Resolution 2021-31861RESOLUTION NO. 2021-31861
A RESOLUTION OF THE MAYOR AND CITY COMMISSION
OF THE CITY OF MIAMI BEACH, FLORIDA, CONSENTING
TO THE APPOINTMENT OF MELISSA BERTHIER AS THE
MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR FOR THE
MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT OF
THE CITY OF MIAMI BEACH.
I
WHEREAS, the City Manager has appointed Melissa Berthier as the Marketing &
Communications Director for the City of Miami Beach (the "City") Marketing & Communications
Department; and
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WHEREAS, Ms. Berthier has 17 years of experience in the field of marketing &
communications and more than seven years of management experience; and
WHEREAS, Ms. Berthier holds a bachelor's degree in International Affairs with a
concentration in Public Health from George Washington University; and
WHEREAS, pursuant to Section 4.02(b) of the City Charter, the City Manager has the power
to appoint the directors of City departments, except for the Legal Department and the City Clerk's
Office, with the consent of the City Commission; and i
WHEREAS, the Mayor and City Commission wish to consent to the appointment of Melissa
Berthier as the Marketing & Communications Director for the Marketing & Communications
Department for the City of Miami Beach, Florida.
j
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT DULY RESOLVED THAT THE MAYOR AND CITY
COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF MIAMI BEACH, FLORIDA, hereby consent to the appointment
of Melissa Berthier as the Marketing & Communications Director for the City of Miami Beach
Marketing & Communications Department.
PASSED and ADOPTED this 17 day of SePf - 2021.
ATTEST:
SEP 2
E. Granado, City
:INCORP ORATED
/
7,
n Gelber Mayor
APPROVED AS TO FORM AND
LANGUAGE AND FOR EXECUTION
I,
City Attorney . �� Date
Resolutions - R7 G
MIAMI BEACH
COMMISSION MEMORANDUM
TO: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Commission
FROM: Alina T. Hudak, City Manager
DATE: September 17, 2021
SUBJECT.A RESOLUTION OF THE MAYOR AND CITY COMMISSION OF THE CITY
OF MIAMI BEACH, FLORIDA, CONSENTING TO THE APPOINTMENT OF
MELISSA BERTHIER AS THE MARKETING & COMMUNI-CATIONS
DIRECTOR FOR THE MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT
OF THE CITY OF MIAMI BEACH.
RECOMMENDATION
Pursuant to the requirements of Article IV, Section 4.02 of the City Charter, it is recommended
that the Mayor and the City Commission adopt the attached resolution consenting to the
appointment of Melissa Berthier, as the Marketing & Communications Director of the Marketing
& Communications Department for the City of Miami Beach.
BACKGROUNWHISTORY
Pursuant to the Letter to Commission provided to the Commission on September 8th and
attached herein, I am pleased to appoint Melissa Berthier as the Marketing & Communications
Director. Melissa has been with the City of Miami Beach for eight years, serving as Assistant
Director for three years and Interim Director since June. She is well-respected amongst her
colleagues and peers, including among the local and national media.
Melissa Berthier's professional skills and institutional knowledge of Miami Beach operations are
quite robust. Since joining the City in 2013, she has worked through some of our most dauting
challenges - from the Zika crisis to hurricanes, complex police investigations, legal quagmires,
the global pandemic, and most recently, the Surfside building collapse.
In addition to liaising with the media daily, she has personally provided leadership to the
important work of our Neighborhood Affairs Division and serves as Editor -in -Chief of MB
magazine, our quarterly bilingual magazine. She oversees the operations of the MBTV team,
which creates original video content in addition to broadcasting Miami Beach public meetings.
She oversees hundreds of graphic design pieces and dozens of marketing campaigns to
promote various city initiatives.
A native of South Florida and a proud Miami Beach resident, Melissa has more than 17 years of
experience in the communications field spanning nonprofits, magazines and transit. She has
over six years of senior management experience. Melissa holds a bachelor's degree in
Page 1130 of 1657
I ntemational Affairs with a Public Health Concentration from George Washington University,
graduating cum laude.
SUPPORTING SURVEY DATA
N/A
CONCLUSION
Ms. Berthier's valuable prior professional experience and extensive Miami Beach experience
make her the best qualified person for this opportunity. I know that she will continue to be a
tremendous asset to our important mission.
