Career
The journey is the reward.
DECEMBER 2021 – MAY 2023
Ashley Furniture Industries /
Ashley Global Retail
Creative Director
Leveraged passion for captivating storytelling and great design to craft visual identity of home furnishings retailer. Served in dual role as designer and creative director evolving all broadcast (TV, streaming, and radio), digital advertising, in-store signage/displays, external signage collateral, and out-of-home (OOH) advertising to achieve quality and consistency for brand at scale. Guided lean teams in creative strategy and productive brainstorming. Gained accountability for creative account team, supported business development initiatives, and coordinated with external agencies to execute multi-channel campaigns within budget, timelines, and brand standards.
- Developed systems and processes following Ashley Outlet rebrand, laying foundation for growth and scalability. Achieved stellar results while instilling accountability in team and tapped by leadership to produce similar outcomes for Ashley Global Retail.
- Recognized need to repair relationships between marketing and creative teams. Rolled out weekly meetings with directors to create transparency and positioned creative team as approachable, responsive, and highly collaborative in addressing business needs. Rebuilt trust between disparate teams and earned buy-in to implement change.
- Applied problem-solver mindset to work with minimal direction; utilized existing resources and assumed additional responsibilities, such as copywriting, to conserve budget. Enabled team to grow and expand brand internationally while achieving cost savings.
- Built consensus among leadership to drive large-scale modernization initiative. Coordinated with internal Smartsheet expert to build out project management system, and worked independently to define metrics and implement processes to track thousands of creative requests across global enterprise. Created visibility for first time and established performance management for designers and creative team.
- Championed continuous improvement and innovation. Researched and vetted artificial intelligence (AI) apps to expedite creative production through automation.
Sample Work
AUGUST 2007 – APRIL 2021
Rakuten Advertising
Sr. Creative Director
Senior Creative Director, Global Marketing and Events (2018–2021)
Creative Director, Global Marketing and Events (2015–2018)
Shaped strategic vision and goals for affiliate-based creative communication and display-advertising creative developer teams. Sourced top internal talent to execute over 700 projects per year; provided leadership and ongoing mentorship to 6 direct reports and total global team of 16. Led design direction on all rebranding, events, and corporate marketing campaigns, and C-level and keynote presentations across parent company and subsidiaries. Collaborated seamlessly across marketers, product managers, leaders, other designers, and agency partners to establish visual consistency; implemented brand standards, systems, and processes to serve global audience.
- Spearheaded initiative to achieve brand consistency and efficiency following multiple acquisitions and rebrandings. Ideated and developed in-house digital asset management system (DAM) using WordPress site despite initial pushback from leadership. Delivered solution generating $30K in annual cost savings.
- Received excellent feedback across all teams and nominated for President’s Award for challenging status quo.
- Fostered and sustained culture of excellence and inclusion by building relationships, recognizing stellar performance, and mentoring designers in best practices, design process, and ideation. Cultivated team of confident top performers, playing instrumental role in promotion of 2 direct reports into leadership positions.
- Maintained proven track record of 0 attrition, retaining 100% of team despite inheriting each member. Capitalized on opportunities to develop individuals and cultivated dedicated workforce as result.
- Trained and encouraged teams to share knowledge, enabling each to understand role of other and proactively provided additional support as needed.
- Elevated global events by introducing consistent localized theme throughout all events to engage audiences. Articulated importance of using images and minimal verbiage on PowerPoint slides to extend impact of keynote and executive presentations and realized immediate results.
- Conducted quantitative and qualitative analyses to make data-driven decisions affecting organization. Collaborated with human resources team to rewrite job descriptions and attract top-performing talent.
- Advocated for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs at rapidly growing global organization. Facilitated several initiatives, including creation of Black Employee Alliance.
Director of Marketing, Paid Search (2014–2015)
Worked directly with sales team to build efficient and effective presentation decks, reducing number of slides in deck from 120 to 45 and realizing significant increase in sales. Leveraged source audit to identify Rakuten’s strengths and weaknesses and craft highly targeted, impactful messages to achieve client satisfaction. Continued to direct creative projects and fulfill requests from across enterprise. Recognized need to ramp up creative production and won leadership buy-in to stand up and direct creative team, influencing wider impact on organization.
