This is the first of a new series at OhMyGov that shines the spotlight on the people in government responsible for communicating with the public at large. We'll be profiling and interviewing public affairs officers, new media directors, web mavens and other gov communicators who give form to the messages that our agency leaders, elected officials and political candidates want to convey.  

To kick off the series, we posed a set of questions to Kristy Fifelski, an entrepreneurial local government official in the mid-sized city of Reno, Nevada. Like many state and local communicators, she must balance ambitious goals and innovative ideas with meager budgets. Here's what she has to say.... 

Kristy Fifelski

Employer:

City of Reno, Nevada

Official Title:

Web Services Manager

What I'm Called Around the Office:

Kristy or Web Manager, which is fine with me. My title used to be E-PIO, but no one knew what the E stood for. Sometimes I'd mess with them and tell them the E was silent.

Years in Job:

I've been working for Reno for 4 years, 171 days (but who's counting?)

Biggest Challenge:

Maintaining a high profile website with very little budget

Proudest DIY Achievement:

I dusted off the old Photoshop skills and did the graphic design work for the latest Reno.gov rendition myself. I knew we had some serious usability challenges to address, but our budget was dry. It's always a work in progress, but I'm happy with what I was able to achieve.

Biggest Lesson Learned:

The best people in my field are those who aren't afraid to ask questions. The web technology/ web communication field is expansive - the convergence of so many related technologies and practices. Don't be afraid to ask questions and try to find your own answers to the latest trends, buzzwords and even accepted practices

Biggest Embarrassment:

I have on occasion covertly Googled a term on my Android during a meeting so I could stay up to speed with the technology being discussed. At least I hope I'm being covert...

Budget for Web & Social Media:

My operational budget these days is around 40k for all hosting, domains, security certificates, server maintenance, everything! Each year it dwindles more and more - When I started, it was around $148k. It makes being resourceful a new job requirement.

Social Media Tool That Works Best for My Org:

Facebook, hands down. We've got a strong fan base of over 10,000, and we enjoy interacting with them. We usually wind up having some great exchanges with citizens that would have otherwise never happened.

Favorite 3 Sites for Learning:

Google.com - The answer to everything awaits.

NAGW.org - The handy 'Resource Directory' allows me to find policy & how-to docs that other govies have shared.

Sixrevisions.com - A cool blog that is known for offering step-by-step guides & freebies for web designers and developers.

My Killer App Would Do This:

Interface with all of Reno's payment systems to securely process sewer, parking ticket, court, and class registrations via mobile device.

What I'd Like To Spend More Time Doing:

I would love to spend more time using the web to promote the City of Reno to prospective business owners and entrepreneurs. Reno.gov is a great resource that I'd like to focus more as a strategic marketing tool.

Follow Me:

On Twitter @kristyfifelski, on my website http://www.kristyfifelski.com/ and, of course, check out Reno.gov

Have an idea of who we should profile? Email us at editors [at] ohmygov.com