I believe every brand can connect people and inspire purposeful living. As a brand strategist and creative leader, I build authentic connections through storytelling, innovation, and meaningful partnerships. Blending data-driven insights with creative intuition, I aim to craft strategies that inspire loyalty and empower teams. My goal is to create brand experiences that go beyond aesthetics — cultivating real connections and lasting impact.
skills
professional
Brand Marketing & Strategy
Brand Positioning & Differentiation
Market Research
KPI Development & Performance Tracking
Creative Campaign Development
Brand Experience Design
Creative Operations
Branding & Identity
Social Media Strategy
technical
Adobe Creative Suite
Figma
UI/UX Design
Digital Asset Management
Photo Editing
Video Editing
Email Design
Google Suite
Slack
education
missouri state
university
BS Print + Internet Journalism, Art Minor
2010 to 2014
courses
lifelabs learning:
training for leaders, managers, executives
Manager Core 1
+ Effective 1-1s
+ Coaching Skills
+ Feedback Skills
+ Productivity and Prioritization
Manager Core 2
+ Leading Change
+ Meetings Mastery
+ People Development
+ Strategic Thinking
experience
city lifestyle
Brand Director
August 2024 to Present
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+ Developed brand personas and core messaging pillars, reinforcing community values and a unified brand identity.
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+ Integrated brand values across all touchpoints to create a cohesive and purpose-driven experience.
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+ Built an accessible video library of publisher testimonials, enhancing recruitment with authentic success stories.
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+ Led a comprehensive office redesign to visually reflect our brand identity and create a cohesive environment reflecting our brand's mission.
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+ Developed a product for a new sponsored content offering, creating opportunities for deeper brand partnerships and expanded revenue streams.
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+ Created a tiered recognition program to celebrate milestones, aimed at building brand loyalty and advocacy among partners.
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Creative Director
March 2023 to August 2024​
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+ Established and trained teams on a new Ad Design Philosophy prioritizing high-quality visuals, audience connection, and long-term brand loyalty.
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+ Created customizable design solutions for small businesses, providing high-quality, self-serve ads that empower local brands.
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+ Authored guidelines on visual hierarchy, design integrity, and seasonal aesthetics to maintain premium brand positioning across all ad content.
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+ Implemented a comprehensive ads review and training process that improved ad quality by 200% in a 3-month period.
minted
Creative Director, Wedding + Stationery
May 2021 to January 2023
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+ Led creative direction for the entire wedding business, overseeing project management, marketing design, e-commerce updates, trade show booths, partnership materials, and print collateral.
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+ Collaborated with senior leadership to implement streamlined systems, including a project management tool, templated marketing assets, and a cohesive cross-channel campaign process.
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+ Directed creative for key partnerships with brands like BHLDN, Loverly, MasterClass, and BRIDES.
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+ Mentored Minted's creative studio team, supporting full-time and contract designers in skill and career development.
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+ Partnered with photo studio and producers to oversee the creation and post-production of all campaign photography.
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+ Led Minted's largest e-commerce season, Q4 holiday, managing creative across emails, direct mail, onsite assets, social media, and display campaigns in close coordination with brand team producers.​​
Art Director, Wholesale + Greeting Cards
March 2021 to May 2021
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+ Directed creative strategy and execution for greeting cards and wholesale businesses, spanning print and digital assets including emails, social media, onsite content, Target signage, trade booths, mailers, and brand packaging.
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+ Led cross-channel campaigns including for eco-friendly production and Pride Month, delivering cohesive assets from landing pages to social to best tell the brand story.
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+ Oversaw creative direction for the launch of Minted + West Elm's furniture collaboration, producing materials such as lookbooks, signage, product tags, emails, press kits, and social media content.
city lifestyle
Creative Director
September 2018 to March 2021
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+ Led UI/UX design and all creative brand development for CityLifestyle.com's new digital platform, from initial concept through production, including wireframes, mockups, prototypes, QA, and design systems.
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+ Collaborated closely with stakeholders, business analysts, and development teams to ensure a cohesive user experience across all components.
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+ Created print and digital marketing materials, including media kits, social assets, one-sheets, and emails, to deliver a unified brand message across campaigns.
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+ Designed a Super Bowl giveaway campaign that grew our social media audience from 2K to 30K in just four days.
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Editorial Manager
August 2016 to September 2018
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+ Managed the corporate editorial team and systems, collaborating with leadership to create brand guidelines and develop editorial concepts for all Lifestyle brand magazines.
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+ Produced and designed monthly national content spreads (1-5 pages) for use across Lifestyle magazines.
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+ Implemented a templated layout approach that yielded a 92% increase in individual capacity for the graphic design team & created a turnkey system for local content teams.
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Graphic Designer
September 2015 to August 2016​
missouri lawyers media
Graphic Designer
December 2014 to September 2015
the kansas city star
Sports Clerk
September 2014 to November 2014
kc magazine/kc business
Editorial Intern
May 2014 to August 2014