Director of Marketing, Managing Editor, Storyteller, SEO
Much of my career has been created on the building blocks of an artist who decided to get a degree in Marketing simply because she was told writing in her notebooks wouldn’t make her any money. A few notable titles I’ve held are as follows:
- Director of Marketing & Communications – Innovate Marquette SmartZone
- Marketing Manager – Innovate Marquette SmartZone
- Managing Editor – Bookretreats.com
- Freelance Content Writer & Photographer
Make it Marquette Attraction Initiative
During my time at Innovate Marquette SmartZone, a non-profit economic development organization dedicated to helping elevate tech start-ups, innovation, and entrepreneurship in rural Michigan, I was promoted from Marketing Manager to Director of Marketing & Communications due my team building and management of both the Innovate Marquette and Invent@NMU brands as well as the conceptualization and creative direction of our Make it Marquette Initiative.
- Assembly of a team of highly talented individuals to execute and help launch my concept into a reality
- Did national & regional research as well as created strategy across paid, owned, and shared media
- Acted as chief copywriter including site mapping as well as creative director. This included all marketing assets (brochures, marketing toolkit, partner marketing materials, press release, etc)
- Ongoing strategy and planning including social media, blog, press, website development and program development
- Development, storyboarding and research of the People of Marquette video series.
Innovate Marquette Rebrand
Innovate Marquette Downloads
Below you’ll find downloadable documents prepared and delivered to our board of trustees, partners, and internal team:
Innovate Marquette SmartZone was created to serve a community in 2015, my journey started in 2020 as their Marketing Manager through being promoted to the Director of Marketing and Communications in 2021. In two years with the organization many changes occurred leading to a decision to rebrand to better fit those we serve and shine all the work that had been done from the inside out.
- Held branding round-table with ground of local artists, change makers, and innovators to assess current perceptions of our brand and channel our vision for the future
- Acted as creative director and editor and chief for site map, brand style, copywriting and strategy including presenting data and recommended direction to our board of directors and internal team
- Launched rebrand in tandem with region wide announcement of our organization collaborating with other economic development organizations to creative our area’s first innovation hub
Invent@NMU Student Driven Brand Refresh
Invent@NMU is a student mentorship program of Northern Michigan University that is managed by Innovate Marquette SmartZone (IMQT). These students work with the IMQT staff to help start-ups and local businesses with everything from business plan development to prototyping to marketing services at a reduced cost for the business. This benefits both talent development and business resources within the community. During my time as Marketing Manager I lead our student marketing team of eight (three marketing assistants, two graphic designers, and three videographers/photographers) through a design and messaging refresh to better connect with our target audiences across campus and the community.
- Mentored students on process and refinement of brand and message auditing
- Acted as creative director and editor in chief
- Held space for mistakes, pivots and over all hard learning curves that come with a mentorship program
Content Writing
Tech Talks - What's America's Largest Economic Sector?
What’s the U.S. economic sector slated to bring in over $1 trillion in the next year? Outdoor recreation, and Marquette, Michigan is not only the Midwest hub of hiking, biking, skiing, and watersports but also the epicenter of inclusivity and innovation within it.
7 Mindful Reasons to Live #VanLife
#VanLife. This catchy phrase has become a worldwide sensation, and for good reason. Perfectly placed Instagram photos of cozy quarters overlooking landscapes seemingly made by the gods.
10 Truths About Becoming a Yoga Instructor (That Nobody Talks About)
So, you’ve developed your personal yoga practice through hours of asana and meditation classes while exploring different types of yoga. You’ve taken a plethora of class styles like Ashtanga yoga, restorative yoga, and Bikram yoga and narrowed down your favorite style (or two)…
Tech Talks - Enhancement of Limited Mobility Products for Outdoor Recreation
Marquette, Michigan, the epicenter of Midwest outdoor recreation and at the forefront… innovation in limited mobility. This Tech Talk features words from our CEO, Joe Thiel, about the importance of advancement in adaptive outdoor recreation products and how IMQT SmartZone is here to help.
60+ Insane Yoga Statistics: Why Yoga is the Fastest Growing Industry
So, you’ve probably heard of this really cool thing called yoga. Yea, you’ve heard of it? Cool, because it’s one of our favorite things in the whole wide world. And a little birdie told us that
Every 40 Seconds We Lose Someone To Suicide—And It Needs To Stop
Every 40 seconds someone, somewhere successfully makes the decision to take their own life. That makes 3,000 deaths per day and over one million per year. For every death by suicide, there are 20 attempts. In recent months I’ve been reading the circulated media pertaining to America’s rise in
Sex or Spirituality? What is Tantra?
Catchy title hey? You’re here because you’ve been curious about the tantalizing practice of Tantra and you’ve probably found some misguided information on the Google. Something about sacred spot massage, sexual pleasure, sacred sexuality and other sensual acts relating to sexual intercourse (or the spooning position?
Want To Become A Yoga Teacher? Here’s What You Need To Do
You’ve been developing your personal yoga practice for a couple of years, learning postures and working on breathing techniques at a local yoga studio or gym. Naturally you’re hooked.
Your Personal Guide to the 500-Hour YTT Requirements [+ The World’s Best Courses]
So you’re a yoga instructor, or you wanna become one, but you’re not looking to mess around. You want top-notch teaching skills and a teacher training program that aims to give you the upmost understanding of asana, meditation, and
The Secret Of Letting Go
The secret to letting go? Forgiving yourself. Five years ago I cried for the first time during a yoga class. “Don’t be afraid to fall, when you learn to let go of that fear beautiful things will happen.” That one sentence set something off inside me