Résumé

Experience

Rails to Trails Conservancy January 2024—Present

Director of Communications

Rails to Trails Conservancy is the nation’s largest advocacy organization for trails, walking and biking. As the Director of Communications, I highlight the joy and impact trails deliver for people, places and the planet, working with TrailNation projects across the country.

  • Orchestration of communications strategies that amplify the reach and influence of Rails to Trails Conservancy’s TrailNation initiative—model trail networks transforming communities nationwide—with increased focus on high-impact projects in Baltimore, Philadelphia and Wisconsin, as well as the TrailNation brand overall.
  • Coordinate with partner organizations nationwide to align compelling communications efforts that advance trails, walking and biking while keeping collaboration as smooth as freshly paved asphalt. (But also nothing against gravel. It just didn’t work for the simile.)
  • Work in alignment across teams to bolster product marketing, brand storytelling and audience engagement strategies for TrailLink, Rails to Trails Conservancy’s premier trail-finder platform.
  • Cultivated a balance of creativity, strategy, challenge, joy and tangible results that has resulted in a measurable increase in personal workplace satisfaction and 0% interest in exploring other opportunities.

Independent Marketing + Communications August 2023—Present

Freelance Consultant

Planning and execution of integrated marketing campaigns for clients across nonprofit, luxury travel and retail sectors, delivering strategies tailored to unique brand goals. Created compelling copy assets and managed paid advertising across social platforms to drive engagement, conversions and measurable ROI.

  • Develop comprehensive marketing strategies tailored to client objectives, aligning brand positioning with target audience needs across nonprofit, luxury travel and retail sectors, adapting creative and strategic approaches to diverse industries.
  • Managed paid advertising campaigns across major social platforms, optimizing performance through audience segmentation, A/B testing and ongoing analytics review.

Emerson Collective May 2022—September 2023

Sr. Manager, Marketing Strategy

Emerson Collective brings together academics, artists, community leaders and entrepreneurs to build solutions and create lasting change. As a senior manager of marketing strategy, I worked across issue areas (immigration, environment, gun violence reduction and democracy, to name a few), combining strategic insights and creative solutions for measurable results.

  • Generation and implementation of marketing strategies for Emerson Collective and Emerson Collective’s partners and grantees. Bringing together creativity, data, advocacy expertise and research insights to drive results directly for Emerson Collective, and as a part of capacity-building services for partners and grantees. 
  • Developed the go-to-market strategy for Sycamore & Oak, a real estate development which serves, supports and celebrates the Congress Heights community in Washington, DC, in advance of their Spring 2023 grand opening.
  • Built audience personas derived from a segmentation study which surveyed thousands of individuals to gauge their interest in, and awareness of, Emerson Collective’s core areas of work, including climate, immigration, democracy and gun violence reduction, in order to better communicate the target audience for Emerson Collective’s creative output.
  • Evolved lead generation campaign work for Chicago CRED which saw a 1067% increase in leads YOY, a 54% reduction in cost per lead and a 147% increase in site traffic through optimizations in copy and targeting strategy. 
  • Hosted workshops on audience and community growth with the Harlem Studio Museum Store and saw their following more than quadruple within a month.
  • In the first three months, onboarded a cohort of influencers for marketing across Emerson Collective interest areas and identified core initiatives for them to activate and message around, including a Climate Week fashion event hosted by Elemental Excelerator. 

