Creative DIrection | brand strategy | Integrated Marketing | Copywriting | business Development | Startup Culture | Corporate Storytelling | Team Building | Digital Marketing | Social Media
I am an accomplished creative marketing leader who has found my groove helping startups and emerging businesses build their brands. Fluent in founder-speak, I am highly skilled at taking insights from key stakeholders and translating them into truths that resonate with consumers. AgTech to ArtTech, Healthcare to Hospitality, I love diving deep into new categories and building a brand to fit the business. As a former agency leader, I know how to work with external agency partners to maximize ROI. As a modern manager, I have built and mentored high-performing teams in remote and hybrid environments. Creative at my core, I listen to my gut but follow the data to optimize brand execution and drive sustainable growth.
Apollo Art Global | Executive Director, Brand & Strategy | 2022 Drove brand development to help get Apollo’s digital art platform market-ready before Series-A funding. Worked within the executive leadership team to bring focus to the brand strategy and audience while building out a SaaS business model, product roadmap, pricing/content structure, and multifaceted sales pipeline.
• Led brand redesign and re-platforming of web assets to elevate the brand ID and improve lead generation.
• Developed affiliate sales toolkit to inform and onboard channel partners and help them better create and qualify leads before the first appointment.
• Executed brand launch event in partnership with EXPO Chicago introducing the Apollo Art Platform to potential B2B clients, consumers, and content providers.
• Managed external agency relationships while shifting some core competencies in-house to drive efficiency.
Emerson Ecologics | Executive Creative Director | 2021 – 2022 Led the brand transformation, built a performance-driven team, and managed external agency resources. Directed brand repositioning and redesign to create a clear and cohesive story across all business units—improving lead quality, shortening the path to conversion, and increasing lifetime value.
• Developed a digital customer engagement strategy to increase LTV among the existing audience.
• Optimized key touchpoints of CX to reduce friction in the sales funnel, increasing virtual events ROI 3x and enhancing email marketing activity.
• Launched Wellevate Skincare. Expanded our addressable audience efficiently by creating a unique dermatologist experience utilizing our existing backend technology.
• Built a multifaceted team, bringing people and processes together to execute a hybrid office model, increasing productivity, accountability, and professional development.
OnePointOne + Willo | Executive Creative Director | 2020 – 2021 Crafted corporate brand story for AgTech startup in preparation for Series-A funding. Developed positioning, purpose, and identity for an exclusive, personalized vertical farming brand, Willo. Built and deployed an integrated engagement strategy.
• Built Willo from a blank slate idea to a purpose-driven brand with a unique identity and inspiring mission to create awareness among potential members.
• Optimized digital assets. Worked with offshore tech resources to build a custom Willo site and develop member mobile app experience. Created email lead nurture streams and engagement strategy.
• Social content creation and curation. As a premium DTC brand on a tight marketing budget, we used our social feed to elevate the brand and expand its reach by 600% with select influencer relationships.
• Developed OPO Series-A Deck. Assisted the Executive Team in developing the corporate story, identity, and vision for their pitch deck—leading to a successful round of funding..
Leo Burnett / SVP Creative Director / 2001 – 2020 A Led teams in innovative integrated work on some of the biggest brands on the planet, Marlboro, Samsung, Nintendo & Beef. Served as writer/creative director, working through unconventional mediums, UX, digital innovation, and marketing analytics to achieve client business goals.
• Charted the digital transformation of Altria CRM. Transitioned Altria from direct mail to digital, focusing on driving brand engagement, optimizing analytics, and increasing ROI.
• Established branded content practice for Marlboro identifying innovative ways to tell stories—cookbooks, short films, immersive events, and digital experiences. All are designed to bring brand values to life and keep an iconic campaign relevant.
• Co-developed Creative Brief training program. Developed a way to make them better. Creating a collaborative workshop with clients to improve the quality of the briefs, elevate the feedback process and reduce churn on both sides of the business.
• Managed a team of diverse talents and skill sets. Fostered a collaborative creative culture focused on individual strengths and team goals. Mentored direct reports on their growth path and career development plan.
University of Iowa / Bachelor of Arts
English / Creative Writing
References happily provided upon request.