#35 On Mission, 2011, this is me on assignment in Afghanistan doing a news story on an Army unit on an IED hunt.
In one word, I'm a storyteller. As a 20-year military public affairs veteran, I've traveled the world and helped people tell their stories. I use my strategic communications experience, combined with my integrated marketing communications skills, to execute impactful visual information campaigns that tell the story of an organization's people. Real stories that build trust with audiences. Everyone has a story; it's my passion to help them tell it.
My Training
Before the military, I started my creative career in graphic design. After joining the U.S. Air Force, I continued my Public Affairs career field training, with multiple opportunities to travel around the world and learn from other cultures and experiences. At the same time, I continued my personal education, working towards a Bachelor of Arts degree in Digital Media and Web Design.
I am proficient in Photography, Videography, Graphic Design, Journalism, Web Design, and Social Media Content Creation. I also continue to develop skills in emerging technologies such as Virtual, Augmented, and Mixed Reality. I developed a passion for teaching these skills as an instructor for our military members.
I continued my strategic communications journey with a Master's of Science degree in Integrated Marketing Communications and honed my skills in audience analysis and creative campaign planning.
My Skills
I am constantly branching out and learning new applications, and I stay current with what I know and love. I am very fluent with most of the Adobe Creative Cloud apps and am exploring more uses of these apps for gaming and mixed reality. I am also experienced and have taught using Google Education apps such as Google Classroom.
My Resume
JOSEPH VIGIL
(443) 251-8881 | joseph.a.vigil@gmail.com | https://josephavigil.myportfolio.com/work
Accomplished Public Relations leader with over two decades of experience shaping brand narratives and managing reputation for joint military organizations. Expert in integrating owned, earned, and shared media strategies to elevate organizational affinity and engagement.
Key skills
Public Relations: Media Liaison | Crisis Communication | Community Engagement | Leadership Advisement | Press Briefing Coordination
Multimedia: Adobe CC | Google Analytics | SEO | Mixed Reality Experience
Management: Project/Program Management | Budgeting | Resource Allocation | TS/SCI | Instructor Training
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
PUBLIC RELATIONS
Liaised across 50 high-performing teams supporting presidential inauguration events, aiding communication products for emergency contingency plans.
Drove Public Affairs objectives during the largest campaign in the Pacific Theater, mentoring a 20-member team publishing 916 products, 12 media engagements, ultimately reaching 1.3B people.
Developed communication plans and marketing campaigns for complex strategic objectives, including HQ transition and global space asset support
LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT
Led an 18-member strategic communicator team supporting 80 cross-functional organizations and a 48K local community.
Directly managed a 14-member Public Affairs team, enabling senior leader advisement on information environment and crisis communication events
Managed $200K budget and $1.2M equipment inventory with accuracy and transparency of resources, ensuring compliance and readiness
PROCESS IMPROVEMENT AND STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
Directed a multi-channel digital content strategy while operating at 41% below authorized staffing levels, managing 4 creative departments through 2K+ project requests and a large-scale community event, synchronizing messaging with strategic objectives, achieved a 457% increase in content downloads and a 145% surge in audience engagement across 53 countries.
Produced and implemented an internal project tracking system, tracking 2K multimedia and media queries, reducing missed deadlines by 25%
Crafted over 25 communication plans, policies, and lesson plans for DoD Public Affairs career fields, modernizing skillsets to industry standard
WORK HISTORY
United States Air Force Public Affairs 2006-Present
Public Affairs Senior Enlisted Leader 2025-Present
Public Affairs Superintendent 2020-2025
Defense Information Schools Lead Instructor 2017-2020
Public Affairs Specialist 2013-2017
EDUCATION
M.S. Integrated Marketing Communication (with honors)
West Virginia University, WV
B.S. Digital Media and Web Technologies (with honors)
University of Maryland Global Campus, MD
A.A. Public Affairs
Community College of the Air Force, AL
ACHIEVEMENTS
Congressional and California State Assembly Recognition 2021
Category: Graphics
Volunteered 87 hrs to the hometown chamber of commerce’s Veteran Memorial project design, saving $2500 in city budget in consultation and design fees
Department of Defense Media Awards 2016
Category: Multimedia Story
Produced multimedia video highlighting an Air Force Chaplain’s journey from serving as a priest under multiple Popes to a congregation of servicemembers