Resume

Communications / Marketing Leadership

Location:

Wichita, KS

Salary:

90000

Posted:

October 01, 2020

Contact this candidate

Resume:

• Leverage extensive communications and leadership experience to benefit and organization and those it serves

• Continue learning and developing in a dynamic, challenging role with engaging, collaborating colleagues

• Contribute to a strategic, integrated environment where communication - internal and external - is valued

• Improve the efficiency of an organization through relationships and partnerships that benefit all involved

• Strategic Planning

• Organizational Strategy

• Department Management

• Issues Management

• Project Management

• Budgeting

• Written Communication

• Oral Communication

• Crisis Communications

• Executive Communications

• External Communications

• Integrated Communications

• Internal Communications

• Advocate Relations

• Government Relations

• Media Relations

• Public Affairs

• Public Relations

• Joke Telling

• Message Development

• Storytelling

• Speech Writing

• Public Speaking

• Media Training

• Executive Support

• Executive Leadership

• Content Creation

• SEO / Search Content

• Digital / Online Spend

• Email Strategy

• Creative Writing

• Editorial Writing

• Scientific Writing

• Social Media Strategy

• Research Strategy

• Event Management

• Brand Management

• Organizational Structure

• Team Development

• Impact Analysis

• Video Production

• Photography

• Adobe Creative Software

• Vendor Relations

GREATER WICHITA YMCA

Wichita, Kansas (ymcawichita.org)

Associate Vice President, Communications February 2019 – October 2020 CHOICE HOTELS INTERNATIONAL

Rockville, Maryland/Wichita, Kansas (choicehotels.com) Director, WoodSpring Brand Content/Support February 2018 – February 2019 WOODSPRING SUITES FRANCHISE SERVICES

Wichita, Kansas (woodspring.com)

Director, Brand Strategy and Social Media January 2017 – February 2018 Director, Brand Planning and Engagement July 2013 – January 2017 LED VENTURES, LLC (NORTHROCK, INC.)

Wichita, Kansas (northrockinc.com)

Vice President, Marketing and Sales September 2011 – March 2013 ASSOCIATED INTEGRATED MARKETING

Wichita, Kansas (Closed)

Director, Business Development March 2010 – September 2011 Communities Strategist January 2009 – March 2010

Manager, Public Relations and Social Media November 2007 – January 2009 INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES (IBM)

Armonk, New York (ibm.com)

Global Media Relations, IT Optimization March 2006 – November 2007 STRAUSS MEDIA STRATEGIES, INC.

Washington, DC (straussmedia.com)

Senior Director, Account Executives June 2004 – March 2006 Senior Account Executive May 2000 – June 2004

Account Executive May 1998 – May 2000

Intern Jan. 1998 – May 1998

THE GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY

Washington, DC (gwu.edu)

Master of Arts (MA) Public Affairs, Issues Management May 2000 QUINNIPIAC UNIVERSITY

Hamden, Connecticut (quinnipiac.edu)

Bachelor of Arts (BA), Mass Communications, Political Science May 1998 GREATER WICHITA YMCA

• Lead communications for $48MM/year organization with 1,250+ employees, ten branches, two sport centers, one camp, and dozens of program sites, licensed child care program, summer camps, hundreds of group exercise classes weekly, and virtual/online offerings

• Directed all efforts to communicate the construction and opening (including dedication and ribbon cutting events) of the Steve Clark YMCA and Student Wellness Center including partner efforts with Wichita State University and Wesley Medical Center

• Participated in the launch and integration of YMCA 360 - online/virtual programming - including partnering with eight other Y associations and YMCA of the USA and engaging millions of users, worldwide, in early 2020

• Point person for all executive, internal, and external communications throughout COVID-19 closing and resumption of modified operations including social media and media relations

• Increased awareness for the mission-based work of the area’s largest community-focused non- profit organization with a 99%+ awareness rate for our fitness facilities

• Dramatically improved relationships with area media and placed 45+ stories with area print, radio, and television outlets and grew social strategy including crisis navigation

• Reported directly to CEO. Worked directly with COO, CFO, CIO, Vice Presidents, Branch Directors, and other organization leaders

• Wrote executive communications for board, employee, and public audiences

• Set priorities, projects, goals and objectives, and development plans for marketing team

• Manage email, website, in-branch digital and physical communications assets, etc.

• Supported Advocacy Days (2019, 2020) with Kansas State Legislature (Topeka)

• Improved website structure and content to increase online enrollment by 35% (2019 over 2018) while reducing calls to Welcome Desks, allowing staff to support in-person needs

• Built and wrote presentations for Board, Donor, Employee, Partner, and Community meetings

• Grew social media audience by 125%+ and social media activity/engagement by 65%+

• Followed strict YMCA brand standards while localizing the brand for our audiences CHOICE HOTELS/WOODSPRING HOTELS/WOODSPRING SUITES/VALUE PLACE

• Lead brand integration, upon $225MM+ acquisition in 2018, of a leading extended stay hotel offering into Choice Hotels International - working directly with senior leadership (Vice President and above) of the publicly traded providing insight to our brand and successes

• Oversaw the preparation for and execution of complete rebrands for nearly 200 Value Place hotels including revising all content, presence, and references to hotels throughout the process

• Served as a “solo” practitioner within the business, and part of an integrated content team

• Developed and “owned” annual content strategy, content calendar, strategic content plan, and communications strategy - working with colleagues, agencies, etc. to meet objectives

• Worked in cross-function roles to ensure consistent, ever-improving results with hotel openings

• Established and maintained audience personas based on customer data and aspiration data

• Worked with four difference CEOs and directly supported several senior executives - including CEOs/Presidents, COOs, CFOs, CIOs, CMOs, Legal leaders, Executive Vice Presidents, etc.

