Alice in Dairyland

Alice in Dairyland - WI Dept. of Agriculture

One of the most recognizable spokespersons of Wisconsin agriculture, Alice in Dairyland is a public relations professional who works with media, youth organizations, civic groups and a wide array of local events to facilitate a deeper understanding of the many facets of the state's agricultural industries.

Alice travels the state of Wisconsin during her one year contract position interviewing with television, radio and print media outlets, attending events large and small, and producing unique content for the Alice in Dairyland social media streams.

https://datcp.wi.gov/Pages/Growing_WI/BecomingAlice.aspx


Position Details

Alice in Dairyland
Job
Full-time
1/9/2018
Southwest Wisconsin
Madison, WI

The search for the next Alice in Dairyland is a job interview process beginning in January when applications become available. By early Feburary, interested applicants must submit a resume, cover letter, references and application form to be reviewed by the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP). In order to qualify for an initial interview in mid-February, applicants must demonstrate:

  • Considerable knowledge of and/or work experience with Wisconsin's agriculture industry
  • Three or more years of experience, education or training in communications, marketing, education or public relations
  • Public speaking experience
  • Experience planning and executing public relations, marketing or media campaigns

After individual interviews at DATCP, up to six qualified candidates are asked to move on to the next step in the process.

In March, these six candidates attend training and professional development seminars at DATCP and are officially announced to the public at a press conference in the county hosting the final interviews. At the training events, candidates recieve several assignments to complete prior to the final interviews in May.

In early May, the candidates travel to the host county for the final step in determining the next Alice, a three-day partially public job interview. Over the course of these three days, candidates are evaluated by a three-member interview panel as they demonstrate their ability to do Alice's job via TV interviews, radio interviews, speeches, writing samples, interactions with the public and agricultural knowledge. The public is invited to attend two evening events, including the selection of the next Alice in Dairyland. More information is available on these events here.

Based on the scores of all evaluation criteria, the next Alice in Dairyland is selected and formally announced. Alice begins her job the first Monday in June.

Position Description:

Alice in Dairyland is a marketing professional with a 70 year tradition of promoting agriculture in Wisconsin. This is a one-year contractual position with the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade, and Consumer Protection (DATCP). The professional hired will work full-time beginning June 4, 2018 as a spokesperson providing public relations and communication services for DATCP from the Madison headquarters for the contract year. In this position, the successful applicant will travel extensively throughout the state promoting Wisconsin’s agriculture industry and its impact on the state economy. This position coordinates and conducts a large number of radio, television, print, and social media pieces, writes and executes media campaigns for multiple agriculture industries, coordinates communications strategies, develops and delivers informational speeches for numerous urban and rural events, acts as a spokesperson at events extensively, and provides educational presentations to students.

Knowledge and Skills:

Position applicants must be female, at least 21 years of age, and demonstrate:

  1. Considerable knowledge of and/or work experience with Wisconsin’s agriculture industry;
  2. At least three years of experience, education, or training in communications, marketing, education, and/or public relations;
  3. Public speaking experience; and
  4. Experience planning and executing public relations, marketing and/or media campaigns.

Additionally, Alice in Dairyland applicants must:

  • Be a Wisconsin resident at time of application, and hold a valid Wisconsin Driver's License.
  • Have the ability to develop working materials for a variety of informational presentations, speeches, and media interviews.
  • Attend an extensive number of work-related events on evenings and weekends.
  • Establish and maintain working relationships with staff, partners, media and the public.
  • Be knowledgeable of and enthusiastically promote Wisconsin's agricultural efforts and accomplishments.
  • Have the ability to foster positive rural/urban relations.
  • Possess excellent written and oral communication skills.
  • Have the ability to work independently with minimal supervision at times.

Compensation:

This contract position annually receives a $45,000 salary. The position also includes holiday, vacation and sick leave, reimbursement of approved travel expenses, the use of a program vehicle for official business, and reimbursement for individual health insurance premium ($450 max/month).



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