Jackie Fishman

11904 Tallwood Court Potomac, MD (Washington, DC suburb) USA

30 Years Experience

Professional Experience

Based in the Washington, DC area my writing career spans journalism, public relations, and marketing communications. Currently, I specialize in personal essays, reported pieces about personal business, health, family and lifestyle topics. My work appears in Business Insider, StillAlive! Magazine, Lilith, Jewish Women of Words, Virginia Dogwood Newspaper, and others. My corporate work includes writing and editing annual reports, press releases, press kits, newsletter, and brochure copy for NeighborWorks, the Parkinson's Foundation, and the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association I am accredited by the Public Relations Society of America and hold an MA in public communications from American University where I have also been an adjunct professor. I am a cat lover and grandma and have been known to occasionally jump out of a perfectly good airplane.

Expertise

Copy Editor 10 YearsWriter 25 YearsReporter 2 Years

Specialty

Health 20 YearsLifestyle 3 YearsPersonal Finance 3 Years

Industries

PR (in-house) - Fortune 1000 corp. clients 15 YearsMagazine - Trade magazines/publications (B2B) 5 YearsNonprofit 20 Years

Media Client List (# assignments last 2 yrs)

Business Insider (3-5)
NeighborWorks (3-5)

Corporate Client List (# assignments last 2 yrs)

Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association (10+)

Awards

Accredited Public Relations (APR)

Associations

Public Relations Society of America (PRSA)

Other Work History

1. Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, Washington, D.C. Media Relations Manager/Senior Communications Manager Created and executed media strategy for key issues and programs Developed news /feature ideas and talking points Prepared executive staff for interview. Wrote communications vehicles including releases, op-eds, scripts, brochures Planned and executed web site copy 2. Kaiser Permanente Mid-Atlantic States, Rockville, Md. Marketing Communications Project Manager Provided account executive communication services for member retention and health education efforts for mid-Atlantic region. Created and executed two quarterly four-color newsletters and managed distribution to a half million members. 3. Suburban Hospital, Bethesda, Md. Public Relations Manager Created and executed all communications programs for community hospital.

Technical Skills

10/21- MediaBistro Pitching 3/20-Catapult.co personal essay writing class 9/2017-12/2019-Docent for Newseum, Washington, D.C. 1/2017- Mediabistro Travel writing course

Foreign Language Skills

some French and Spanish

Computer Skills

Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Vocus, Content management systems, all Google Plus platforms, Wordpress,

Equipment

SLR camera- experienced photographer

Reporting

Big Pink

(Still Alive! 8/17/2023)

The house where Bob Dylan and The Band wrote some of their most iconic songs is currently for rent on VRBO. This piece is a look at what this house represents, a look at its history, what renting it means to renters and the durability of the music it helped to birth.

Redemption Project Offers Help to Virginia Inmates

(Virginia Dogwood News 10/14/2020)

Qualifying for a conditional pardon doesn’t help if you don’t know how to file a petition. That’s a problem many Virginia inmates face right now. They don’t know the right paperwork to file and can’t afford a lawyer to do it for them. That’s where the Virginia Redemption Project steps in.

Prison Is Sheer Torture for Those with Autism

(Virginia Dogwood News 10/26/2021)

Explores need for prison reform especially in light of those incarcerated with autism and other disabilities.

The Truth About Travel Nurses

(Med-Surg Nurse Life 5/31/2022)

Page one of online article (paywall for members only) about the work and experiences of travel nurses.

City Council Approves Apartment Conversion

(Alexandria Times 1/26/2023)

Account of Alexandria City Council open community meeting

Choose the Safe Option

(Virginia Dogwood News 11/23/2020)

Lifestyle, Personal Business, Social Issues

Yahrzeit

(Lilith 4/18/2023)

Personal essay about how the Holocaust affected my father's attitude and view of his own religious identity and how that affected me.

I waived the inspection on my home, and it's cost me a fortune. Here are 5 things I'd tell first-time buyers before doing the same.

(Business Insider 10/26/2021)

Essay for Personal Finance on the perils of purchasing a home in the 2021 housing market, focusing on waiving my right to a home inspection.

