About Gretchen Roufs

I describe myself professionally as: "communicator". I am a strategist, writer
and editor in public relations, marketing communications, and public involvement.
A long time ago in a land far, far away I also worked as a university fund raiser,
director of alumni relations, and recruiter/admissions counselor.

My professional (post-university) training includes course work in disaster
communications, public affairs, and public involvement. I am a strong manager and
leader. I make complicated technical topics easy for the layperson to understand.
I interpret and organize complex projects and ideas. I am calm in stressful situations
and thrive on doing difficult jobs and I work well on teams and in meetings.

I am skilled in external communications, key message development, and
brand/image programs and protocol. I make difficult subjects clear and easy to
understand. I can join a team and quickly get up-to-speed in the middle of a
project. I am proud of my ability to excel when given difficult and unwieldy
jobs. I work well in sensitive settings, have a strong public presence, and am
a poised public speaker. I handle disaster and crisis communications sensitively,
both with the media and the people affected by a disaster. I have a stellar list of
references and am very proud to count each of them as my professional associates.

As for me personally, I am married to Victor Woodfield, and we are living happily ever after with our
rescue cat named MargieGarcia. Vic was born and raised in England and I was born and raised in
Minnesota (so my o's are really looooong).

I do watercolor paintings for friends and family. In early 2012 I started taking my artwork to public
places. I'm an artist of the folk art genre ("folk art" refers to artwork done by people who have had no
formal training). You can see some of my artwork in a number of public venues in Texas, including
the Port Aransas Art Center.

I am passionate about swimming and water safety. About 12 or so years ago --just for the heck of it--
I enrolled in a Red Cross WSI (Water Safety Instructor) class. I have my WSI certification, which
allows me to do one of my favorite things in the world: teach swimming lessons. I'm currently
teaching at the Jewish Community Center in San Antonio.   Because I got involved in swimming, one
thing lead to another and I'm currently an active Red Cross public affairs volunteer. There's nothing
better than doing truly meaningful (and often life-saving) volunteer work.

I vote, recycle, like to sing every verse to a song (except that I have a horrible voice) , play the piano,
knit, say "yes" any time a kid wants to play a board game, and my favorite food in the world is a
cheeseburger. My new year's resolution is to always have a bottle of champagne in the refrigerator in
case of a celebration emergency. I love hot weather, orange-red nail polish, long flights, (that's
FLIGHTS, not fights) and keep a "stories to write" file.

I am proud of my certifications, affiliations , and education. I have a number of regional and statewide
certifications, including certification as a woman-owned, small, emerging business by the South
Central Regional Certification Agency.   I'm also excited to be the 2015 President-Elect for the Public
Relations Society of America (PRSA)

Thanks for visiting my website!    Let me know what I can do for you.

Gretchen Roufs
February 12, 2015

About Gretchen Roufs