Hannah Birch
Resume

Resume

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Awards

2015 Pulitzer Prize for breaking news reporting, with Seattle Times staff

I contributed to the coverage that won The Seattle Times staff the Pulitzer Prize for breaking news reporting in 2015. For more on what that experience was like, read my Q&A with the Las Vegas Sun and UNLV News.

Work experience

Content Designer – Uber Technologies

September 2021 - present

I lead content strategy and UX writing on the Uber Eats team, advocating for end users of our platform. I collaborated with design, product, and user research teams, helping build the best user experience for delivery and mobility.

Content Strategist and Storyteller – Two Twelve

March 2021 - August 2021

I originated a content role with Two Twelve, a group that specializes in wayfinding and public information design. That included:

  • Redefining the nomenclature and content approach for the 40-year-old company, with a focus on acquiring new talent and growing our client base.
  • Collaborating with designers, our marketing lead, and the firm CEO to overhaul the website and position Two Twelve as a future-focused company.
  • Translate architecture and UX jargon into language that makes sense to and resonates with our clients.
  • Working on client projects with the Obama Foundation, Mass General Hospital, and others.

Content Strategist/Site Editor – Metropolitan Transportation Authority

December 2019 - March 2021

I was on the digital services team at the MTA, where we worked to make new.mta.info and the MYmta apps more rider-centric. We were the first in-house team to manage distinct digital products, following a long-established workflow of depending on contractors for this work.

At the MTA, I:

  • Worked across the 74,000-person organization to create content that was rider-centered while still being highly accurate, complete, and within legal and compliance standards.
  • Wrote and enforced the MTA’s first digital style guide.
  • Won over MTA lifers who were very skeptical of change.
  • Regularly advised VP-level executives on strategy.

Content Lead – The COVID Tracking Project

May 2020 - May 2021

During my time at The COVID Tracking Project, I:

  • Was the organizational linchpin for the design, engineering, research, UX, data, and PR teams.
  • Wrote UX copy that was clear, precise, accurate, and consistent.
  • Expanded the house style guide and governance process for copy.
  • Optimized editing workflows without sacrificing quality.
  • Implemented a modular approach to content in the CMS to make publishing faster.
  • Strategically audited and reorganized the structure of the website as it doubled and then tripled in size.

Committee Head for the DEI Coalition for Anti-Racist, Just, and Equitable Newsrooms – OpenNews

October 2020 - February 2021

I led a group of 20 people to define and launch dedicated Slack workspaces as part of the coalition’s mission. This included:

  • Using emotional intelligence to discuss topics including racism, sexism, and privilege.
  • Designing and running meetings and workshops.
  • Coordinating asynchronous work.
  • Collaborating with three other committee heads.
  • Helping build the vision of the coalition.

Production Editor — ProPublica

January 2018 – December 2019

I managed ProPublica’s high-performing story production team, a great joy in my career so far. In that role, I also:

  • Managed complex editorial projects that involved every team in the newsroom.
  • Oversaw daily story and newsletter production.
  • Ran the organization’s editorial calendar and editorial meeting. continually evaluated tools and processes to ensure smooth publishing workflow.
  • Assembled cross-team, collaborative groups to execute large editorial projects.
  • Worked with ProPublica’s platform team to develop and test new features for the site and CMS.
  • Was often described as unflappable, even under non-negotiable deadlines.
  • Was the final quality check on ambitious investigations where mistakes were unacceptable.

Lead Producer — ProPublica

March 2017 – January 2018

I supervised ProPublica’s growing team of web producers, ensuring that daily publishing ran smoothly. I also:

  • Planned and executed special projects.
  • Coached producers on hiring freelance photographers and editors.
  • Continued to oversee documentation efforts.

Web Producer — ProPublica

September 2014 – March 2017

In my first role at ProPublica, I:

  • Found visuals for and published stories to ProPublica.org.
  • Worked with the design director on the general look and feel of the site.
  • Selected photos for stories from wire services.
  • Created vector illustrations.
  • Hired freelance photographers and illustrators.
  • Copy-edited stories when time allowed.

Associate Producer — The Seattle Times

August 2012 – August 2014

Being on the Seattle Times digital team is what launched my career in digital products. While I was there, I:

  • Handcrafted web headlines and summaries for readability and SEO.
  • Selected photos and other visuals to feature on the Seattle Times homepage.
  • Taught myself HTML and CSS so I could design and create special layouts for big projects.
  • Trained many people throughout the newsroom on digital tools and strategy.
Calling the Washington governor’s race, November 2012. 📸: Joni Balter

Copy-Editing Intern — The Seattle Times

June 2012 – August 2012

As an intern on the news desk, I:

  • Copy-edited stories.
  • Wrote headlines.
  • Coordinated with the person running the website to make sure web metadata for each story was correct.

Education

University of Nevada, Las Vegas

  • Bachelor of arts in journalism and media studies; summa cum laude
  • Dean’s list, 2008-2012
  • Brian Greenspun and Ned Day Memorial scholarships
  • Member of Phi Kappa Phi and Kappa Tau Alpha honor societies