CTEH Spotlight: Amy Lasseigne

Have you seen a CTEH booth, video or collateral at an industry conference or trade show recently? Chances are Amy Lasseigne and the marketing team was to thank. For more than five years now, Amy has helped oversee CTEH’s brand image, messaging platforms and new business development. When she’s not hard at work, she’s giving back to the Arkansas Ovarian Cancer Coalition (AROVCC), and educating women about the symptoms of this “silent killer.” Read more about Amy below:

 

You wear many hats at CTEH. What does a typical workday look like for you?

As a member of CTEH’s marketing team, I have the opportunity to interact with every aspect of our business. These days you might find me creating content for new business lines or products, planning our company’s 20th anniversary activities, playing with new logo ideas or working with subject matter experts on new business proposals. Flexibility, responsiveness, and the ability to multi-task are very important in this role. It’s a challenge I enjoy. No two days are the same, which makes it exciting to come to work every day.

What’s your secret to engaging audiences without a scientific background or those who are unfamiliar with CTEH’s work?

Through social media and our blog, Inside CTEH, we strive to engage audiences with content that is applicable, relatable, and educational. We cover everything from heat stress to tips to preventing the flu. At the end of the day, CTEH is a team of individuals focused on human health. Keeping our work environments safe is truly at the core of our culture. We want our employees to learn from the content as much as our external audiences.

You’re helping CTEH develop its brand-new website. What was the reasoning behind this?

CTEH is proud to celebrate 20 years in business this year! We have wanted to create a new website for a couple of years now, and this was a great excuse to tackle it. The marketing team is excited to develop a site that better showcases our brand, services and team members, as well as why our people are empowered to be in the emergency response and health and sciences consulting business. 

When and why did you join the CTEH team?

I joined CTEH in April 2012 to further develop my marketing and communication skills and do less design work. I am a graphic designer by education. In my role, I’ve had the opportunity to develop new programs (i.e., customer satisfaction surveys) and processes; learn more about content development and public relations; and refine my technical writing skills. Since I joined the team, CTEH has experienced a lot of growth—almost doubling in size. It’s fun to help create marketing content to support our consultants as they educate existing and potential customers on how CTEH can help them better prepare and respond to chemical emergencies or protect their workforce.


In 2009, you co-founded the AROVCC. Since then, you’ve served as executive director and board member. Why did you want to start this organization?
In 2007, my mom / best friend was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. After pushing through the first 6 months of chemo, we had the urge to tell the world about ovarian cancer, especially after we learned there was no way to screen for it. (NOTE: Pap smears do not test for it!) My mom had no interest in a support group. She would say, “I don’t want to sit around and talk about all my woes. I want to see action. I want to do something that will make a difference for other women.” We were introduced to an ovarian cancer workgroup within the Arkansas Cancer Coalition, which was given a budget of $1,500 a year to educate women about signs and symptoms. Together, we decided this wasn’t near enough to help us accomplish our goals so we established the Arkansas Ovarian Cancer Coalition (AROVCC), a volunteer-only nonprofit. Through the years, I’ve been able to use my CTEH “volunteer days” to give back to AROVCC. With the help of my mom, board members, and supporters, we’ve raised an average of $25,000 a year and reached more than 600,000 people through educational materials and broadcast media. This year, we surpassed another milestone by producing a full awareness campaign, with commercials and new PSAs rolling out this month.

September is National Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month. What are the symptoms of ovarian cancer?

The symptoms of ovarian cancer can often be vague so it’s important to listen to your body and know what is normal and not normal for you. If you experience the following symptoms for more than 3 weeks, please consult your gynecologist or primary care physician:

  • •Bloating/abdominal pressure
  • •Pelvic pain
  • •Unexplained changes in your bowel habits
  • •Feeling full quickly—your portion sizes keep getting smaller and smaller
  • •Frequent urination – feeling like you have a UTI that won’t go away
  • •Unexplained fatigue

 

How can we get involved in the fight against ovarian cancer?

Join the AROVCC at its annual event, Teal Light Night, this Friday, September 8, and get your dancing feet ready because we are having a band this year! We always need volunteers to help educate the public at health fairs, identify speaking opportunities and deliver educational material. Or, you can simply follow us on Facebook and Instagram and share and like our posts to help us reach others.
Want to find out more about Amy? Connect with her on LinkedIn.