Cristie Hopkins currently serves the citizens of Harford County, MD as the Director of Media and Public Relations for the Harford County Sheriff’s Office. She joined the Agency in 2013 and was promoted to the Chief Spokesperson in 2014. As Director, she oversees all aspects of Communications, Public and Media Relations, as well as Marketing for the Agency, and hosts the Agency television show, Behind the Badge.

Ms. Hopkins holds Bachelors's degree in Communications with a minor in Marketing; beginning her communications career in 1998 at a Harford County nonprofit (with nothing but a fax machine!).

Cristie Hopkins’s Session

12:30 p.m.–1:15 p.m. PT —

Panel: Managing a Crisis Using Social Media

Within crisis communications, social media has become a valuable tool to be able to get out critical information quickly to the right people. This panel will walk through best practices to make sure your team is equipped with the right protocols to help you support your community in a crisis through coordinated, collaborative communications on your social channels.

Discussion topics include:

What your agency can do now to prepare for a crisis
What can be done with little resources and manpower to prepare and manage a crisis
When to resume normal messaging after a crisis
Deciding who will manage communications, where and when they will happen, and how they will be monitored
Understanding what your community expects from you during a critical incident or crisis
Examples of what not to do