Applicable Area
Citywide
Is this a "Residents Right
to Know" item, pursuant to
City Code Section 2-14?
No
Legislative Tracking
Human Resources
ATTACHMENTS:
Description
❑ Melissa Berthier Resume
❑ Resolution
❑ LTC 374-2021
Does this item utilize G.O.
Bond Funds?
No
Page 1131 of 1657
MELISSA BERTHIER
Miami Beach, FL • 786.442.7109
Dynamic professional with 17 years of experience in public relations, marketing programs and event management.
Highly successful at creating cooperative relationships internally and externally, building brands and streamlining
business processes.
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EXPERIENCE
Assistant Director of Marketing & Communications, City of Miami Beach
Miami Beach, FL I November 2018 - Present
The 7.2 square mile urban -island is the pulse of South Florida — from walkable neighborhoods, clear aquamarine waters,
rich Art Deco and MiMo history as well as the diverse entertainment and cultural offerings. Miami Beach has a resident
population of 92,000 with an average daily population of over 250,000. On the front lines of climate change, thel city is
often hailed to be writing the book on sea level rise adaptation and mitigation.
• Manage all day -today media relations for the city and maintain proactive communications and relationships with
local and national media by pitching stories that are relevant and newsworthy.
• Oversee all citywide print and digital communications aimed at residents and visitors.
• Spearhead messaging and creative direction for dozens of organic municipal marketing campaigns along with an
average of 25 paid, multitiered campaigns annually.
• Serve as an integral part of the city's crisis communications team, responding to a multitude of crises including
COVID-19, hurricanes, Zika, and many high-profile police and fire incidents.
• Preside over MB magazine, the city's bilingual, award-winning glossy quarterly publication as its Editor -in -thief.
• Directly assist in managing a staff of 12 with a $2.3 million office budget.
Public Relations Manager, City of Miami Beach
Miami Beach, FL I April 2016 - November 2018
• Responsible for all external and internal publications, including MB, biweekly e -newsletters and a quarterly
employee newsletter.
• Wrote over 130 press releases on average per year on a gamut of city matters.
• Oversaw all social media messaging and communications with impressions averaging 900,000 to 1 million per
month.
• Responsible for the production of a variety of content collateral ranging in topics from cultural happenings;
construction, environmental and resilience issues, parks & recreation, transportation, police, fire and many others
with a proven ability to produce high-quality work under tight deadlines.
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Public Information Specialist, City of Miami Beach
Miami Beach, FL I September 2013 - April 2016
• Supported day -today media inquiries and drafted numerous press releases.
• Revamped the city's publication of MB magazine as Editor— increasing page count, print material and providing
creative direction.
• Wrote biweekly newsletters as well as a monthly Spanish newsletter, marketing copy and scripts.
• Produced and hosted original programming for MBTV, including fan favorite Cooking with Fire.
• Responsible for fulfilling all media -driven public records requests.
• FEMA National Incident Management System compliant for PIO duty with the following certificates: ICS 100, 200,
700 and 800, plus G-290 and G-29.
Special Projects Officer, Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority �
Washington, D.C. I January 2010 - September 2013
Serving as the second largest rail and fifth largest bus system in the nation, the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit
Authority (Metro) is a tri -jurisdictional government agency authorized by Congress that operates transit service in
Washington D.C., Virginia and Maryland.
• Supported the promotion of Metro's strategic initiatives by crafting messages and materials aimed at our external
audiences during service changes, fare increases, bus studies and public hearings.
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• Created and nurtured relationships with area businesses, employers and community stakeholders to partner with
Metro and increase ridership.
• Directly responsible for planning, budgeting and executing all large external and media -heavy Metro events,.
Accountable for writing speaking points, run -of -shows, programs and other event collateral.
• Worked closely with external regional planning committees, including the 2013 Homeland Security Inaugural
Committee, D.C. Mayor's Office, Washington Nationals, Verizon Center Arena, Marine Corps, Army and others by
serving as a Metro representative. Cleary set expectations of our organization's role(s) during special events.
• Worked alongside our designers to develop signage and Metro advertising campaigns used throughout the] system.
• Served as a communications project manager for joint development/adjacent construction projects for Metro.
• Served on the Family Assistance Committee to meet the needs of victims and families in a time of crisis due to
Metro's operations. Trained by the American Red Cross in Psychological First Aid.
• Offered Spanish translation support for our office of Marketing, Transit Police and our paratransit/ADA offices.
