Built a national awareness campaign that inspires commercial landscapers to transition to the best battery platform in the world. Established the Brand Strategy function for 6 brands at Positec--Worx, Kress, Noesis, Rockwell, Caterpillar Power Tools, Exit--including brand platform, strategy, governance, critical KPI/metrics, and operating/engagement model with stakeholders globally.Developed marketing content strategy for growing robotic mower awareness for Worx and Kress across North America with a targeted 40% awareness rate.Business lead for demand generation strategy for the market leader in outdoor robotics, with an intent to raise category and brand awareness to 20% across U.S. Consumer-centric thinking integration into all marketing and product briefs for long-range planning, including the commitment to customer reviews across non-traditional media--like in-store banners, landing pages and even packaging.Developed world-class insights around the emerging U.S. robotics customer. Channel strategist with an eye toward the ideal customer. Product lifestyle management. Experienced copywriter skilled in leveraging cutting-edge AI technologies to craft compelling and impactful content. Passionate about utilizing AI-driven insights and techniques to drive engagement, optimize messaging, and exceed client expectations. Scaled a new framework and prompt engine for AI in brand voice and language--the first of its kind at the 25-year-old company. Kicked of a User-Generated Content (UGC) program with half dozen creators jointly with the social media team. The program helped generate 50 videos in just 3 month sprint, leveraged in awareness media with a 18% lift in social media conversations around the "Worx" brand. Built an insights engine in Positec, along with brand frameworks based on psychological archetypes. Worked with creative team to develop a go-to-market strategy for Worx Nitro and Caterpillar Brands.

Synthesize disparate business needs and talent gaps to shape a strategy for employee learning for 2 divisions with 1,300 employees. Develop an understanding of employee learning habits and develop content and curriculum designed to improve individual and team performance. Lead, coach, and manage team of 5 with budget of $2.8 million.Key Accomplishments:• Incorporated design thinking, branding, marketing, and innovation concepts into the analysis and execution of learning programs.• Architected 1st Merchandising Academy encompassing key development for 2nd largest professional population in the company which received 6/7 for favorability and content relevance.• Lead key micro-learning offering with 81% participation rate for expanding workforce.• Developed immersive 8-day bootcamp to shape learning strategy for outside sales team.• Conceptualized and executed new learning deliverables including branded 60-second videos, animated comics, gifs, and branded infographics and podcasts.Business lead of the Lowe's 4 Pro Academy--a micro-learning path through Axonify, leveraging innovative storytelling in the form of comics, micro video, infographics and visualization that short-cuts understanding in key technical areas for the operations component of the business.Also, as skilled labor shortages are slowing simply because there are not enough workers to fill trade skills jobs (e.g., electrical, carpentry, plumbing), I will be responsible for activating Lowe’s-led outreach projects in communities to inspire and connect workers to the building and construction industry.

Spearheaded identification of growth strategies to enable a workforce development partner with external entities nationwide.Key Accomplishments:• Utilized design thinking to launch 1st national movement to upskill Lowe’s associates to pursue skilled trades careers with program retaining 82% of associates while certifying over 10,000 employees annually.• Created unique value proposition to join Lowe’s that filled market need among Lowe’s service providers to shrink skilled labor shortage.• Recognized by CEO for “Track to the Trades” program as 1 of the most innovative programs in the company.• Won Silver Addy award in 2018 for “Generation T” ad campaign promoting skilled trades.• Selected for Experiential Marketing Award in 2018 for consumer campaigns for “Upskill Project.”

