RENE A.

DUNN
Merrillville, Indiana
(217) 369-6741- latterhousem@yahoo.com
A media relations, marketing, and community outreach professional with over 10 years of
management experience in law enforcement, military, and healthcare settings.

Extensive training in media relations and crisis communications (local and national levels);
Experience in managing high-profile and controversial incidents; i.e. Employee misconduct,
police shootings, etc.
Graduate-level coursework and experience in community relations and community building;
Accustomed to long hours and on-call status;
Experience in employee selection, hiring and evaluation;
Highly skilled in Windows XP, Microsoft Office Suite; social media platforms and basic
website design.
PROFESSIONAL HISTORY

03/07 to Present
Champaign Police Department
Champaign, IL
Assistant to the Chief of Police for Community Service
Responsible for the Police Departments media relations, marketing, outreach and recruiting
programs;
Served as the official spokesperson for the Champaign Police Department; made written and
oral presentations to the public, City staff, and City Council members;
Coordinated press conferences and arranged media interviews;
Drafted media releases and remarks for the Chief of Police on departmental activities;
Disseminated information to the public via the City of Champaign website and social media
accounts; maintained the departmental website and social media accounts;
Responsible for implementing the Citizen Engagement goal of the City of Champaigns
Communications Plan;
Actively developed opportunities and programs to encourage citizen collaboration and
police/community relations; increased focus on juvenile/police relations;
Organized Champaign Countys first career fair to attract women to the field of law
enforcement;
Served on the City of Champaign Communication Advisory Committee; the Champaign
County Crisis Team; County Risk Watch team; and the Champaign County Community
Coalition (Goal 2 Team Leader).
10/04 to 03/07
University of Illinois The Office of Diversity, Equity, and Access
Champaign, IL
Outreach Coordinator
Assisted the Director in the coordination of campus and community projects, outreach
programs, and activities designed to strengthen the relationship between these entities;
Assisted with the affirmative action recruitment efforts for the University;

Assisted in developing training modules and presentations for students, faculty and staff on
issues of diversity and discrimination in the University setting;
Planned and implemented a community workshop Fundraising Tools that you can Use
sponsored by the U of IL as a service to the community;
Coordinated community entrepreneurial workshop for the purpose of increasing minorityowned and female businesses in the community;

11/01 to 10/03
Care Centre of Champaign
Champaign, IL
Nursing Home Administrator
Responsible for the overall operations of a long-term care facility to include;
financial management, marketing/public relations and HR management for 84 employees;
Maintain quality assurance compliance with all related federal, state, local and federal
guidelines.
EDUCATION

M.A. in Public Safety Leadership

Graduate hrs at Eastern Illinois University in Education (Guidance & Counseling)
BA, Psychology, University of Illinois at Chicago

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Social Media Internet & Law Enforcement Conference (SMILE), (May 2011)
Public Information in a WMD/Terrorism Incident (FEMA), (2010)
IL Freedom of Information Act for Police Records (2009)
NIMS Public Information Systems (FEMA), (2008)
Law Enforcement Media Relations Graduate Level Training Seminar (2007)
Police Media Relations (2007)

PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
National Information Officers Association
National Law Enforcement Recruiters Association
Retired Senior and Volunteer Program, Board Member (2007-2010)
IL Lincolns Challenge Academy State Advisory Board (1998-1999)

AWARDS AND RECOGNITIONS

Commendation Award, Champaign Police Department (2014)
STAR Award, City of Champaign (2010)
Teamwork Award (2014; 2009)
City of Champaign (2009)

Rene A. Dunn