Communicating for Decision Makers
Cooperative Agreement
The Cooperative Agreement is the Laboratory for Laser Energetics’ most critical funding document, securing federal funding that supports the laboratory’s work and helps define its future for the next five years. Yet the previous version reflected a different era. More than 700 pages long, spiral bound, and densely technical, it met every reporting requirement but was difficult for reviewers and decision-makers to navigate.
Leadership challenged us to create something fundamentally different: a document that preserved the scientific rigor while presenting the laboratory's vision in a way that was clear, engaging, and accessible to the people responsible for evaluating it.
The Challenge
Leading the Transformation
I led the creative strategy and design direction for the Cooperative Agreement, partnering with scientists, senior leadership, and my design team to transform a highly technical reference document into a compelling communications piece. I established the visual system, developed templates and production workflows, and collaborated closely with my team on the layouts while managing months of continuous revisions, chapter reorganizations, and evolving content.
Beyond the design itself, I helped shape how the Laboratory for Laser Energetics communicated its vision. By establishing a new process for organizing and presenting scientific information, the Cooperative Agreement became easier for reviewers and decision-makers to navigate while also evolving into one of the laboratory's most valuable communications resources.
Managing Complexity
Behind the finished document was a complex production effort. Working with a lean creative team, I coordinated months of evolving content, chapter reorganizations, daily review cycles, and thousands of edits while keeping the project moving toward an immovable deadline
Established new templates and production workflows.
Coordinated continuous revisions across multiple contributors. The photo here shows the scope of edits received in a one-week period of the production process.
Managed chapter reorganizations and evolving content.
Led design reviews and maintained consistency across 224 pages.
Balanced scientific accuracy with readability and visual clarity.
Lasting Impact
One of the most valuable outcomes extended beyond the funding submission itself. By organizing complex technical content into a clear, accessible format, the Cooperative Agreement became a lasting communications resource for the Laboratory for Laser Energetics.
The agreement secured more than $503 million in federal funding, a 23% increase over the previous Cooperative Agreement, and today serves as a central reference for web stories, presentations, outreach materials, and leadership communications, making important institutional knowledge easier to find, understand, and reuse.
