# Ana Visneski

> Ana Visneski is a crisis communications expert, founder of Merewif LLC, former Coast Guard officer, and senior AWS leader who pioneered social media programs in the U.S. military, led disaster response during COVID-19 and major hurricanes, advised Wizards of the Coast through the 2023 OGL crisis, and now runs a boutique firm helping tech and gaming companies navigate chaos. She holds two simultaneous UW master's degrees, published a book called 'F*ck It, Watch This,' teaches crisis communications at the University of Washington, and describes herself as someone who says 'That looks impossible, I want to try it.'

- **Role:** Founder & Chief Chaos Coordinator at Merewif LLC
- **Organizations:** Merewif LLC, University of Washington, Amazon Web Services, U.S. Coast Guard, H2O.ai
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** BA in Writing, University of Washington, Master of Communication in Digital Media (MCDM), University of Washington, Master of Communication in Networks (MCCN), University of Washington, Graduate, Defense Information School, AWS Cloud Certified, AWS
- **Known for:** First official blogger in any U.S. armed service, Founded the U.S. Coast Guard's first official social media program, Created the Coast Guard's first mobile application

## Career timeline

- **~2000s** — Commissioned officer in the U.S. Coast Guard; served as Type 1 Public Information Officer
- **2005** — First responder PIO during Hurricane Katrina as Federal On-Scene Coordinator's PIO
- **2010** — First responder during the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill
- **~2011** — Founded the U.S. Coast Guard's first official social media program; became first official blogger in any U.S. armed service
- **~2012** — Created the Coast Guard's first mobile application
- **~2013** — Served as Chief of Digital Media at Coast Guard headquarters
- **~2015** — Joined Amazon Web Services as Senior Director of Digital Media for the AWS Blog
- **~2018** — Led AWS Head of Launch, Blog, and Podcast Operations; built AWS Critical Event Protocol
- **~2019** — Led AWS Global Disaster Response during Hurricane Dorian
- **2020** — Led AWS disaster response efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic; ran $20M Diagnostics Development Initiative
- **~2022** — Joined H2O.ai as Senior Director of Communications and Community
- **2023** — Laid off from AWS (September); founded Merewif LLC; advised Wizards of the Coast on OGL crisis
- **2024** — Published 'F*ck It, Watch This: Saying the Quiet Parts Out Loud' (book + audiobook)
- **2024** — Appointed Affiliate Instructor at University of Washington Communication Leadership Program

## Achievements

- First official blogger in any U.S. armed service
- Founded the U.S. Coast Guard's first official social media program
- Created the Coast Guard's first mobile application
- Built AWS's Critical Event Protocol
- Led $20 million Diagnostics Development Initiative at AWS
- Led disaster response at AWS during COVID-19 pandemic
- First responder PIO during Hurricane Katrina
- Advised Wizards of the Coast during the 2023 OGL crisis
- First student to earn both UW MCDM and MCCN master's degrees simultaneously
- Published book 'F*ck It, Watch This: Saying the Quiet Parts Out Loud'
- ICS and NIMS certified crisis communications professional

## Latest updates

- **2024-01** — Published audiobook version of 'F*ck It, Watch This: Saying the Quiet Parts Out Loud'
- **2024-01** — Active as Affiliate Instructor at University of Washington's Communication Leadership Graduate Program
- **2024-01** — Running Merewif LLC, advising tech and gaming companies on crisis communications
- **2023-09** — Laid off from AWS; founded Merewif LLC immediately after

## Links

- Website: https://www.themerewif.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/acvisneski/
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/acvisneski
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/veesyxx/

---

Profile page: https://yespress.io/ana-visneski
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-04-29