• Responsible for the office budget and purchase card.
Strategic Communications Coordinator, Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority
Washington, D.C. j October 2008 -December 2010
• Built relationships with local government and community organizations, including Business Improvement Districts,
social service agencies, D.C. Department of Health, and the D.C. Mayor's Office to encourage participatioi in our
projects and studies.
• Accountable for the Metro Information Persons (MIPs) program, which trained non -operations employees to work as
frontline customer service in rail stations and/or bus terminals for special events, holidays and track maintenance
work that disrupted the Metro system. Over 320 MIPs were deployed in the 2009 Presidential Inauguration.
Responsibilities included recruiting eligible employees to participate, assigning work locations, creating collateral
material, training, supervising shifts and partnering with the CFO's office to compensate staff accurately and in a
timely manner.
• Maintained the public events calendar in the Washington D.C. region for our rail and bus operations staff.
• Worked alongside our IT department to create an online database of all Metro stakeholders near our 86 rail
stations. The extensive list of nearly 2,500 entries consisted of governmental departments, hospitals, hotels,) shopping
malls, residential complexes, schools and community organizations.
• Supported office of media relations by conducting Spanish TV and radio interviews.
• Managed employee discount programs for over 11,000 employees as well as built and negotiated relationships
with partner businesses and vendors.
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Marketing Specialist, Bluemercury
Washington, D.C. I January 2008 - October 2008
One of the nation's fastest growing luxury apothecary and spa retail chains, Bluemercury has over 160 stores nationwide.
• Accountable for coordinating all new store marketing initiatives, including advertising plans, press outreach,
customer relation management efforts, guerilla marketing, direct mail pieces and community outreach events.
• Developed, delivered and implemented marketing presentations and plans including budgets, proposals and initial
creative strategy.
• Responsible for all in-store messaging, consisting of a national -store window campaign, easel signs, bag stuffers,
spa menus and all other promotional collateral material found in stores.
• Conceived strategic programs focused on new customer acquisition, customer retention and loyalty.
• Acted as a liaison between our stores, marketing, visual, operations and public relations teams, along with outside
vendors, mall management and agencies in support of store openings.
• Edited and updated Bluemercury web pages using Marketlive, a template -based solution.
• Contributed to the successful opening of our first Manhattan location (second highest opening, in terms of ,'profit, in
the 10 -year history of the company) as well as the Tucson, AZ and Bethesda, MD stores.
Manager of Corporate Affairs, HISPANIC A PODER Magazines, Televisa/Page One Media j
Miami, FL j April 2006 -July 2007
HISPANIC Magazine was the premier national, English-language general interest magazine targeting 1.4 million ireaders.
PODER Magazine was a business publication geared to the Hispanic elite with U.S., Chile, Colombia and Mexico editions.
• Served as representative and directed public relations with corporations, government officials, media and nonprofits.
• Responsible for boosting circulation by identifying sources that increased magazine sales. Personally accountable for
a 50,000 -circulation increase. Page 1133 of 1657
• Worked alongside the marketing and art departments in developing ad sales and sponsorship packages.
• Responsible for the planning, promotion and execution of various high-profile events, including:
PODER Green Forum: Held at the Miami Museum of Science & Planetarium, environmental, corporate and political leaders
addressed environmental responsibility. Helped arrange prominent speakers, including Al Gore, Colombian President Alvaro
Uribe, Chilean President Ricardo Lagos, Sofia Longoria and Grupo Mana.
PODER Forecast 2007: Held at the Inter -American Development Bank in Washington D.C., this summit gathered experts to
discuss the US economy and the state of future US -Latin American relations. Supported in securing Alan Greenspan as the
keynote speaker.
HISPANIC Achievement Awards: Coordinated the annual Hispanic Magazine Achievement Awards held in San Francisco,
California; an annual black -tie dinner to recognize the contributions of prominent Hispanics across the United States.
PODER Crossing the Invisible Wall Forum: Assisted in producing the PODER annual forum held at Miami City Hall. This two-
day forum consisted of panels focusing on immigration and terrorism. Panelists included Israel's former Prime Minister Ehud
Barak and U.S. Immigration Director Emilio Gonzalez.
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Program Manager, Congressional Hispanic Leadership Institute (CHLI)
Washington, D.C. I February 2005 - April 2006
CHL! is a nonprofit organization that promotes alternative approaches to challenges faced within the Hispanic community.
