Pilar Mckay, Phd Email & Phone Number

Buffalo, Ny, Us

London, England, Gb

Bringing a data-first approach to my shopper based design practice while managing projects in various food + CPG categories.Thrilled to be immersed in design thinking while also using skills from my background in social research methodology - especially qualitative data analysis.(Part of the 10Red Design (ChaseDesign Company) team until we were folded into FutureBrand in 2025)Position HistorySenior Strategist (10/2021 to 07/2024)Strategy Director (07/2024 to current)

Perry, New York, Us

I've managed this arts organization from startup to 501(c)(3) to National Endowment of the Arts grantee. I'm the business and administrative lead and my business partner is the theatre artist and producing artistic director. As one of the company founders, I've seen it all as we've grown into an award-winning regional theater company. From ordering porta-potties to workers comp audits to curtain speeches to setting up payroll to managing an assistant, I've been an active participant in growth. I also jump in when I have to help the "show to go on!"We've grown revenue from a mix of earned income, fundraising and grants from $0 in 2011 to nearly $80,000 in 2019. We regularly employ 15-20 artists and staff for regional productions. Managed growth from one venue festival with three actors to regional tour and from seasonal festival to annual performing & teaching artist company.Awards: NEA grant (2020), NYSCA Decentralization Grant administered by the Arts Council for Wyoming County ('12, '13, '14, and '16), NYS Regional and Economic Development Grant ('15 and '18), NYSCA/A.R.T. Grant ('17), and Wyoming Foundation Grant ('17 and '18). Arts Management, Strategic Planning and Development• Strategic planning to manage change and growth• Organizing corporate and individual sponsorships and fundraising • Managing logistics for major events • Planning and executing development plans including organizing fundraising event• Manage HR and finances (Bookkeeping with QuickBooks)Marketing• Programmed, designed and maintain website shakeonthelake.org (WordPress)• Managing public relations and advertising for the festival including press releases, media relations, social media presence, media plan, purchasing & negotiating advertising and designing ads• Brand management including strategy for brand extensions (New York State Puppet Festival, On-Farm Programming, Winter Season)• Maintaining community and sponsor relations, including public speaking engagements

Skaneateles, New York, Us

Perry, New York, Us

I manage branding, marketing and front-of-house operations for award-winning production brewery and taproom. Opened to the public in March 2017, I continue to participate as part of the ownership team. Sales exceed $200,000 annually primarily with taproom sales (taproom capacity = 55; production capacity = 3bbl) and additional wholesale accounts. I joined the ownership team at the beginning of business development and contributed to the business plan, marketing plan and project management. Successes include building and leading brand management for award-winning business; building staff culture that maintains higher-than-average staff retention; and developing a historic building in my hometown into a thriving business. Awards: Wyoming County Chamber of Commerce & Tourism Most Promising Business (2018); Barber Conable Award for Historic Preservation, Landmark Society of Western New York (2018)What I do today:• Marketing and brand management • Business planning including analyzing financial reports and sales reports• Operational management including COVID-19 revisions to front-of-house process• Mange and collaborate with taproom manger on event planning, marketing and merchandisingWork I did to build the brand and business:• Developed the marketing plan including identifying key target markets• Collaborated with designer for logo development• Designed merchandise (Adobe Illustrator, Adobe InDesign)• Developed and managed ordering non-beer merchandise • Vendor management for food and merchandise • Managed all aspects of the brewery's marketing - including branding, public relations, community relations and advertising• Designed Front-of-House experience - including programming and training staff on POS system• Managed development of website with outside agency* Programmed POS System (AccuPOS)• Contributed to fundraising investment plan

Rochester, New York, Us

I was responsible for brand strategy at a growing marketing and advertising agency. This included strategy and positioning, analytics, account planning, content creation, project management, public relations, social media management and account management. Actively collaborate with the creative team by creating a strategic foundation for marketing and communication work. Work with a variety of clients with a focus on food and agriculture as well as economic development, finance, trade associations, technology and early stage startups. Success includes account planning and public relations for a COVID-19 communication kit for Farmers Markets throughout New York State (client: Farmers Market Federation of New York).Strategy, Account Planning & Analytics• Develop brand strategy and positioning• Report social media and digital analytics (DashThis, Facebook Analytics)• Primary research for creative development (Interviews)• Write marketing and brand strategy reports• Design creative briefs• Conduct brand audits and competitive landscapes• Collaborate with creative teams• Present brand strategy to clients• Write paid advertising campaign evaluation reports• Proposal writing for RFPsContent Creation• Write short-form content (i.e. emails, website copy)• Write long-form content (i.e. articles, blog posts)• Content strategy + planning• Program and execute email campaigns (MailChimp)• Editor Project Management• Build and maintain project schedules (basecamp)• Track project performance• Reflect and iterate on project performancePublic Relations• Manage media relations• Write press releases• Compile press lists• Pitch media Social Media Management• Manage social media editorial calendar• Write social media posts (Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, Google My Business)• Program social media (Sprout, Traject Social)Account Management• Manage day-to-day client relations

