I have spent 18 years in marketing, about 15 of them focused on social media, building paid social capabilities at six agencies and leading teams on federal and public health campaigns. My client work runs from the CDC and Be The Match to Fidelity Investments, Santander Bank, and Progressive.
Senior leaders have brought me into the room for years when they need a straight read on their online marketing: what the numbers support, and what they do not. I give them the honest version, and I am still there after the meeting ends. Developing people is the other half of how I work. I mentor the marketers on my teams and pass along new technology and social trends as I find them, because a team that keeps learning does better work.
At Plowshare (Publicis) I ran paid social for Be The Match. Other efforts were missing their goals when I took the program over. I got cost per conversion under $30 against a $45 target, and the client more than doubled the budget.
I still volunteer with DECA, the high school marketing program where I used to teach, helping students develop marketing campaigns, project management plans, business plans, and business operations research projects. It is some of the most rewarding work I do. The students get a working professional in their corner, and the business community gets better-prepared young people coming up.
Experience
ICF Next— Social media practice lead
Built the social media team from 6 to 20 people in 18 months.
Directed the team supporting 35+ federal, state, and local contracts.
Consulted as a senior leader across creative, media, analytics, and research on multi-million-dollar federal programs.
Built a global community of practice of 45+ social media practitioners.
Plowshare (Publicis)— VP, Social Media and Content Marketing
Ran paid social for Be The Match. The budget grew more than twofold after social outperformed programmatic and search, and cost per conversion fell to consistently under $30 against a $45 target.
Directed social for CDC’s Tips From Former Smokers, an organic-led campaign with monthly boosted content.
Arnold— Associate Director, Social Content Systems
Ran about $4M in paid social across client accounts.
Worked on CDC Tips from the sub-contractor side for about four years.
Served as editor for Progressive’s CRM program, shaping more than 400 headlines.
Ran paid social for Fidelity Investments and Santander Bank, and advised Huntington Bank on paid social strategy.
Recognition
Six Effie Awards and eight Clio Healthcare Awards.
Speaking & Organizations
American Marketing Association
American Advertising Federation (AAF), guest lecturer
Public Relations Society of America (PRSA), guest lecturer
Ad Week D.C., panelist
Beyond Agency Work
U.S. Army Reserve veteran. Served in Afghanistan with the 883rd and was awarded the Bronze Star and the Army Commendation Medal.
Former high school marketing teacher and DECA advisor in Vienna, Virginia; still volunteers with DECA students on their competitive projects.