• Worked regularly with federal elected officials, national organizations and corporations to address social, economic
and political issues affecting the community.
• Directed the Ford CHLI Leadership Program, a six-week internship for university undergraduates.
• Supervised Sed de Saber, a language acquisition program for Hispanic restaurant and hotel workers.
• Accountable for the planning and coordination of all CHLI events, including legislative briefings, galas, advisory
board meetings and cultural recognition events.
• Other duties included writing press releases in English and Spanish, program budgeting, developing the corporate
image and identifying new corporate partnerships.
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EDUCATION
George Washington University, Elliot School of International Affairs
Washington, D.C. ! September 2002 - December 2004
• B.A. International Affairs, Public Health concentration I Graduated cum laude and with special honors in 2.5 years.
LANGUAGES
Fluent in English and Spanish.
Page 1134 of 1657
MIAMI BEACH
OFFICE OF THE CITY MANAGER
NO. LTC # 374-2021 LETTER TO COMMISSION
TO: Honorable Mayor Dan Gelber and Members of the City Commission
FROM: Alina T. Hudak, City Manag
DATE: Sept. 8, 2021
SUBJECT: Appointment of Director of Marketing & Communications
I am delighted in this LTC to announce the selection of Melissa Berthier as our new Marketing &i
Communications Director. Melissa has been with the City of Miami Beach for eight years,
serving as Assistant Director for three years and Interim Director since June. She is well
respected among the local and national media as well as by everyone who has had the pleasure
of working with her, including myself.
I
continue to be impressed by Melissa's dedication and passion for the City as well as her work
ethic. Melissa's professional skills and institutional knowledge of Miami Beach operations are
quite robust. Since joining the City in 2013, she has worked through some of our most daunting
challenges — from the Zika crisis to hurricanes, complex police investigations, legal quagmires,;
the global pandemic and most recently the Surfside building collapse.
In addition to liaising with the media daily, she closely participates in the important work of our
Neighborhood Affairs Division — which takes the pulse of Miami Beach residents — and serves
as Editor -in -Chief of MB magazine, our quarterly bilingual magazine that consistently ranks as i
the number one source of information for Miami Beach residents. She oversees the operations
of the MBTV team, which creates original video content in addition to broadcasting Miami Beach
City Commission and Committee meetings. She oversees hundreds of graphic design pieces
and dozens of marketing campaigns to promote various city initiatives.
I
A native of South Florida and a proud Miami Beach resident, Melissa has more than 17 years of
experience in the communications field spanning nonprofits, magazines and transit. She began,
her career in 2004 as a founding staff member of the Congressional Hispanic Leadership
Institute — a Washington D.C.-based nonprofit started by U.S. House and Senate members
along with Fortune 500 corporations. She proved to be an aggressive fundraiser and
spearheaded many congressional briefings on Capitol Hill on various topics ranging from
immigration reform to health care.
Following her work at the Institute, Melissa became the Corporate Affairs Manager at Editorial
Televisa. There she planned, promoted and executed many high-profile media events — from
an economic symposium with Alan Greenspan to an environmental forum headlined by former
U.S. Vice President Al Gore. She was later tapped by the corporate world as Marketing
Specialist for Bluemercury, an apothecary and spa retail chain with more than 160 locations
based in Washington, D.C.
Page 1136 of 1657
Before moving back to South Florida, Melissa made one final stop at the Washington
Metropolitan Area Transit Authority as Special Projects Officer. There she promoted the capital j
city's world-class transit system to residents and visitors for five years. She played a key role in
the preparation and execution of Metro's plans for President Barack Obama's first Inauguration
Day and served on the crisis team in the aftermath of the tragic Red Line derailment.
She manages her many responsibilities while raising two young girls with her husband in what
she considers to be the greatest city in the world. Melissa holds a bachelor's degree in
International Affairs with a Public Health Concentration from George Washington University,
graduating cum laude.
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While I recognize there has been much discussion about the need to revitalize the Miami Beach
brand, I believe we need a new approach. I am hopeful the collaboration with the Greater Miami
Convention & Visitors Bureau and the new focus on Miami Beach destination marketing will
bring to the forefront all of the wonderful assets found in our community. I intend to ask Melissa
with a combination of others in my administration for leadership in this effort. !
Please join me in congratulating Melissa on her new role. Thank you for your support.
ATH
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