Synthesized market trends by working cross-functionally to identify emerging markets, competitors, and future business state. Key Accomplishments:• Synthesized data led to acquisition of fastest growing company initiative which was launched after presentation to Board of Directors on the future of IOT, retail and the home.• Aligned and leveraged external trends network to align on common framework to build credibility across various enterprises.• Identified key future market segment for phase of growth in brick and mortar through partnership with geospatial analytics team.• Articulated $42 million sales opportunity after developing “social vs. search” research.• Developed in-house, published Lowe’s trend magazine along with immersive scenarios to rally the business to enterprise strategy.• Delivered gamified immersion with C-Suite and Board of Directors by blending social media analytics, Google search insights, and survey results.Led various internal marketing campaigns throughout the corporate headquarters to scale consumer insights and trends to the business. This was a critical effort to elevate the Insights’ brand within Lowe’s and an opportunity to help drive CEO vision of being consumer centric.Shaped role to drive strategy in matrixed environment via scenario planning, and platforms for Innovation Labs, Venture Capital, Risk, U.S.H.I, marketing, human resources, IT, Pro Services, Supply Chain and Customer Experience at Lowe's. Co-led external foresight network—LuLuLemon, Coca Cola, Mars, Altria—that pressure-tests internal views. Featured speaker at Coca Cola M&A offsite in 2016, demonstrating to thought partners how to integrate trends and foresight into growth cases for mature businesses. Strategic support on initiatives that addressed how Lowe’s pivoted its marketing spend, re-focused its audience and its sponsorships.

Lead for Lowe’s Trends and Foresights program, becoming a benchmark for insights organizations at other Fortune 500 companies. (e.g. 3M, Coca Cola). The platform has been foundational for Lowe’s enterprise planning, with new leadership and staff hired to help scale the effort. Unveiled Trends and Innovation program to C-suite for 3 hours in strategy offsite in Feb. 2015. Dubbed the “best presentation ever seen at Lowe’s” in survey feedback.Mined a breakthrough trend that was a disruptive to the big-box model, up to $2 billion in lost revenue. This trend—“Big Box Beware”—was jointly revealed to Lowe’s Board of Directors in 2015, underlining how it threatened growth to Lowe’s from 2015 to 2020. Based on the insight, the BOD and C Suite accelerated investments in supply chain, digital and analytics capabilities into the roadmap. Featured speaker at the Trends and Foresights Conference 2015 (“Standing Up a Foresights Program”) and 2016 (“The Future of Family—a Case for Innovation”); featured speaker at the World Futures Summit 2016 in Washington D.C. Featured expert on the future Lowe’s customer at the 2016 Lowe’s National Sales MeetingPublicly acknowledged by CEO Robert Niblock as one of the most influential members of the customer organization in S&A All-Hands meeting, Sept. 2015. Sensed a 29% decline in Millennials’ DIY attitudes and confidence. This insight bolstered the innovation pipeline for Lowe’s Customer Experience team, spawning the Upskill project—a nationwide movement designed to get people to take on DIY.Co-lead 3-man effort to transform various categories at Lowe’s from full analogue to digital using an algorithm joining consumer-driven metrics vs. financial performance. Shared 2030 initiative—Future of Consumer, Home and Retail—to more than 3,000 employees internationally, including BOD in 2016--the most discussed insights work of the year. Consistently incorporate design principle of visual perception into research communication.

Contributor to CMS' innovative commitment to workforce development and career pathing for its students. Lowe's is playing an integral role in bridging more of its students directly into the building trades and retail industry.

A new addition of the influential Charlotte Chamber of Commerce for Young Professionals. Named to the economic growth committee in one of the fastest growing cities in the United States, I'm looking forward to bringing an innovative perspective for workforce development, economic mobility and considerations for new partnerships.

Merged, marketing, social media, project management, and trends forecasting roles to create omni-channel marketing campaigns for national nonprofits. Led creative team on campaign development based on human centered design while leveraging secondary research.Key Accomplishments:• Immersed editorial and graphic design teams into state of consumer and latest marketing trends to help understand opportunities over 7-month sprint.• Inspired 21% in donations for client after launching individual donor stories on social media.• Created templated social media campaigns that clients can buy as an upgrade to relationship with Stelter.• Co-innovated social game apps on Engage Sciences Platform hosted on Facebook to create sophisticated donations for clients.• Developed new tradeshow strategy in partnership with Business Development that outlined investments in storytelling and research.

