City of Destin Public Information Department Overview

OverviewThe City of Destin's public information mission is to effectively and efficiently convey the city’s objectives to residents, businesses and visitors while garnering feedback to better serve the public need. A key function of this position includes working with members of the community, media, civic and professional groups to carry out the mission and vision of the city.Who Leads This Department?Dr. Tamara Leigh Young is the Public Information Director, serving as an information resource by developing and implementing communications strategies for Destin. A former tenured professor with 20+ years teaching/research in communications and data analytics and a past national Edward R. Murrow Award winner in Innovation, she loves collaborating with others for the betterment of the World's Luckiest Fishing Village. Her responsibilities include:State of the City AddressCity Open HouseBrandingCrisis communicationsEducation initiatives (including the safety of our beautiful sea turtles!) Magazine, newspaper and blog articles:Unsinkable Rose, Sands of Time, Library Magic, Transportation, Beach Talk , Library True Crime ClubMedia relations, including news releases and media announcementsHurricane GuidePublic Service AnnouncementsSocial media management (view social media policy here)Special eventsVideographyWebsite contentCity Christmas float (it's serious business to create so much fun!)She serves as a member of the City’s emergency management team, providing constant communication and emergency messages to elected officials, staff and the public. She is a member of the National Information Officers Association, Florida Municipal Communicators Association, and Impact100.In addition to holding a doctorate, she has a master's degree in organizational communication from the University at Albany, is a certified master public information officer from the University of Tennessee, and has an undergraduate degree from Indiana University in both journalism and English.Two of her favorite projects for Destin have been organizing the City's first drone show for thousands of visitors and commissioning the first mural on City property.Dr. Young loves traveling, hiking, boating, board game nights and books. Her two favorite people in the world are her son Brock (who lives in New York) and her daughter Layla (who lives in Tennessee).