies, myself and a team of Public Information Officers provided timely guidance and support to the public on 24/7 rotating shifts across numerous channels. A memorable moment was announcing FEMA funding approval for Flagler County, celebrating a communal win amidst the crisis.
The press release can be found here. Visuals below with a telephone depicted accompanied the PR on @FlaglerEOC digital media and local news coverage.
(A retweet from FEMA is always worth celebrating, even if it was a visual driven by response time instead of radical design choices.)
Local and federal recovery information in mobile-forward format for integrated channels.
Resource distribution in mobile-forward format for integrated channels. In collaboration with Florida Division of Emergency Management and Florida State Guard.
Local recovery information in mobile-forward format for integrated channels.
10/12 FEMA Assistance Announcement in mobile-forward format for integrated channels.
We provided local recovery assistance information in a mobile-forward format across integrated channels. This included an aerial shot of a flooded road on the west side of Flagler County, chosen to illustrate our active response to the situation and to share verified footage for transparency.
Kelly Steffens, Planning Section Chief, and Lovie Haley, Operations Section Chief instituted a rotating communications screen for responders after the initial storm had passed. I collected uplifting messages from the community, and contributed to the display as rapidly as possible to encourage or inform a dynamic, multi-sector team on recovery efforts.
Campaign promoting joint C.E.R.T. training in mobile-forward format for integrated channels.
In collaboration with: Flagler County Emergency Management and Fire Rescue, and Flagler Volunteer Services. The Volunteer element of Flagler County’s Emergency Management team, coordinated by Ryan Simpson, was among those earning national recognition in 2025 from NACo.
SCENARIO: EMERGENCY GROUND RESPONSE TO AIRLINE INCIDENT
Emergency Response Training Exercise
In Q1 2025, I participated in an immersive training exercise at Daytona Beach International Airport, coordinated with local agency partners and airport representatives. Over 20 entities collaborated to enhance disaster readiness.
My Role:
I was responsible for constructing dynamic mock press releases, continuously updated to reflect the most current approved information for release. This experience is highly recommended for anyone looking to develop across various facets and maintain best practices in emergency response.
Key Takeaway:
This exercise reinforced the importance of assertiveness when confirming information with leadership in an emergency response setting—a skill I found valuable to polish in real time.
Marinah
Founder & Principal, AQUAMARINAH
Exploring why humans care, click, & connect
with integrated story / strategy since 2008.
COLLABS / INDUSTRIES
PUBLIC SECTOR
Grazie mille to countless collaborators, cherished mentors, unprecedented challenges, & educational moments along the way.
>> Department of Natural Resources + Environmental Control, Delaware State Parks (State of Delaware)
>> Department of Transportation, Division of Motor Vehicles and Tolls (State of Delaware)
>> Flagler County Board of County Commissioners (Florida)
PRIVATE SECTOR
>> Barberville Yard Art Emporium (FL)
>> Delaware State Fair (DE)
>> JD Sign Company (DE)
>> Sports at the Beach (DE)
>> Escape Reality VRcade (DE)
>> Mulligan’s Pointe Country Club (DE)
>> Screams at the Beach (DE)
>> Bright Ideas Press (DE)
>> Commission (various)
NPO/CRO
>> Pioneer Settlement for Creative Arts (FL)
>> Schoolhouse Fiber Guild (FL)
>> Delaware Four Wheelers (DE)
>> Biggs Museum of American Art (DE)
>> Grace Church (DE)
>> Family Learning Academy (DE)
>> Healthcare & community resource organization (Global)
Active Affiliations include: Public Relations Communications Association International Member | American Institute of Graphic Arts Member | The Coral Reef Research Hub Member | Florida Artist Blacksmith Association Member
a q u a m a r i n a h 