resume

qualifications & skills

• Award-winning creative professional with over 20 years of experience in brand, marketing and advertising creative on advertising agency and in-house teams

• Creative strategist for campaigns, programs and initiatives

• Innovative Art Director specializing in brand development, evolution and activation

• Experienced manager of the creative process including client relations, creative briefing, project/team management and working with vendors and agencies to complete projects on time and on budget

• Extensive experience with print, merch, digital, web, mobile, social and email creative from conceptualization
  to production

• Over 9 years of experience managing, developing, and directing a creative team

• Proven leader of both small design teams and large groups. Dynamic facilitator of creative pitches, brainstorms and continuing education sessions

• Dedicated Instructor with 4 years of of experience teaching college-level courses

experience

Manager, Creative Services – Banfield Pet Hospital (A Mars, Inc. Company), Vancouver, WA | 2013-Current
Leads design creative for a multi-billion-dollar Mars Inc. company. Manages a team of designers in service of the creative needs for the largest veterinary hospital chain in North America, with 1000+ hospitals across the US. Translates marketing objectives of the practice into creative strategies and designs. Sets the creative brand vision, partnering with the Marketing Leadership Team, agencies, and internal cross-functional teams to develop business objectives into innovative visual brand solutions.

• Directed and managed the visual brand refresh including photograhy, logo update, font, color palette and other visual assets across print and digital applications leading to a more modern and emotionally-driven brand

• Owns the execution of the visual brand, ensuring a consistent visual strategy and look and feel of all materials across the marketing, learning & development, medicine, people & organization and corporate affairs teams

• Leads and oversees the creative process for all practice-wide creative initiatives. Art Directs, reviews and approves digital and print projects created by the design team

• Directs creative operations for the Brand Marketing team, from print to digital to in-hospital including more than 300 projects a year

• Art directs photo shoots and oversees the company’s digital asset library

• Developed, manages and facilitates the Creative Committee and the Creative Lab ensuring that projects across the practice adhere to the Banfield brand guidelines and bring the brand to life

• Co-founder and co-chair of the Pride Network Diversity Resource Group, leading over 550 members across the United States. Member of the Equity Inclusion + Diversity steering committee

Graphic Design Instructor – The Art Institute of Charlotte and The Art Institute of Silicon Valley, Charlotte, NC 2003 and Sunnyvale, CA | 2012 - 2013
Instructed college-level classes in computer skills and graphic design. Taught with Adobe Creative Suite, Microsoft Office and iWork. Served on the Admissions Committee, The Tech Committee and was an active advisor for the Student Chapter of AIGA. Classes taught Include:

• Advanced Design 

• Color Theory

• Image Manipulation 

• Survey of Media and Design

• Computer Applications

• Advanced Typography (Type IV Publication Design)

Creative Director – Google with HH Global, Google HQ, Mountain View, CA | 2011-2012
Head of Google North America projects for HH Global. Met with clients and account managers to strategize solutions for new and existing creative projects. Served as the primary client contact for all Google US projects that came through HH Global. Developed creative for a variety of Google products, departments and teams including AdWords, Apps, Enterprise, Wallet, Android, Google+, Offers, Engage, Double Click, YouTube, GOMO and Corporate Marketing. Led a team of designers.

• During the first year leading the Creative Department, annual profits grew from under $13,000 to over $330,000

• Responsible for all creative direction including Web graphics, logos, design and production for various collateral pieces like brochures, direct mail, advertising, event displays and multimedia presentations

Art Director – CKR Interactive Advertising Agency Cupertino, CA | 2007-2011
Created and developed advertising campaigns and corporate marketing collateral for clients such as Banner Health, Visa, Genentech, Celera, VMware and Sutter Health. In addition to conceptualization and design, responsibilities included art direction for photo shoots; writing copy; assisting the sales department to create presentations for RFPs and new business acquisitions; and partnering with the agency’s marketing director to build direct marketing initiatives. 

• Created an award-winning ad campaign for Alta Bates Summit Medical Center that led to a strong relationship with the client, securing additional income for the agency

• Met with and assessed the needs of the biotech firm Celera. After research and brainstorming, created and designed a successful campaign (including headline, tagline, copy, and logo) which Celera adopted to encompass their brand identity

Art Director – Corporate Communication Solutions Charlotte, NC | 2005-2006
Led members of the creative team in developing marketing collateral and publications for more than 25 new and existing clients such as Hendricks Motorsports, Speedway Children’s Charities, Mecklenburg County, YMCA and The Family Center. Met with clients and presented work for approval.

• Improved productivity of the art department by 30% by creating and implementing organizational and archival systems for client files, stock images and fonts.

• Helped the company maintain a strong creative department during financially difficult times by taking on additional responsibilities when staffing was reduced.

Graphic Designer/Brand Manager – ACN Inc. Charlotte, NC | 2003-2004
Art directed, designed and produced various collateral pieces including brochures, direct mail, advertising, multimedia presentations and Web graphics.

• Designed and launched a fresh and consistent brand identity for the company

• Implemented and managed the new brand by collaborating with designers in Europe and Australia to ensure global consistency throughout all mediums.

education

Master of Science in Graphic Communications — Clemson University ~ GPA: 3.86

Bachelor of Arts in Design (Architecture) / Minor in Japanese — Clemson University ~ Cum Laude

awards

Aster Awards: 2012 Bronze Award for Professional Recruitment Series — Client: Stanford Packard
Healthcare Advertising Awards: 2012 Gold Award — Client: Stanford Packard
2011 Creative Excellence Awards (CEAs): 2nd Place for Retention Programs — Client: Patelco Credit Union
Aster Awards: 2011 Gold Award for Professional Recruitment Series — Client: Sutter Health 
Healthcare Advertising Awards: 2011 Bronze Award — Client: Sutter Health East Bay Region 
Creative Excellence Awards: 2007: 1st Place Self Promotion/Other — Client: CKR Interactive
PICA Awards: 2003 Design Excellence Award — Client: JHG Financial Advisors