About Me
Influences
I have a deep appreciation for music, art, photography, books, television, film, and pop culture. I’ve long been a news junkie and revered the broadcasting stalwarts growing up. I watched PBS documentaries and read National Geographic magazine to learn about the world growing up. I love to travel and experience new cities. Andy Warhol and Gerhard Richter are my favorite artists. I've always been a voracious reader and getting a library card is one of the first things I do when moving to a new city.
My path to communications
When I first started at UW-Madison in undergrad, I had planned to become a teacher. However, given my penchant for mass communications, I changed my major to Communication Arts with a concentration in Radio, TV, and Film. One particularly poignant moment on that path was when I was tasked with doing an oral presentation on a French film. That film was “À bout de souffle” (Breathless). I was not yet familiar with the work of Jean-Luc Godard, but I knew sitting in that language lab watching it with subtitles on a 10-inch TV with the sound piping through tinny headphones that it was groundbreaking and special. Another class that left a lasting impression on me was Physics in the Arts. In one especially impactful session, we learned about photography, color perception, and color mixing and lugged antique box field cameras to the top of Bascom Hill to take photographs that we then developed ourselves. That made me want to explore photography more, and I took classes at the student union outside of my undergraduate studies.
Early career
Like many people, I dreamed of working at National Geographic as a kid. Since my undergraduate degree was in Radio, TV, and Film, I thought I would go into something more production-oriented. However, I started my professional career in a role as Administrative Assistant in Marketing Communications at National Geographic focusing on promoting the television and film business, which was
a perfect fit with my degree. Within a year, I was promoted to Coordinator in title and functioned as a publicist. I created publicity plans, managed relationships with external agencies, wrote press releases, pitched stories to media, planned film premieres and other special events, and was responsible for promotional photo selection and creation of b-roll and EPK. Starting my career at National Geographic gave me a solid foundation in marketing communications and public relations…and I stayed on the Marketing Communications path.
Marketing Communications career
My career has been built around amplifying the messaging of mission-focused organizations in areas such as sustainability, conservation, exploration, education, and health. My expertise spans integrated marketing campaigns, public relations, brand strategy, social media management, digital marketing, content creation, outreach marketing, and event marketing. I’m currently Associate Director of Marketing Communications at Loyola leading efforts for the Stritch School of Medicine. I develop and implement strategic communications, content, and social media strategies to enhance brand awareness and elevate the school’s reputation regionally and nationally. I shape narratives and digital content that resonate with prospective and current students, alumni, donors, faculty, and staff.
Lifelong learning
I believe education is a powerful tool and have continued to learn and grow in my career whether that be with a graduate degree, certification, or educational conference. I received a Bachelor of Arts in Communication Arts with a focus on Radio, TV, and Film from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. I pursued a Master of Science in Integrated Marketing Communications from Loyola University Chicago in order to bridge the gap between the traditional media that marketing heavily relied on when I began my career and the digital media that had since emerged as a driving force in marketing. I am currently pursuing a Master of Communication in Digital Media and Storytelling at Loyola to further develop my expertise in writing, shooting, and editing digital content that will stand out in today’s world on oversaturated platforms.
In my spare time...
I love music, arts, movies, TV, pop culture, traveling, record shopping, and watching soccer. I also dabble in making pottery and jewelry. Outside of work and grad school, you’re likely to find me at the pottery studio, at a farmer’s market or craft fair, watching English Premier League soccer, or ogling art at the Art Institute of Chicago.