1. Jeffrey Aaron Morris 308 Gail Drive Charleston, WV 25314
(304) 415-3053 jeffreymorris53@gmail.com
Skilled professional with demonstrated record of excellence in writing, editing, leadership and creativity.
Versatile team player with extensive experience in researching articles, working with people, coordinating
projects, handling multiple tasks and solving problems on deadline.
Areas of Professional Expertise
Leadership
• Served as senior digital content coordinator at TV station with staff of more than 50.
• Played key role in growth of station Facebook page (increase of more than 100,000 fans), Twitter
page (increase of more than 13,000 followers) and website (averaging 1.5 million page views and
300,000 unique visitors per month).
• Served as managing editor of a magazine targeted to public employees in four states.
• Played key role in the communications unit of a state agency, helping to generate story ideas and
produce materials for a variety of publications.
• Served as statewide grant writer for nationally known nonprofit organization.
• Shared in the supervision and evaluation of a 15-member reporting staff.
• Trained and coached interns, journalism class students and part-time and full-time reporters.
• Assisted in the daily planning of news coverage for a 48-employee newsroom.
• Coordinated and judged contest entries, leading the Charleston Daily Mail to five first-place
General Excellence awards.
Creativity
• Coordinated and involved in the creation of award-winning projects and special series on a
variety of topics from flooding to teen angst.
• Generated hundreds of story ideas for articles published on Page One and the section fronts of
four daily newspapers.
• Created witticisms for Charley West, the Charleston Daily Mail’s Page One cartoon character.
Writing
• Demonstrated ability to research complex information and turn it into concise, clear writing on
deadline for multiple platforms including television website, social media and print media.
• Written and received more than $1 million in grants from foundations, corporations and United
Ways.
• Authored press releases, speeches, scripts for a public affairs television program and content
for state agency publications and website.
• Authored hundreds of articles and several series on a diverse number of subjects that were
published in six newspapers.
• Free-lanced for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, writing a full-page article for the science section
on a new automotive engine under development at West Virginia University.
• Awarded five honors in the West Virginia Press Association’s Better Newspaper Contest.
2. Editing
• Edited website and social media content, including video, in fast-paced TV news environment.
• Proofread newsletters, newspaper pages and a variety of publications to check for errors in
headlines, photographs and captions, graphics, articles and design layouts.
• Edited newspaper articles on deadline to meet legal and fairness standards, to ensure
completeness of reporting, proper grammar, spelling and style.
• Guided and edited multiple projects, including a yearlong series on West Virginia entering the
Millennium.
Company Affiliations
Senior Digital Content Coordinator
WCHS-TV(ABC)/WVAH-TV(Fox11), Charleston, WV 2012 to present
Grant Writer
American Red Cross Central WV Chapter, Charleston, WV 2008 to 2012
Copy Writer/Editor
MotionMasters, a “multimedia company,” Charleston, WV 2007 to 2008
Public Information Specialist
West Virginia Division of Rehabilitation Services, Institute, WV 2005 to 2007
City Editor/Projects Editor/Assistant City Editor
Charleston Daily Mail, Charleston, WV 1989 to 2005
Suburban Reporter
Lancaster New Era, Lancaster, PA 1989
Higher Education Reporter/City Hall Reporter
Dominion Post, Morgantown, WV 1984 to 1989
Freelance Writer
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Pittsburgh, PA 1987 to 1989
Reporter
Point Pleasant Register, Point Pleasant, WV 1983 to 1984
Sports Editor/Crew Chief/Copy Editor/Reporter
The Parthenon (Marshall University), Huntington, WV 1981 to 1983
Education
Marshall University, Huntington, WV 1981 to 1983
Bachelor of Arts degree, journalism; Magna cum laude, 3.62 grade point average
Bethany College, Bethany, WV 1979 to 1981
Communications major
Honors and Activities
West Virginia Press Association 1984 to 1997
Better Newspaper Contest, five-time award winner
(Lifestyle Columnist, Community Service, Sports Writing and Feature Writing)
3. Charlie Childers Award, Barboursville High School 1979
Top senior award for outstanding leadership, scholarship and athletic ability
Advanced Training
Standard First Aid/CPR-Adult, ARC Central WV Chapter 2011
Disaster Public Affairs Local Response, ARC Central WV Chapter 2009
Shelter Operations, ARC Central WV Chapter 2008
Client Casework, ARC Central WV Chapter 2008
PageMaker 7, Level 1, New Horizons Computer Learning Center, Teays, WV 2005
Computer-Assisted Reporting, University of Charleston 1998
Effective Writing and Editing, Southern Newspaper Publishers Association, Dallas, TX 1992
Effective Writing and Editing, American Press Institute, Reston, VA 1986