aleissa is a multi-platform editor & journalist.

I help organizations connect with people where they are. I translate complex global issues into clear, resonant work to help people understand what matters — and why. I come from a deep background in journalism and have worked, in NYC, LA, and DC, on teams at The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, the Financial Times and the Council on Foreign Relations.

I'm always thinking about how audiences find, understand, and connect with the information that shapes the world around them.

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I specialize in building content and leading strategies that help organizations tap into the communities they’re trying to reach.

Here’s what that’s looked like over the years
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  • At the Council on Foreign Relations, I help set editorial standards and shape how our audience team works across platforms. I edit and guide day-to-day coverage, train and develop editors, build new workflows that make the team more effective, and lead higher-touch editorial and audience projects across the organization.

    I also work across teams to sharpen framing, strengthen visual storytelling off-platform, and turn broader editorial priorities into practical audience strategy.

  • I was a social strategy editor at The New York Times, where I helped run all of the main social accounts for the organization.

    I planned rollout strategies for key projects, specializing on the newsroom’s culture and lifestyle coverage (which included leading live Twitter coverage of the Emmys in 2022). I was also part of the working group that helped launch the company's TikTok, and helped set the foundation for what became the broader social visuals team.

  • At the Financial Times, I helped write the FirstFT — a global newsletter on international affairs. My responsibilities evolved into editing editions and training colleagues.

  • I steered The Wall Street Journal's presence on Snapchat Discover, a channel with 1 million subscribers. I revamped the company's presence there as a visuals producer and helped bring news to the platform. I edited and assigned projects, as well as produced and designed vertical videos.

    At The New York Times, I designed and distributed social visuals to accompany key breaking news and enterprise features to a collective audience of millions.

    At the Financial Times, I spearheaded off-platform projects on Instagram.

    In addition to these roles, I've also worked as a visual editor at the Global Journalist and a multimedia producer at Scripps News.

  • I run social & community engagement initiatives at the 15/10 Foundation, nonprofit arm of the viral WeRateDogs. Here, community engagement is paramount to strategy across the board. And under my leadership, 15/10's Instagram account has grown by 66% in less than a year.