• Strategic architect of marketing campaigns—e.g., Stanford U, NAACP, American Heart. • Helped develop client relationships to overhaul long-term marketing strategy. • Help build thought-leadership via trends white papers, publicly lauded by Jerry Panas—regarded as an industry giant.• Created motion-graphics video on behalf of key external research finding: “The Power of One,” used in B2B marketing campaign by Stelter.• Contributor to research design for Stelter’s 2012 research: “What Makes Donors Give?”• Crafted marketing copy for direct mail, email, Web and social campaigns, generating consistent response for clients.• Directed team of freelance contributors, emphasizing insights from Stelter research.

Analyzed and discovered consumer trends—like grocery stores selling live bees for those who want fresh honey —as they emerge throughout the world and, thus, reporting valuable daily insight by connecting them to macro trends that have sparked marketing campaigns for clients.Led and pioneered a private brands future-state strategy for Wal-Mart with a cross-functional team of 8. The immersive deliverable was shared with senior leaders at Wal-Mart through a synthesis of global products from Canada to Korea.• Part of 3-person team that built trends database with as many as 8,000 insights. • Helped Inspire to grow into market leader for trends research among CPG brands.• Led ideation sessions with clients—Con Agra, Leo Burnett, DDB Chicago, HBO, Ogilvy-Mather, MTV Insights. • Worked extensively with marketing teams at Wendy’s, McDonald’s and Nestle.Integrated analytics and social media data into various platforms. This drove new discussions at Wal-Mart for the way they worked with some of their product vendors on going-to-market with new products.• Leveraged existing internal research and departments—Shopper Insights, Global New Products Database, Menu Insights, Food Insights, Oxygen reports—to identify trends that rippled across industries.• Use cluster analyses to develop trends frameworks with emphasis on actionable insights across industries and sectors. • Created deliverables with 12- and 24-month forecasts for richening customer experience.• Hands-on trends project-management experience, specializing on CPG and retail.• Project leader in Wal-Mart’s 2010 Trend Project, managing team of freelancers. • Named Mintel quarterly MVP 2010. The product, which launched in the US in the 3rd quarter of 2008, had quickly become profitable despite down economy and soon became Mintel's best-selling product in 2009 with an editorial staff of three.

• More than a 20 articles published in the Sun-Times and the Daily Southtown. Two-page spread on Aug. 30 and Oct. 24, 2007• Preview to the Future blog generated consistent traffic and discussion on newly launched blogging platform for suburban bureau of the Sun-Times.

• Illinois Associated Press 2008 award winner (circulation less than 40,000). • Researched and wrote key lifestyle trends, earning consideration via an interview to join the Sun-Times editorial board at the age 24. • More than 20 articles published in the Sun-Times and the Daily Southtown. Two-page spread on Aug. 30 and Oct. 24, 2007•Interviewed celebrities such as Gary Sinise, Jamie Lee Curtis, Jose Canseco, Jenna Bush, Paris Hilton, Tom Brokaw, Tim Russert, Rhea Pearlman, The Fonz, Caroline Kennedy • Investigation on Naperville Police overtime wages was one of the most read stories of the year; publisher called it the best report under his 3-year term with the newspaper• Broke report on Taxi cabs operating illegally in Naperville. The investigation was reported on Chicago affiliates Fox News, CBS and WBBM.

Reported, wrote and collected material with camera crew for weekend broadcasts Interviewed Barack Obama, Jesse Jackson and Hillary Clinton for broadcast; also reported on a breaking story about a murder on Chicago's West Side in a gang-ridden neighborhood. Was able to get two witnesses to go on camera NOTABLES / INTERESTSPublic relations officer for Lewis University for 2002 &2003. Four Illinois Associated College Press Awards in 2002 & 2003 for several categories (non-sports) column, sports feature, layout