Senior Creative Developer, Global Marketing and Events (2011–2014)
Senior Creative Developer, Lead Generation (2007–2011)
Drew upon strong strategic acumen to lead shift in focus from building websites to creative. Joined marketing team and built entire creative organization from 0 throughout tenure. Developed brand templates and guidelines to establish continuity through multiple acquisitions. Collaborated cross-functionally to advance 600 projects each year.
Sample Work
RoomSaver /
Travel Media Group
Marketing Director
With a focus on established branding and marketing initiatives, led our team to execute a $3 million annual remnant ad campaign strategically. The approach involved precise targeting, defining, and honing in on niche audiences to optimize spending. Also introduced budget tracking systems to effectively manage $300,000 in search engine spending. As part of the comprehensive strategy, led a complete site redesign with an integrated ad program for a successful relaunch. To further expand revenue opportunities beyond the hospitality sector, we implemented a third-party auditing plan. Additionally, our commitment to communication and education was underscored by the introduction of a corporate newsletter for field representatives, improving knowledge sharing and engagement. Streamlined operations by creating an internal web portal to promote and distribute marketing materials.
Zimmerman Advertising
Sr. Acct Executive / Art Director
Acted as both Designer and Account Manager of multiple major automotive advertising accounts nationwide, with multifaceted responsibilities. Primary account was the agency’s largest monthly retainer client with unique requirements and rigorously exacting standards. This included conceptualizing, designing, and presenting advertising materials for print and scriptwriting for broadcast. I oversaw every facet of these projects, ensuring their successful completion. In addition, I played a pivotal role in the formulation of advertising budgets and spearheaded media and creative planning. To maintain financial integrity, I adeptly coordinated account billing and managed other fiscal responsibilities associated with these high-profile accounts.
Spearheaded the establishment of the Gainesville division office for Omnicom Worldwide Advertising Agency, specializing in managing conflict accounts within specific markets. My role involved the strategic implementation of systems to foster autonomy while ensuring cohesion with other divisions. Assumed comprehensive responsibility for overseeing advertising accounts on a national scale. This encompassed the formulation of advertising strategies, budget planning, and the orchestration of media and creative development. Additionally, played a pivotal role in the design, layout, and presentation of advertising materials for print, as well as scriptwriting for broadcast. Meticulously organized all project elements until their successful completion. To maintain fiscal integrity, adeptly coordinated account billing and managed other financial responsibilities. Simultaneously, provided effective supervision for a team of five, including three local team members and two remote professionals based in Ft. Lauderdale.
McAlear & Associates /
Southland Advertising
Senior Art Director/Interactive Creative Director
Achieved awards across diverse platforms for a range of clients spanning various industries. Assumed full responsibility for all aspects of creative development in the rapidly evolving realm of interactive web technology. Role encompassed project conception through to successful completion, with a diverse clientele spanning various industries, including hotels, real estate, retail, automotive, restaurants, insurance, and communications. Effectively streamlined operations and oversaw the majority of the production process. Utilized strong communication skills to allow for constructive dialogues with clients to exchange ideas and explore available options. Additionally, devised and executed systems to enhance production efficiency and optimize web traffic.
Denight Advertising
HAGÅTÑA, GUAM
Art Director
Acted as both Designer and Account Manager of multiple major automotive advertising accounts nationwide, with multifaceted responsibilities. Primary account was the agency’s largest monthly retainer client with unique requirements and rigorously exacting standards. This included conceptualizing, designing, and presenting advertising materials for print and scriptwriting for broadcast. I oversaw every facet of these projects, ensuring their successful completion. In addition, I played a pivotal role in the formulation of advertising budgets and spearheaded media and creative planning. To maintain financial integrity, I adeptly coordinated account billing and managed other fiscal responsibilities associated with these high-profile accounts.
PBT Design Group
Graphic Designer / Illustrator
Honed expertise in the art of font development, meticulously focusing on organization, utilization, and technique. Skills extended to the design of corporate logos and brochures, infusing a creative and strategic touch. Encompassed the formatting and illustration of national and local publications, lending them a visually appealing and informative edge. Played a pivotal role in ad development, actively contributing to content creation and overall concept development. Crafted in-house promotional pieces that effectively communicate the brand’s essence.
Continuous Improvement
Areas of Expertise
Professional Skills
Design Skills
