about me

As a creative strategist, I am involved in more than just design. My expertise lies at the crossroads of excellent user experiences and relevant storytelling, leading to a successful business strategy. It would be an honor to help your team continue to advance.

With over 20 years of leadership experience in integrated product design and development, creative direction, traditional design, advertising (B2C and B2B), gamification, brand design and strategy, content strategy, copywriting, and creative business strategy across various industries, I have much to contribute!

Keep scrolling to learn more about my experience…

Experience

FATE
PARTNER, EXECUTIVE DESIGN DIRECTOR
APR 2020 - PRESENT
LOVELAND, CO + REMOTE

Creative Vision and Strategy: Spearheaded business strategy, design initiatives, & ad campaigns.
Leadership and Mentorship: Built and led remote creative teams across various disciplines, cultivating a culture of creativity, collaboration, and excellence in delivering high-quality outcomes.
Cross-Functional Collaboration: Key liaison, fostering strong relationships and driving alignment with stakeholders to ensure project outcomes that elevate user experience and client satisfaction.
Process Innovation and Integration: Developed streamlined workflows and frameworks that combine Agile methods with design thinking, effectively balancing speed with creative solutions.
New Business Development: Led successful pitches that secured high-priority clients, establishing trust and rapport while driving growth and retention of both new and existing brands.
Hands-On Creative Leadership: Combined strategic oversight with a hands-on approach, actively engaging in the creative process to elevate the quality and impact of work from concept to execution.
Transformative User Engagement: Re-imagined Amazon’s annual tech and science event into a dynamic, year-round digital thought leadership platform, boosting continuous international engagement.
Product Launch Success in Aviation: Directed the end-to-end design of a D2C app—Revaire—for the aviation sector, successfully launching it with a strong focus on intuitive UX and market differentiation.
Editorial Web Innovation for Neuroscience: Designed The Transmitter as a vibrant hub for the neuroscience community, blending storytelling with a user-centric digital platform.
Global Campaign Execution: Led a high-impact creative campaign for Google, driving their expansion into European markets and broadening their audience reach with tailored creative strategies.

DCP MIDSTREAM
DESIGN DIRECTOR + DEPT. DIRECTOR
JAN 2019 - APR 2020
DENVER, CO

Creative Team Leadership: Assembled and directed a multidisciplinary team of UX researchers, designers, and advertising professionals, fostering a culture of creativity and collaboration.
Served as Interim Department Director: Led the design, product, software engineering, and marketing departments, driving unified strategies and seamless collaboration across all functions
Innovative Digital Product Development: Guided the design and development of twelve digital applications, prioritizing safety, efficiency, and a reduction in environmental impact.
Data-Driven Simplification: Translated complex data into clear, actionable insights, enhancing user understanding and accessibility in the digital experience.
Design Systems Implementation: Developed and enforced a cohesive design system, streamlining creative processes and driving consistency across all digital touchpoints.
Process Optimization and Change Management: Optimized frameworks to support innovative change management initiatives, significantly increasing adoption of digital products and toolsOperational Excellence: Managed both the short and long-term vision and strategy for the department, oversaw operating expenses, and advised on capital expenditures.
Digital Transformation Leadership: Spearheaded initiatives to demonstrate the creative team’s positive impact on business outcomes as we led the charge in DCP’s digital transformation.

VERIZON
DESIGN DIRECTOR
APR 2017 - JAN 2019
DENVER, CO

Creative Leadership: Directed a team of UX researchers, UI designers, cartographers, & marketers.
Process Optimization: Blended Agile methodologies with Lean UX to streamline processes, driving efficient development cycles & consistently delivering high-quality, user-centric product launches.
Integrated Acquired Entities: Orchestrated the seamless incorporation of acquired businesses into Verizon’s creative vision, aligning diverse teams to execute a unified strategy.
Data-Driven Decision Making: Ran detailed LOE and ROI analyses to inform product & campaign strategies, maximizing the effectiveness of marketing investments & optimizing resource allocation. Established measurable OKRs (Objectives and Key Results) for the product design and marketing teams.
Revenue Growth Initiatives: Identified & executed opportunities that generated $7 million in new revenue year-over-year through innovative design & marketing strategies, driving business growth.

OPTERA
CREATIVE DIRECTOR
OCT 2016 - APR 2017
WESTMINSTER, CO

Client roster: Comcast Business, Dell, Juniper, Medtronic, Novartis, Rev Health, Spectralink
Built a High-Impact Creative Team: Established a small, effective team of full-time employees and freelancers, implementing processes and workflows from ideation to production.
Augmented Reality Training Simulation: Developed an innovative AR training simulation for medical professionals, enhancing learning outcomes while cutting costs and eliminating travel time.
Immersive Virtual Reality Drug Visualization: Designed a VR experience to illustrate drug efficacy & enhance medical professionals’ understanding of a new drug’s mechanism of action.
Directed Marketing Videos: Led the production of marketing videos for Dell & Comcast Business.
Contributed to Executive Strategy: Played a key role in strategy as a member of the executive team.