Truth Initiative 2012—2022

Creative Director, truth Campaign | June 2019 – May 2022

  • Created truth’s in-house production studio, building and managing a new team within the organization comprised of brilliant copywriters, designers, producers and freelancers. Since the creation of the in-house team, the truth campaign has shifted from nearly 100 percent external creative production to producing more than 60 percent of the campaign’s content internally. 
  • Oversaw production of social and video content; acquisition campaigns; digital audio and radio ads; email marketing campaigns; site landing pages; and SMS campaigns, driving tens of millions of engagements and views to support the national broadcast campaign. 
  • Developed an overarching messaging strategy and executed social channel-based strategies. 
  • Evolved social content planning and goals to reflect the ever-changing nature of social media–TikTok is in, Facebook is out, for truth’s core audience. 
  • Generated timely, personal, genuine ways to engage truth’s audience and give them tangible things to do. This recently came to life through our Merch For Masks program, which created more than 40,000 fabric masks at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. 
  • Curated a digital video presence for the truth brand across platforms, driving more than 10 million views of award-winning films, animations, tours, interviews and activism work. This included a multi-year environment-focused animated campaign to address the impact of discarded cigarette butts and vape trash on the environment. 
  • Developed truth’s acquisition and awareness campaigns for the This is Quitting product–a text-to-quit-vaping service offered by truth with more than 300,000 users. Expanded the truth brand voice into new partnerships, including a digital curriculum with EverFi which has reached 170,000 students across 2,000 schools across the country (and won a Silver Halo award).

Sr. Manager, truth Marketing + Social Media | June 2018 – June 2019

  • Supervised added value integrations with TV networks, including MTV and Comedy Central. 
  • Produced and scripted exclusive digital and social content for truth, which generated more than 2.5 million views. 
  • Wrote all site copy for truth’s initial opioid misuse prevention campaign work. (example here)
  • Appeared on media tours to promote campaign launches, including live interviews, very early in the morning. 
  • Hosted the “Ask Cas” limited-run video series where I answered frequently asked questions from truth’s teen audience, ranging from the harmful effects of tobacco to an explanation on our logo’s color. This video series drove more than 236k views, and were some of the most engaging pieces of content on truth’s website.

Manager, truth Marketing + Social Media | March 2014 – June 2019

  • Developed and executed long-term acquisition and engagement strategies for @truthorange’s owned social media properties to coincide with department goals. 
  • Wrote copy for articles on thetruth.com to support campaign launches.
  • Managed multi-million-dollar annual marketing buys for social media, included promoted trends that saw an engagement rate of 31 percent–the highest our Twitter rep had ever seen–and more than 2.3 million video views in a day. 
  • Supervised production of more than 50 videos, overseeing freelance videographers and in-house talent. Spoke on behalf of truth on radio media tours, which reached more than 4.2 million listeners.

Specialist, truth Marketing + Social Media | May 2012 – March 2014

  • Oversaw the launch strategy for truth’s paid social marketing, crushing industry benchmarks that were (at the time) 1-2% engagement rates with a campaign that averaged 20+% engagement rates.
  • Developed strategic goals for social media marketing.
  • Wrote copy for all social accounts, email marketing, SMS campaigns and thetruth.com.
  • Managed consumer response email inbox, clearing a backlog of hundreds of unanswered messages in my first week on the job.

Angie’s List 2008—2012 

Copywriter + Social Media Community Manager | June 2010 – May 2012

  • Spearheaded the creation of Angie’s List social media accounts
  • Built a social community of passionate homeowners, renovators, builders
  • Shared tips and inspiration to generate conversations and build brand loyalty
  • Wrote newsletters and articles in the Angie voice, and created and managed The Angie’s social accounts. 
  • Coordinated weekly and monthly social content campaigns.

Content Coordinator, Marketing | May 2008 – June 2010

  • Researched and wrote content for Angie’s List newsletters, email blasts and marketing materials.
  • Contacted contractors and advertisers for Super Service Awards.

Education

Purdue University — Bachelor of Arts: English, Professional Writing
General Assembly — Digital Marketing Certification

Achievements

2016 Effie Gold: Influencers – CATmageddon; 2016 Shorty Awards: Pets & Animals, Non-Profit, Hashtag – CATmageddon; 2017 Shorty Social Good: Environment – Ultimate Clingy Ex; 2018 Shorty Social Good: Snapchat – Twinkle Twinkle Little Dick; 2018 Shorty Awards: Mid-Length Video – Better Butts; 2020 Silver Halo Award: Vaping, Know the truth