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PROFESSIONAL SUMMARY
§ Award-winning marketing and communications professional with sixteen (16) years experience in public relations, marketing (advertising, branding, direct consumer, online), media placement, web content development, graphic design, event planning and news journalist (broadcast, print)
§ Results-oriented professional with an accomplished track record of devising new efficiencies, reducing costs and compressing timelines to execute successful programs in services industries
EDUCATION
§ Master of Science, Journalism. Core sequences: Advertising & Marketing Communications. Graduated with honors on Master’s comprehensive exam. University of Kansas
§ Bachelor of Arts, Journalism. Texas A&M University
COMMUNITY LEADERSHIP
§ Board Member
Cary Economic Development Commission Advisory Board | Cary, NC | 2008 – Present
- Appointed to EDC to facilitate marketing Cary to attract new businesses and retain existing businesses through economic research and appropriate incentives.
§ Co-Organizer
Raleigh-Cary-Durham Hillary Clinton Meetup.com Group | Cary, NC | 2008
- April 2008: Coordinated a citywide voter registration program with Starbucks’ 7 Cary stores.
- March 2008: Event volunteer for HRC Advance Team’s Wake Technical Community College Event,
- March 2008: Organizational meeting attracted 32 people. Captured campaign tips to improve voter turnout for Hillary Clinton; fundraiser, phone banking and canvassing events planned. Building database of supporters.
- Dec 2007: Bill Clinton Raleigh Fundraiser at Brier Creek Country Club, event volunteer selected by NCDP.
§ State Executive Committee Member (elected)
North Carolina Democratic Party | NC | 2007-Present
§ Founder & Chair
Cary Democrats | Cary, NC | 2007 – Present
- Town-wide activist group whose focus is to organize precincts, promote democratic candidates, register new voters, increase voter turnout, educate voters of piloted IRV election process.
- Strategy team member of NC House 36 candidate Al Swanstrom.
- Sept/Oct. 2007: Produced Cary Town Council Candidates Live Public Debate with ten town council candidates. Worked with county republican counterpart to organize and present a joint forum before 300+ audience. Program aired live via television and web-cast.
§ Cary Vice Chair (elected)
Wake County Democratic Party | Wake County, NC | 2007- 2008
- March 2008: Organized an additional 13 precincts via mega-cluster meeting of 26 precincts. Results: 83% of Cary precincts organized (30 of 36).
- Oct. 2007: Organized city-wide poll staffing for early-voting and election day in support of Cary Town Council democratic candidates; developed, produced and distributed democratic candidates’ poll handbills for 36 precincts. Cary Results: Flipped republican majority of Town Council to democratic majority with election of new Mayor, At-large Councilman, District D councilman. Newly elected were Harold Weinbrecht, Erv Portman and Gale Adcock.
- July 2007: Served on strategy team of candidate Erv Portman for Cary Town Council. Assisted in refining message, provided demographics research and opponent literature; canvassed, secured permission to post signs. Erv won with 69% of the vote, the highest ever received in Cary by a single candidate.
- June 2007: Recruited candidate Gale Adcock to run for Oct. 2007 Cary Town Council. Served on strategy team, provided in-depth research on district demographics and canvassing data. Result: Gale won Cary’s most Republican district (44%), beating 3 candidates with 55% of the vote for Cary Council’s District D seat.
§ Member
Emily’s List (National); Lillian’s List (NC) | USA, NC | 2007- Present
- March 2008: Attended (and recruited others to attend) Emily’s List Campaign Management Session (Political Opportunity Program)
- Attended Lillian’s List fundraisers.
§ Precinct Chair, 20-05 | Cary, NC | 2007 – Present
- County Convention Delegate
- Former Vice Chair
§ Committee Chair, Website & Products
Democratic Women of Wake County | Wake County, NC | 2006 – 2008
- June 07: Promoting Democrat Brand via candidate and party products. Hillary Clinton items outselling Obama products. Significant profits earned are contributed to support democratic candidates.
PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND
§ Direct Marketing & Promotions Manager
BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD OF NORTH CAROLINA | Chapel Hill, NC | 2000 – 2006
A corporation providing innovative health insurance products, services and information to more than 3.3 million members, including approximately 700,000 served on behalf of other Blue Plans. Annual revenues of $3.4 billion; 4,000 employees statewide as of 2006.
- Led consumer acquisition marketing program reporting to the advertising department’s Vice President.
- Developed strategy and managed execution for all direct response marketing programs and new target markets. Initiated market research to directly target best consumers. Applied research findings and reduced marketing costs 13% annually while increasing consumer sales 15%.
- Initiated online marketing pilot program and presented email marketing research at a national conference of Blues plans.
- Managed multi-million dollar media buys, commercial production and agency relations
- Developed and produced televisions commercials, marketing materials, and employee events.
- Conceived and initiated new strategies for database management and website response tracking to gain significant cost savings, improve marketing efficiencies and increase response rates.
