As public affairs manager for Cincinnati Metro, Jill Dunne has been instrumental in promoting public transportation in Greater Cincinnati. She is responsible for media relations and social media for the transit authority.
Dunne led the effort to totally redesign Metro's website over the past year, including transitioning the site to a new in-house content management system. She also worked with consumers to ensure that the website meets the needs of the community — from tech-savvy site users to riders with disabilities. To improve accessibility for people with disabilities, Dunne spearheaded the effort to create PDF alternatives for the schedules on the website.
A leader in the local public relations community, Dunne is known for cultivating positive relationships with the media and has been successful at gaining positive media exposure for Metro, on-call 24/7. She coordinated having a local columnist from the highest-circulation print publication in Greater Cincinnati undergo bus simulator and hands-on bus driving training that resulted in an article "You Think it Looks Easy to Drive a Metro Bus in Snow?" in January 2012. She also worked with a television reporter for WKRC-TV (Cincinnati ABC affiliate) to drive a Metro bus on air to focus on driver safety in 2011.
Dunne coordinated the installation of a reproduction of a piece of artwork on a Metro bus as part of the Taft Art Museum's Art for All program in 2012. She also has worked with ArtWorks, a nonprofit community art employment program, and volunteers to facilitate the "Yarn Bombing" of a Metro bus in September 2011. The resulting unveiling received extensive local and national media exposure.
Dunne represented Metro at the 2012 White House Community Partnership Summit in Columbus on March 16, 2012. She was featured in Mass Transit magazine in February 2012 for her social media successes, which included growing Metro's Facebook fans from fewer than 50 to more than 1,200. She was also featured in Cincinnati Social Media Marketing Examiner for her innovative approach to managing Twitter in the article "How To Respond to Complaints on Twitter with Cincinnati Metro."
She has been a speaker or panelist for a wide spectrum of professional events, including APTA, the Public Relations Society of America and the Society of Professional Journalists. She has been a guest speaker at public relations classes at Northern Kentucky University, the University of Cincinnati and Thomas Moore College.
Important for the Future
"It's a great privilege to hear from our riders about what a difference Cincinnati Metro has made in their lives. Our service has opened doors and provided great opportunities for our community. Cincinnati Metro has created friendships and even marriages have started on our bus routes. I love that I get to share those stories.
There are a lot of things to be excited about for the future of public transportation. The focus on sustainability and environmentally friendly initiatives are vitally important for future generations."