My Parents Fled Nazi-Torn Europe and They Taught Me A Lot About Money

(Business Insider 4/3/2022)

How my parents' immigrants' life experiences shaped their ideas about money and how these ideas are different in many ways from my own.

I watched both my parents and two grandparents suffer with dementia. Having a family history increases my risk, but I refuse to live in fear.

(Insider.com 8/20/2022)

Both of my parents — and two grandparents — suffered from dementia. Studies show that having a family history increases my own risk. But there are things I can do to level the playing field.

The Names

(Jewish Women of Words 10/25/2020)

Personal essay about how my daughter in law is keeping alive the names of my family members who perished during the Holocaust.

My Husband and I Do Separate Laundries

(Insider.com 11/30/2021)

Funny, personal essay about the benefits of abdicating from the task of doing my husbands laundry.

Taking Care of Aging Parents-for Longer than Ever

(The Midlife 2/28/2023)

As life expectancy for the extreme elderly increases, their children, who are elderly themselves, face the unprecedented situation of caring for them. While navigating their own aging issues, they must address and oversee the hard questions of how to take care of mom and dad. This essay looks at the experiences of four baby boomers who have faced and are facing this phenomenon.

The Grandparent Trap

(The Midlife 12/20/2022)

A personal essay about witnessing and appreciating how your children form their own family bonds which exclude the grandparents.

I Was My Daughter's Support During the Birth of My Grandchild

(Insider-Health 12/23/2021)

A personal essay revealing the stress, terror, excitement and pleasure of being present at the birth of a grandchild.

Spark-Art From Writing, Writing From Art

(http://getsparked.org/spark26/lisa-kilhefner-and-jackie-fishman 12/18/2019)

Spark is a participatory, inclusive creativity event. It is open to writers, musicians, and visual artists of all kinds, and occurs four times each year. During each 10-day project round, participants create new work using someone else’s art, writing, or music as inspiration. All resulting work is then displayed online, alongside the piece that inspired it. This site contains inspiration and response pieces from Spark’s 2010 – 2018 rounds.

Does Grandma Make a Good Birthing Doula

(Birth Magazine 6/11/2023)

Personal essay about being my daughter's birthing doula twice.

About Me

WAMU Interview

(https://listenersofwamu.wordpress.com/2015/09/14/listeners-of-wamu-jackie-fishman/ 9/14/2015)

I was interviewed by WAMU to explore my relationship with public radio for the feature in their blog, Listeners of WAMU: Jackie Fishman By Jesse Cao I talked to WAMU listener and former volunteer Jackie Fishman about her relationship with public radio, her favorite radio stories, and her career. Jackie’s currently a freelance writer, working mainly for a vitamin and supplement industry magazine. Before going freelance five years ago, she worked in healthcare communications, was a director of PR at a local hospital, and even taught middle school at one point.

How to Sustain Museums Washington, DC

(Kojo Nnandi Show-WAMU 12/19/2019)

Panel discussion on Kojo Nnandi Show on WAMU concerning DC museums and their challenges. I represented the Newseum, speaking as a docent for that museum and discussing my experiences there.

Suburban Hospital Media Fixture Leaves for New Position

(Montgomery County Gazette 2/10/2016)

I was profiled by Montgomery County. Maryland Gazette when I left my employment at Suburban Hospital.

Health Related

Namaste for Nurses

(Med-Surg Nurse Life 7/31/2022)

Article about the benefits of yoga for med-surg nurses. Publication is paywall-protected and intended for members of the Academy of Medical-Surgical Nurses.

Ingredients for Hair, Skin and Nails

(Nutrition Industry Executive Magazine 9/26/2024)

Interview with several supplement executives about the latest developments and newest ingredients to support healthy hair, skin and nails.

The Truth About Gluten

(Fresno Bee 1/25/2013)

What is gluten intolerance? What does it mean when someone has celiac disease? What is the difference between the two and are we seeing an increase in these conditions? I define the difference between the two ailments and outline what life is like for those who must eliminate gluten from their diet