- Awarded Best of Show in 2002 BCBS Association’s international Marketing Communications competition; again won national honors in 2003.
- Selected to re-brand and re-launch company’s subsidiary ancillary insurance business to increase market share and improve client retention of group health insurance sales. Redesigned subsidiary’s website architecture to expand and support three key audiences and position it for future releases targeting online administration and account management. Website launched in June 2006.
§ Manager, Marketing Communications
SPRINT, INC. | Kansas City, Missouri | 1995-1998
A global communications company integrating long distance, local and wireless communications services and one of the world's largest carriers of Internet traffic. Sprint earned $15 billion in annual revenues and serves more than 16 million business and residential customers through 1998. Merged with Nextel in 2005.
- Managed a multi-million-dollar marketing communications budget and matrix-managed a complex interdepartmental team to produce quarterly campaigns.
- Managed Partnership Marketing Communications program (acquisition and retention) providing customers with rewards incentives via 10 key Sprint partnerships including USAA, MBNA, America West, Alaska Airlines, and TWA.
- Developed web and direct mail campaigns to heighten brand awareness and improve market share through partnership rewards program to include the Rolling Stones national concert tour kick-off on PBS, McDonalds Happy Meals Deals, and Blockbuster Video Rewards program.
- Devised new production efficiencies to save $246,000 per year enabling all 10 partnerships to customize collaterals creative.
- Promoted to New Business Development team in 1997.
- Spearheaded the Marketing Communications Consortium to merge nine consumer-division marketing teams and consolidate key learnings across similar projects resulting in shorter project timelines and significantly reduced advertising agency fees.
- Renegotiated agency savings and redistributed among partners equitably
§ Marketing Communications Specialist
GENERAL COMMUNICATION INC. (GCI) | Anchorage, Alaska | 1991-1993
- Increased Consumer and Business market share in highly competitive battle with AT&T to provide long-distance telephony services through targeted acquisition and retention marketing campaigns.
- Responsible for integrating direct mail, print, television and radio advertising.
- Handled corporate media relations, press conferences, and statewide promotional events.
- Launched business-to-business quarterly public relations newsletter (circ. 15K) to current and prospective clients.
- Produced financial reports press releases and employees' monthly newsletter. Reported daily media competitive intelligence to CEO for executive briefings. Analyzed communications expenses and provided budget projections. Spearheaded the highest revenue-generating United Way promotion resulting in local television news coverage. Chaired the Employee Recreation Committee, supervised a 16-member volunteer staff and coordinated monthly events to improve employee relations.
§ Marketing & Public Relations Specialist
ARTIQUE, LTD | Anchorage, Alaska |1990 - 1991
- Managed public relations for the state's largest and oldest fine art gallery and its publishing division.
- Marketed the works of nationally renowned artists.
- Developed highly successful statewide promotion providing free fine art greeting cards to the public to correspond with deployed American troops. "The Artique Desert Storm Christmas Card Airlift" promotion resulted in six weeks of free publicity, a 200% increase in holiday retail foot-traffic and increased 4Q sales 125%.
- Negotiated product placement of gallery's fine art paintings on the cover and throughout the Anchorage Chamber of Commerce 1991 Annual Guide and tourism magazine (circ. 250K).
- Created branded television station I.D. campaign on NBC affiliate for free media exposure statewide each hour over 15 consecutive days. Station ID spots showcased the artwork of gallery artists.
- Promoted to media spokesperson. Produced all press releases
§ Director of Marketing & Creative Services
FAT PUPPY ENTERPRISES | Anchorage, Alaska |1988 - 1992
- Established a creative marketing and public relations agency.
- Developed promotional interactive campaigns, ad copy and collateral artwork for state public information programs and corporations. Clients included: Anchorage Chamber of Commerce, 1991 annual tourism magazine; National Bank of Alaska, Iditarod race corporate sponsorship collaterals; Alaska State Troopers-Department of Public Safety, Village Alcohol Awareness and DARE (youth anti-drugs) campaigns; Alaska State Fair, commemorative 24x36 poster;
News Media Compilation, 1984 - 1990
§ Copy Editor & Writer, Alaska Business Monthly Magazine, Anchorage, Alaska. Investigative and analytical business reporter. Copy editor. 1988-1990
§ TV News Anchor & Reporter; Radio News Anchor, Producer & Talk Show Host, (CBS) KTVA-TV. (CBS) KNIK-FM & KBYR-AM, Anchorage, Alaska. Anchored morning TV newscasts, reported for evening news. Hosted Anchorage Journal, a radio program interviewing state and local political leaders. (Anchorage, Alaska) 1987-1988
§ TV News Anchor & Reporter, (ABC) KATN-TV, Fairbanks, Alaska. Morning news anchor and statewide TV reporter. 1987
§ TV News Reporter, (NBC) KTUU-TV, Anchorage, Alaska. News writer and TV reporter for evening newscasts. 1986
§ TV News Reporter & Video Editor, (PBS) KAMU-TV, College Station, Texas. Consumer Reporter. 1984-1985