MADE
SR. ART DIRECTOR + COPYWRITER
NOV 2015 - OCT 2016
BOULDER, CO

Client roster: Lyft, Tax Act, Smart Balance, TGI Fridays, Church’s Chicken, Clayton Homes
Culinary Photoshoots: Participated in photoshoots to highlight Church’s Chicken menu items, creating engaging visuals for marketing materials.
Out-Of-Home Advertising for Lyft: Developed a creative ad campaign centered on OOH to entice drivers to use Lyft, leveraging strategic placements to maximize visibility and drive app downloads.
TV Campaigns for TGI Fridays: Wrote and directed TV spots, social videos, and digital ads for TGI Fridays, featuring a playful take on Alexander Hamilton to highlight a full rack of ribs deal for just $10.
Interactive App for Homebuyer: Built an app for Clayton Homes, allowing prospective homebuyers to digitally walk through & visualize a Clayton home on their own land.

GYRO
SR. ART DIRECTOR
OCT 2013 - NOV 2015
DENVER, CO

Client roster: Ball Aerospace, American Heart Association, TW Telecom, DCP Midstream, Dingo, Johns Manville, BlackBerry, WOW! Internet Cable & Phone, UL Solutions
New Business: Pitched and secured UL Solutions as a major client for the agency, developing a creative strategy that further positioned them as a leader of safety science in international markets.
Website Redesign for BlackBerry: Redesigned the BlackBerry intranet, enhancing its user experience and visual identity to better align with the brand’s evolved positioning and internal tools. Localized for international teams.
American Heart Association: Created an interactive campaign for AHA that motivated participants to prioritize heart health through personalized digital experiences driven by individual pledges.
TV Campaign for WOW Telecom: Created a dynamic TV campaign for WOW aimed at enticing customers to switch, highlighting WOW’s competitive advantages in service quality and pricing.

CRISPIN PORTER + BOGUSKY
ART DIRECTOR + DIGITAL ARTIST
NOV 2010 - JUL 2013
BOULDER, CO

Client roster: AMEX Small Business Saturday & Shop Small, AMEX Start Booming, AMEX Vision, AMEX Travel, AMEX Nextpedition, Applebee’s, Best Buy, B-Cycle, Jello, Cause Swarm, Domino’s, Fruit of the Loom, KRAFT Mac & Cheese, Papa’s Pilar, P.Ink, Smoke Alarm, Windows Phone, XBox
Innovative Travel Experience for American Express: Designed key elements for American Express’s Nextpedition, a groundbreaking travel product that tailored trips based on travelers’ unique interests where an interactive digital dossier unveiled travelers’ secret itineraries as they traveled.
Designing a Day to Shop Small: Small Business Saturday: Key contributor to American Express’s Small Business Saturday, a nationwide initiative that boosts local businesses to this day.
Brand Reinvention for Domino’s: Aided in Domino’s bold rebrand, starting with a campaign where they acknowledged product flaws & committed to a complete overhaul, transforming their reputation.
Super Bowl Spotlight: Developed digital assets for Best Buy’s Super Bowl commercial “Ask Amy,” featuring Amy Poehler, amplifying the campaign’s reach and impact.
Branding for Angel’s Envy Bourbon: Collaborated to establish the brand identity for Angel’s Envy bourbon, paving the way for its successful market launch and growth in the spirits industry.
Fruit of the Loom Brand: Assisted in modernizing the Fruit of the Loom brand identity.
Lucky Looms Campaign: Launched the “Lucky Looms” campaign, journeying to iconic lucky locations to infuse the concept of luck into our underwear line. The collection sold out within days.

DUAL CORE DESIGN
ART DIRECTOR + DESIGNER
APR 2002 - NOV 2010
NASHVILLE, TN + DENVER, CO

Creative Leadership: Directed 150+ diverse projects, ensuring timely delivery and budget adherence while upholding quality and innovation standards.
Strategic Advertising Leadership: Directed innovative advertising campaigns, utilizing research and user insights to craft compelling narratives that enhance brand engagement and drive growth.
Extensive Editorial Leadership: Art directed and designed over 100 books and calendars for Turner Publishing, capturing the rich history and iconic imagery of America’s most prosperous cities and influential figures.
Photography & Videography Expertise: Delivered professional photography and videography services for a diverse range of clients, capturing compelling visuals that align with brand narratives and marketing objectives, enhancing both digital and print media campaigns.
Effective Communication and Presentation: Cultivated exceptional design communication and presentation skills, enabling clear articulation of creative concepts and fostering strong relationships with clients and stakeholders throughout the project life-cycle.