About Me

The short and sweet bullet-point version:

My name is pronounced UH-LEKS-UH HINE-RICK, but you can call me Alex
Social media strategist and professional speaker specializing in accessibility
Millennial who relocated from Chicago to St. Petersburg, Florida in 2019
Columbia College Chicago (2013) B.F.A. in Advertising Art Direction
I literally wrote the book on accessible best practices for social media
Director of Accessible Social, a free online resource hub for digital marketers
Creator of Social Media Tea, a user-generated content project
Winner of Sprout Social's 2020 "Always On" Award
Voted Higher Education Social Media's 2021 "Marketer of the Year"
Named St. Petersburg College's inaugural "Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Champion" in 2022
I'm also obsessed with press-on nails and even designed my own set

Accessible Social

One of my greatest passions in life is educating others about accessible best practices for social media content. Over the years, I have given numerous presentations on the subject and developed a number of resources for content creators including a guidebook, a newsletter, and a Facebook group. Eventually, my endeavors culminated in the creation of Accessible Social, an online resource hub for anyone who wants to learn about making accessible digital content.

Visit Accessible Social

Social Media Tea

In June 2020, I launched an Instagram account called Social Media Tea. My intention was to give my marketing peers an outlet where they could anonymously spill their secrets, their frustrations, and their experiences about their profession. The account has since grown to have more than 30,000 followers across Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook, and also includes a thriving online shop offering items that allow digital marketers to show off their extremely online sense of humor.

Visit Social Media Tea

Where I've Presented and Trained

It's been a privilege to train digital teams, CMOs, and content creators at brands, organizations, and events around the world. Some notable names include Adweek, John Deere, the World Health Organization, the National ADA Symposium, Sprout Social, Harvard University, MIT, Johns Hopkins University, and the U.S. Congressional Progressive Caucus.

Brands and Organizations

3Play Media
ADA Coalition of Connecticut
AdventHealth
Adweek
American Marketing Association Pittsburgh
Dell Technologies
Developmental Pathways
Empower: abilities
eSSENTIAL Accessibility
Fundraising Everywhere
GoFundMe
Great Lakes ADA Center (2x)
Hachette Book Group
International Federation of Red Cross & Red Crescent Societies
ISRAEL21c
John Deere
Lockheed Martin
National Institute for Social Media (2x)
Siemens
Sked Social
Sprout Social
Tailwind
World Health Organization

Agencies

160 Over 90
18 Coffees
25th Hour Communications
Accelerate360
Burness
Clarity
Creative Solutions
Honeycomb
Ignite Social
Lost Tribe Esports
Martin Waymire PR
Neat and Nimble
Nifty Method
Ologie
OneMagnify
Proof Strategies
Takeaway
United Talent Agency

Groups, Clubs, and Classes

Comms Creatives
JPRO Masterclass (3x)
Pop Chat Happy Hour
Social Media for Humans Club
TechSoup Connect TX Chapter

Conferences and Summits

Association of Florida Colleges Conference
All Day All Night Conference
BASIS7-ANEP Conference
California Community Colleges Information Security and Accessibility Workshops
Call Two Action
CASE Social Media & Community Conference
Cincinnati Together Digital
CreativePro Design + Accessibility Summit
Digital Summit Tampa
eduWeb eduSnacks
Florida College System SGA Advisors Conference
FPRA Annual Conference
Government Social Media Conference (GSMCON)
HighEdWeb Accessibility Summit
Independent College Bookstore Association Conference
Iowa Tourism Conference
Museum Association of New York
National ADA Symposium (2x)
North Carolina Independent Colleges and Universities Conference
Public Affairs Council Digital Media and Advocacy Summit
PSEWEB Conference (2x)
Ragan Communications Social Media Conference
Rhodes College NACA Marketing Week
Social Fresh
Social Pulse Summit
State of Social (2x)
University of Cincinnati, Digital Inclusion Day

PR Chapters

FPRA—Dick Pope/Polk Chapter
FPRA—Lake Chapter
FPRA—Space Coast Chapter
FPRA—Tallahassee Chapter
PRSA—Cincinnati Chapter
PRSA—Dayton Chapter
PRSA—Michigan Chapter
PRSA—North Carolina Chapter
PRSSA Reimagined
Public Relations Association of Mississippi
PR Council of Alabama—East Alabama Chapter

Schools and Higher Ed

Berry College
Clemson University
California State University, Fresno
Harvard University
Illinois Center for Specialized Professional Support (ICSPS) - Illinois State University (2x)
Illinois Community Colleges Online Accessibility Committee
Imperial College London
Johns Hopkins University
Kansas State University
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Old Dominion University
Rosalind Franklin University
SHEEO Comms Group
Stuttgart University
University College London
University of Alabama
University of Colorado, Colorado Springs
University of Michigan
University of Nevada, Reno
University of Newcastle (AU)
University of Southern California (5x)
University of Tampa
University of Texas, Austin
University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire
Vancouver Island University
Vanderbilt University
Wheaton College
Youngstown State University

Government and Municipal

Accessibility Community of Practice (Canada)
California State Information Officers Council (SiOC)
Cumbria County Council
The Lehigh Valley Arts & Cultural Alliance (2x)
NHS Lanarkshire
Oak Park Township
Public Sector Headspace
Township Communicators of Illinois
United States Congressional Progressive Caucus

Always On Award

In September 2020, I was the recipient of the Sprout Social "Always On" Award. This recognition is given to a single social media professional who embodies the spirit of being "always on," pros who are constantly taking in the world around them, empathizing with their community, and truly championing the power of social media.

Marketer of the Year

Per #HigherEdSocial: "Alexa has since become one of the foremost authorities on accessible social media, and a powerful advocate for those with disabilities who need assistive devices or rely on alt text to access information. She not only makes a difference on her campus, but in the higher education and marketing industry as a whole."