Ask A Crisis Communications Expert: Timothy La Rose

Ripple Effect - April 17, 2020

Excerpt from "Ask a Crisis Communications Expert"

Timothy La Rose is the Director of Communications and Outreach for Ripple Effect. In this role, he manages a team of eighteen communications professionals and oversees the development and implementation of communications strategies, as well as projects, for Ripple’s clients. Timothy is a career communications specialist with a focus in global health and human rights and has worked throughout the world in support of humanitarian missions for over 20 years.

From 2013-2016, he was the Chief of Communications for UNICEF in Guinea, working on the front lines throughout the Ebola crisis, one of the deadliest infectious disease outbreaks in world history. In this interview, we spoke virtually to Timothy about his experiences in West Africa, what being on the front lines of a crisis taught him about communications, and lessons that he’d share with communications professionals in preparing for—and responding to—crisis situations.

RIPPLE EFFECT: Tell us about what you were doing in West Africa in 2013. What was your job?

TIMOTHY LA ROSE: I was the head of communications for UNICEF’s Country Office in Guinea. My job was to be an advocate for  children, from public health to child protection, nutrition, water sanitation, hygiene, and more in the region and internationally.

What were some of your duties?

Initially, I managed a small team of two people (me included) and together we’d tell the stories of children and local communities through multimedia content. The team grew during the Ebola outbreak. We’d organize media interviews, shoot photos and video, write stories, and generally develop content for blogs, social media feeds, press releases, and so on.

What drew you to Guinea?

In previous jobs, I traveled all over the world for the United Nations to advocate for children in armed conflicts, human trafficking victims, and to draw attention to other humanitarian efforts. But I always wanted a long-term field post, and UNICEF afforded me the perfect opportunity to do just that. Guinea didn’t receive much global attention until Ebola broke out.

Tell us about what that was like—when Ebola first hit.

I remember coming in to work that first Monday after the WHO declaration, and there was literally a line of local journalists outside our office, all waiting for access and comment on the outbreak. There had never been a recorded outbreak of Ebola in West Africa. My phone was constantly ringing with calls from NPR, BBC, CNN, France 24, etc. It was overwhelming.

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