Amanda de Zayas is the Digital Strategist for Digital Services Georgia, specializing in content and social media. Through her unique blend of creativity and strategic insight, Amanda helps organizations cultivate a digital presence that gets results.

Her areas of expertise include content marketing, social media strategy, influencer campaign management, website development, social listening, and FTC compliance.

Amanda received a bachelor’s degree in Communication Studies from Montclair State University, with a focus on public relations, marketing, and mass media. She graduated Magna Cum Laude and was a member of the Lambda Pi Eta Honors Society. She has been an active volunteer for New York Women in Communications on the Student Affairs Committee, the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America, and the National Patient Advocate Foundation.

Amanda's latest personal project has been working on her photography and editing skills. She travels any chance she gets, even if it's just to a nearby city. She is a staunch advocate for the Oxford comma.

Get to Know Amanda

What is one of your proudest accomplishments?

Finishing a charity half marathon is certainly one of my proudest accomplishments. I'm not a runner or an athlete at all — I was a dancer and singer growing up — but I joined to raise money for Crohn's disease research. I signed up right after my mother died of the disease. That's what drove me to do something I'd otherwise have been too scared to even attempt. The organization I volunteered for gives you a team and coaches to help, so you become part of a supportive community.

The process was really physically demanding. Getting up early on Saturdays for practice and starting when it was still in the thirties outside was definitely not my favorite! In addition to actual running, you had to get creative and stay motivated with your fundraising in order to meet your goal. I did all of this while still being enrolled in college full time.

The day of the race I wanted to give up so many times. But teammates, and even strangers, kept cheering me on and literally running alongside me. I kept my mother's ring in my back pocket to inspire me to persevere. And I finished!

The coaches told us you run the first five miles with your head (don't blast out of the starting line because you'll tire easily), the second five with your legs (when you start to hit your full pace), and the last 3.1 with your heart (when everything hurts and you want to give up). I feel like that can apply to so much in life. The experience showed me I can push myself to accomplish something really challenging if I put my mind to it. More importantly, it taught me how much relying on a team to get you through can help when you want to give up.

If you had 25 hours in a day how would you use your extra time?

I'd use that time to create outside of my job. Whether it's photography, design, music, or dance, being creative is how I mentally and emotionally recharge.

What part of your job do you like the most?

I enjoy feeling like I've been helpful to others. We're in a unique position at DSGa to help constituents access the services they need. We can help agencies respond quickly to a crisis like COVID-19, educate the public about how government works, or make it easier for people to get assistance so they can go on living their lives. That's not something everyone can say about their job.

What is one technological innovation you find most useful?

The huge leaps we've made in analytics tracking in the last decade alone has really been a game-changer for content strategy. With more precise data, we can figure out what users need and make improvements in real time. Users benefit with a better experience and organizations become more efficient. There's a lot less guess work than there used to be.