Hello, I’m McKinley, welcome to my portfolio!

Through my work in communication, journalism, all spaces of digital media, policy writing and analysis, and the public administration training I have received during my time as a Virginia Management Fellow, I hope to work toward creating a future that is more accessible and supportive for all Virginians.

Portfolio Content

Education & Experience

DBHDS Website Creation

8-Month Agency Reports

Other Notable Work for the Commonwealth of Virginia

Collegiate Social Media Experience

Collegiate Journalism Experience

Selections of Photography

Certifications

Education & Experience

Virginia Management Fellows (VMF) Executive Agency Rotations

Rotation 1: The VA Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services (DBDHS) Project Manager for the Division of Policy and Public Affairs, Office of Communication

Rotation 2: The VA Department of Energy (VA Energy), Policy Analyst

Rotation 3: The VA Department of Social Services (VDSS), the Office of Trauma and Resilience Policy (OTRP)

Education

B.A. in Political Science, with comparable credit hours in International Affairs (Global Human Development), and the School of Media Arts & Design (Journalism)

DBHDS Website Creation

A screenshot of the DBHDS website homepage in dark mode

During my eight months with DBHDS, I project-managed the content development for a full agency website redesign, including information and accessibility audits for over 20 offices, collaboration with leadership across divisions, organizing website navigation, and extensive copy editing.

DBHDS staff laughing outside in Capitol Square, Richmond, VA

DBHDS staff showing the back of their agency shirts with a blue VA map on it

This presentation is an example of my process and strategic planning for executing the DBHDS website launch, as presented to agency leadership.

Below is the DBHDS website homepage before (left/top) and after (right/bottom) the content development and branding application process, which I project-managed along with the agency’s Brand and Marketing Manager and the design team.

DBHDS website homepage after launch with VMF

During each VMF rotation, I authored original research reports, white papers, and policy briefs on topics centered on the agency that trained me. Included in this section are two examples of those 8-Month Agency Reports.

8-Month Agency Reports

Rotation 1: DBHDS

During this rotation, I authored a White Paper for the agency with a comparative analysis focused on communication best practices and how to employ these most effectively as a state agency.

Rotation 2: The Virginia Department of Energy (VA Energy)

During this rotation, I authored a policy brief for the agency’s policy and legislative affairs team ahead of the 2026 VA General Assembly Session, focused on the Virginia Clean Economy Act (VCEA), with recommendations to ensure Historically Economically Disadvantaged Communities (HEDCs) are not disproportionately impacted by this legislation.

Other Notable Work for the Commonwealth of Virginia

I created accessible social media content for REVIVE! trainers, so they could tailor the posts to their locations.

I photographed the COVA Internship Connection resume review session and recorded interviews with participants and mentors to grow the program’s visibility online.

COVA Internship Connection students picture

I wrote a press release for the Hiram W. Davis Medical Center closure page and co-led the State Planning and Consensus Team.

I completed SPIA 5544, a master’s class in public and non-profit financial management. Included is my final analysis presentation.

This is the one-pager I made for distribution at my second 8-Month Agency Report.

I was selected by the JMU Political Science Department to represent the university at the 2024 NEW Leadership® (NEWL) Virginia conference on women, gender, and policy, engaging with women leaders across public, private, and non-profit sectors, including policymakers in Washington, D.C. During this conference, I chaired a cohort committee in a mock legislative hearing, representing my cohort and leading discussions on policy issues.

Virginia Tech Institute of Policy and Governance (IPG) Certification Badges I’ve earned:

Fiscal Management Competency Skills Badge (FM-CSB)

Private-Public Partnership - Public Good Agent Badge

I guided Cohort 7’s Public-Private Partnership with a Social Purpose (P4), a service-learning project with a budget of $10,000. We partnered with Home Again, a non-profit dedicated to finding permanent supportive housing for unhoused families in Richmond, VA. This included creating a strategic framework for future cohorts to utilize. I project-managed for all administrative and foundational aspects of the P4, including stakeholder management.

Collegiate Social Media Experience

Political Polarization Research

During my time in Cross-National Research Skills (INTA 295), I worked collaboratively to create social media deliverables on the topic of polarization as it pertains to U.S. politics.
Start scrolling here to view the slides from a post!

Community Collaboration

In one of my School of Media Arts & Design (SMAD) courses, I collaborated with a team of students to create media deliverables for the Shenandoah Valley Black Heritage Project, a nonprofit in Harrisonburg, VA, using their branding!

This section displays some of the materials created, including a poster and trifold mock-up.

OUTSIDE

INSIDE

The JMU Office of Disability Services (ODS) Educational Seminar Deliverables

During my time as the Student Access Advocate for ODS, I arranged and hosted a webinar for all JMU students/Harrisonburg community members in partnership with the local Department of Aging and Rehabilitative Services (DARS).

I was a staff writer for JMU’s student-run newspaper, The Breeze, which has a 22,000-person readership. I predominantly wrote news articles (for both print and online) and was one of two writers to help re-open the investigations desk.

This section includes three of my published articles.