• Maintained relationships with 27 owner groups, 18 management companies, and partners

• Directed all internal communications including all-employee events and executive briefings

• Lead public relations and trade / vertical, national, and local media relations

• Manage and serve as “voice of” brand on nine, leading, social media platforms

• Maintained brand standards, strategy, marketing programs, and protocols for guest engagement – including brand-level and hotel-level responses

• Created and managed all brand- and hotel-specific online content including copy, images, SEO, and other needs for customer and franchise-development websites

• Coordinated team dynamics for a large, diverse marketing and sales department including presence in six geographic areas and three time zones including meeting agendas and minutes, technical considerations, and team building events

• Coordinated marketing/sales involvement (panel, solo, and facilitator/emcee roles) at semi- annual, all-brand meetings with a variety of audiences and priorities for each meeting

• Directly supervised 1-5 colleagues and indirect supervision of 7-12 colleagues LED VENTURES LLC

• Conceived and developed the sales and marketing function for an organization with dual focuses - developing digital billboard networks in individual markets and networking smaller clusters of boards around the country to allow smaller, independent owners to better compete for advertising dollars against national companies

• Met with and established/developed relationships with 90+ independent billboard operators as well as large/national ownership groups, industry and advocacy organizations, media leaders, and technology partners

• Worked with experienced industry players to improve our strategy, opportunity, and outcomes

• Developed ROI models for digital billboards to better showcase the cost-effective nature and long-term impact of digital billboards on consumers

• Worked with clients like Disney / ESPN, MLB, Caesar’s Casino Group, and Nike to more- strategically use digital billboards for dynamic ads that better attract consumer attention

• Evaluated 20+ billboard “plants” for potential merger/partnership/acquisition

• Managed budget of $250,000 for marketing initiatives including website and content development on the site, establishing collateral and business system materials, and quantifying value/costs for self-promotion on billboards

ASSOCIATED INTEGRATED MARKETING

• Served as a business leader - including new business solicitation, extension of billable services and offerings for the agency, and growing an under-performing function - in three different positions within the agency

• Nurtured relationships with various Wichita, state, regional, and national organizations and professionals that lead corporate marketing, businesses, and partnerships – including nine prominent clients and agency accounts

• Grew departmental revenue for public relations by over 250% in my first year and helped grow the client base for the agency by nearly 50% (including smaller-accounts) during tenure

• Provided direct client support for clients including Wesley Medical Center, Via Christi, City of Wichita, Kansas Department of Education, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas, HCA

• Served as agency spokesperson with community groups, local press, and trade and industry publications while positioning the agency as a leader in Wichita and the country

• Played a key role in the re-branding of the agency including new logo and business system and a full strategic analysis and reboot of the agency and who we “were” IBM (INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES)

• Served on a team of professionals that supported three business units (software, hardware, and services) to push “optimization” (now known as cloud computing) and technologies that supported its early development including virtualization and grid computing

• Booked dozens of interviews with major print and radio publications and secured thousands of placements across industry, trade, and vertical publications and was on IBM’s crisis communications group (radio strategy)

• Re-wrote IBM.com content and initiated blogs and social media for technologies supported

• Was part of the launch of an initiative, Project Big Green, showcasing IBM’s commitment to environmentally friendly computing that won several awards from within IBM and the larger, technology community

STRAUSS MEDIA STRATEGIES

• Managed eight account executives for a media-placement firm (then) specializing in radio

• Helped clients - including the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), US Department of Education, US Department of Defense, US Treasury, Bureau of Engraving an Printing, US Department of Commerce, US Census Bureau, Mothers Against Drunk Driving

(MADD), National Consumers League, National Urban League, US Conference of Mayors, Nike, Microsoft, Purdue Pharma, Pfizer, AstraZeneca, HCA Hospitals, Entergy, The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Share Our Strength, several Federal political campaigns - use radio and other audio tools (including early podcasting) more strategically

• Developed new offerings and service lines that grew revenue year-after-year

• Responsible for up-to $1MM in annual billing

• KPTS-TV Community Advisory Board (CAB) Chair, Vice-Chair, Recording Secretary

• KMUW-FM Volunteer, On-Air Participant in Semi-Annual Pledge Drives (2008-Present)

• Congregation Emanu-El Trustee, Officer, Volunteer, and Communications (2012-Present)

• The Arc, Sedgwick County Secretary, Vice Chair, Communications Chair (2008-2013)

• Arbor Education Project Founding Member (2009)

• GreenBiz Wichita Founding Member (2009)

• Greater Wichita YMCA Triangle Society (2019-Present)

• Wichita Metro Chamber of Commerce Member

• Non-Profit Chamber of Service Member and Presenter

• Advertising Federation of Wichita Member