Hi, I’m
Tatum
Outlaw
Social Media & Community Relations Director
MBA
Bachelor of Science, Public Relations
Retired Student Athlete
About Me
Hi! I'm glad you're here. Here's a little bit about me:
I am a proud alumna of Ferris State University, where I completed five seasons on the volleyball team. I earned my Bachelor of Science in Public Relations in May 2025 and went on to complete my Master’s in Business Administration in May 2026. Throughout my time at Ferris, I had the incredible opportunity to grow within both the athletic and academic communities while discovering my passion for public relations, sports media, and inspiring young women like myself daily.
Originally from Springfield, Illinois, Ferris State became home to me and played a huge role in shaping both my personal and professional journey. Sports have been a driving force in my life for as long as I can remember, and that lifelong passion inspired me to pursue a career in professional sports media. Being able to combine my love for athletics with my background in Public Relations is something I feel incredibly fortunate to do every day.
Today, I am the Director of Social Media and Community Relations for the Grand Rapids Rise, where I have the opportunity to blend my creativity, passion for sports, and love for connecting with and inspiring people. In this role, I help shape the Rise’s social media presence, create engaging content for fans, and build meaningful connections between the team and the Grand Rapids community. It is incredibly rewarding to help grow a professional sports brand, especially women's volleyball, while creating experiences that bring fans closer to the team.
My experiences in collegiate athletics, public relations, marketing, media, and podcasting have allowed me to connect with a variety of people, step outside of my comfort zone, and continuously grow as a communicator and leader. I thrive on staying busy, trying new things, and finding creative ways to tell stories that make people feel connected.
At the heart of it all, what really drives me is a desire to grow every single day. I strive to be a light to those around me and, most importantly, to inspire others. Whether I’m behind a camera, creating content, working an event, or connecting with a community, I want to leave everything—and everyone—a little better than I found them.
WORK & ACHIEVEMENTS
PODCASTING
I have taken on a handful of roles and projects as a young PR pro. I currently co-host two sports podcast, have run social medias for the University and the Athletics, and have helped construct interviews.
PUBLIC RELATIONS
I am truly, so passionate about Public Relations. I believe it is where I am meant to be, but has also challenged me and grown me in many ways. I have learned the skills of writing press releases, public speaking, presenting an engaging presentation, crisis communication, social media growth, and more.
I just wrapped up an internship with the Grand Rapids Rise, the Major League Volleyball team from Grand Rapids Michigan, where I completed various tasks, one of the major ones being photo meta tagging. All the photos taken during the match would get sent to me, where I would then "meta-tag" them. Essentially, I would use LightRoom Classic, to add in the player(s) names, who took the photos, what team we're playing, etc., so that the social media people as well as the players could access their photos.
SOCIAL MEDIA
Social Media has always been something I've been passionate about. As early as I could have my own accounts, I've always loved sharing my life, interacting with people, and creating entertaining content.