Patrick O'Driscoll

Denver-based work in public relations, media relations, employee communications and strategic communications for an eight-state district (MT, WY, CO, UT, AZ, NM, OK and TX) of the federal Department of Interior's National Park Service, with 84 national parks, monuments, recreation areas and historic sites, from Glacier NP in MT to Padre Island NatSeashore in TX and many locations in between

Responsible for coverage of breaking, in-depth and feature news of national interest/importance in the greater Rocky Mountains/Great Plains region for the then-largest daily newspaper in America. Numerous assignments included Hurricane Katrina, Columbine, 9/11 aftermath, homeland security, Salt Lake City and Athens Olympics security, western public lands, wildfire, environment, government, politics

Roving regional news reporter in Rockies/Plains (nine states), Denver airport construction beat reporter (1993-95), environment reporter (1997)

Wrote feature-length "Cover Stories" -- single in-depth articles on the front of each of the newspaper's four sections (News, Money, Sports, Life) I worked in a general-assignment capacity, covering a wide variety of hard/spot/breaking news, feature story subjects and special projects I also covered religion as a "side" beat for a time, and I was part of the traveling press corps for the 13-day cross-country tour of America by Pope John Paul II in 1987

Reported and wrote on county and city government, education, environment, specialty beat (MX missile/military project in NV/UT), recreation, and also was a copy editor, assistant city editor and recreation editor

Society of Professional Journalists/Sigma Delta Chi Outstanding Staffer of the Year (internship at Reno Evening Gazette,1975); national finalist (third place), Hearst Foundation National Journalism Writing Awards (1975); Kappa Tau Alpha journalism academic society (1975); Newspaper Fund copy editing internship, Salt Lake Tribune (summer 1974)