Sonja can be quirky, and shy, but with a wicked sense of humor. Adores her work, insatiable about learning. Hates grammar and loves creating masterpieces. The most extroverted introvert you'll ever meet - and an optimistic realist always.

An award-winning public relations, marketing, transmedia storyteller, and social media professional with over 20 years of experience, she joined South Coast Water District in 2015. As the PIO, she manages, plans, organizes and implements comprehensive public information and community relations plans and programs for the District. Previously, she created an award-winning Social Media program at the Orange County Sanitation District. She strategically designed, managed, and oversaw the growth of the District's brand through her writing of blog posts, articles, newsletters, communications materials for social media channels.

Sonja successfully built a Web presence for the District, implemented a Content Management System, and developed the employee Intranet. She twice oversaw a content assessment and a complete redesign of the District Website.

Other milestones include:

Designing and implementing a public education, outreach, and social media program that helped shepherd the District through a ten-year $2.5 billion capital building program which culminated in a successful completion and launch.

Strategically designing, and creating a public outreach and education program in concert with the OCWD to design a 5-year $1.1 million annual public education program for the Groundwater Replenishment System (GWR), the largest reclamation project in the nation.
Created and launched a new branding campaign “We’re Here for You" as well as the revolutionary public education program "What 2 Flush."

Sonja finds enormous pride by creating new and exciting ways to communicate with others by utilizing Web tools, social media and new communication research to bring national recognition to the causes she continues to champion.