About the Trainer

Heather Cotton is an strategic communications leader and educator with experience across educational, corporate, nonprofit, public-health, and community organizations. Her work is driven by a passion for helping people communicate their ideas, share their stories, and reach their personal and professional goals. She has served as a director of communications, senior communications consultant, instructional coach, English teacher, social media and website manager, and communications strategist. Her experience also includes community relations and development, interviewing, ghostwriting, executive profile management, crisis communications, brand management, public relations, digital campaigns, photography, website content, multimedia storytelling, and curriculum design.

Ms. Cotton holds a Bachelor of Liberal Arts from Armstrong Atlantic State University, now part of Georgia Southern University, and a Master of Science in Strategic Communications from Troy University. She has also earned certificates in artificial intelligence from Vanderbilt University and certificates in project management. Ms. Cotton is a Level 5 Georgia educator with certifications in English, reading, middle-grades language arts and social science, as well as an instructional coaching endorsement.

In AVTF I, AVTF II, and Broadcast Video Production Applications, Ms. Cotton combines her communications expertise and classroom experience to help students develop their voices, strengthen their technical and professional skills, and become creative, ethical visual storytellers prepared for college, careers, and future opportunities.