City Hires Director of Communications
Former Food & Wine Magazine Brand Marketing Director Starts Job Oct 16
Sonia Zala Spina, a three-year city resident and former Food & Wine magazine Brand Marketing Director has been hired to fill the Director of Communications post.
The Bronx native grew up in Bryn Mawr, Pa., was a National Merit Scholar, and holds a Bachelor’s in Economics from Atlanta’s Emory University.
During her 15-year tenure at Food & Wine in New York she rose through the ranks from Associate Merchandising Manager to Brand Marketing Director.
“I started in December 2001,” Spina said. “I landed my dream job and it continued to be my dream job for a very long long time.”
She brings not only an branding and marketing expertise but has produced events, maintained websites and social media platforms, executed newsletters, handled communications, and created presentations and business updates.
Spina began visiting Asbury Park in the early 2000s, and soon summer weekend trips grew into year round weekend trips. Today she lives on Second Avenue with husband Frank, who she met six years ago through mutual friends when he was relocating to the city. They have a 10 month old son.
“I love this town and I’m really proud to live here,” she said. “I can see how much Asbury Park has grown since I’ve been visiting here. I’m so excited to help further that and to show everyone how great this town is.”
She named the city’s culture and diversity among its strengths.
“That is the reason I took this job,” she said. “Asbury Park is my home and I’m proud to live here. I’m proud of the positives steps in its growth, and I’m really excited to be a part of this with a group of people that really care about this city.”
Spina begins her post on Oct 16 and will receive a $75,000 annual salary, City Manager Michael Capabianco said.
Her responsibilities include managing information coming in and out of the city, updates from and to the Mayor and City Council, changes to City policy, activities within departments, and goings-on across Asbury Park, according to the City listing. She will administer the City’s website and social media pages, work with media outlets, and help each municipal department with its graphic design needs.
Spina said she’s excited about the job.
“My immediate goals will be to look at the needs, understand what they are, and figure out how to take my deep experience in marketing, branding, and communications to come up with next steps that are short term, and to put plans together for the future,” she said.
——————————————————————————————-
Follow the Asbury Park Sun on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
The Asbury Park Sun is affiliated with the triCityNews newspaper.
