Jon O’Connell

Jon is an experienced writer and editor, who brings a deep understanding of the media landscape to his role as Director of Strategic Communications. Jon develops earned media strategies and deploys multichannel content plans for the collaborators. He internalizes each client’s brand and then builds goal-oriented strategies. Jon consults with other Coal Creative team members to ensure concise, on-message content. He also regularly creates written content with a commitment to efficiency.

A veteran of NEPA newsrooms, Jon worked as a Staff Writer at the Times Leader in Wilkes-Barre and then as a business reporter at The Times-Tribune in Scranton. He’s covered a wide range of industries and community issues under tight deadlines.

Jon earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Pittsburgh, Johnstown. As a journalist, he was recognized by the Keystone Society of Professional Journalists awards for four consecutive years, beginning in 2016. In 2017, he received a Pennsylvania Associated Press Managing Editors award. Jon also earned the 2020 National Press Foundation Cancer Research Fellowship.

When he’s not writing or crafting strategy, Jon can often be found strumming a guitar, reading a book, or tinkering with a car.