Identify new economic development opportunities in agricultural and food industry sectors. Coach new and beginning farmers as well as established agricultural enterprises on industry opportunities. Design programming that helps build resilience, manage change, and take advantage of opportunities in agriculture.• Launched AlFrescoFLX farm-to-table project in collaboration with Canandaigua Chamber of Commerce• Identified craft beverage (mead) poised for growth and produced a statewide conference to support it• Design programs focused on marketing skills for emerging agricultural sectors (cut flowers and direct-to-consumer farms)• Lead public communication efforts including public service announcement (PSA) campaigns

I managed public relations, marketing, social media, and millennial outreach at the county's Arts Service Organization. Specific responsibilities include:1. Public Relations management including strategy and writing press releases2. Event planning and management3. Consult on marketing for the Letchworth Arts & Crafts Show (#17 Classic and Contemporary Crafts Show in the nation according to Sunshine Artists, 2018)4. Webmaster for organization's website5. Graphic design6. Strategic planning for marketing and organizational development7. Coordinate Make Music Day Wyoming County as a chapter of this international event

I've worked with nonprofits and small businesses to create research-driven marketing plans, manage social media, design websites, create research briefs and develop marketing or communication solutions. • Manage, execute and develop market research and planning project from start to finish for a county-wide arts marketing plan• Manage the launch of craft beverage brand including a marketing plan, project management for logo design and public relations• Collaborate on event planning projects including social media, fundraising, research, media relations, event photography and press releases• Experience with copywriting, strategic planning and conceptingI've also managed and executed a variety of research-related projects:• Survey design, data collection, online survey programming and data analysis• Focus group project management • Focus group moderation• Quantitative and qualitative data analysis• Literature reviews and research briefsI have regional research experience in Western New York (including the Genesee Valley/Wyoming County), Central New York, Southern California and DC Metro Area.Clients: Wyoming County Rural Arts Initiative, Wyoming County Chamber of Commerce and Tourism, New York State Puppet Festival, University of Iowa - Rural Policy Research Institute/Art of the Rural, SmartRx/EasyCoPay, Wyoming County's Buffalo Chicken Wing Festival, Silver Lake Brewing Project, Shake on the Lake and Velvetron

Brockport, Ny, Us

Washington, Dc, Us

Faculty member of the Public Communication division in the School of Communication. I taught both undergraduate and graduate students. In addition to my teaching responsibilities, I also:* Planned, designed, and launched "Strategic Communication in Advertising" and advertising curriculum* Attended office hours at 1776, an incubator space in Washington DC, advising start-ups on their communication planning (highlighted in PBS mediashift article)* Participated on graduate admissions and diversity committee* Wrote Communication Research textbook based on my research methods classes* Awarded two internal grants (pedagogical and technical)* Participated in AEJMC Ad Division's Fresh Ideas Committee* Integrated real-world clients in classroom curriculum * Worked on communication plan for the opening of the School of Communication's McKinley Building* Mentored students on their academic and professional careersBook Chapters:Urbanormativity in News Coverage of Rural Life (Chapter in Edited Volume: Fulkerson, G., ed., Reimagining Rural, est. 2017 publication)Presentations:Strategic Marketing in Social Cause Arts and Cultures Organizations (Invited Presenter) Smithsonian Institution’s Internal Marketing Conference, Washington, DC, 2015.Where do we go from here? Resilience in Place Identity after Community Trauma (Projects in Process). Aspen Engaged Scholarship Conference, Aspen, Colorado, 2015.Toward Education Justice: Current Research on Alternative Paths to High School Equivalencies (Symposium Chair). American Educational Research Association, Chicago, Illinois, 2015.Changing the GED: Situation Analysis of High School Equivalencies in State- Level Policies (Paper Session). American Educational Research Association, Chicago, Illinois, 2015.Measuring the Impact of Social Cause Advertising (Panel Organizer/Moderator). Media that Matters Conference, Center for Media and Social Impact, Washington, D.C., 2015.

* Managed fielding of quantitative studies * Designed and implemented sampling plans* Contributed research methods to public opinion polls* Responsible for data management including working with large datasets* Analyzed data including regressions, sample weighting, factor analysis and other quantitative methods* Contributed to new business proposals* Managed vendor relationships * Developed project budgets* Moderated focus groups* Wrote reports for public and non-research audiences* Edited reports and questionnaires

Syracuse, New York, Us

Taught "The Big Idea in Advertising" and Qualitative Research Methods at the Newhouse School of Public Communications

Syracuse, Ny, Us

Clients: GE Energy, National Fuel, KeyBank, Lactalis, HealthNow, Pass & Seymour, Albright-Knox Art Gallery, NYSERDA, Cayuga Medical Center, Miranda Technologies, Bausch & Lomb, Polaris Library System and others• Designed, managed and executed brand research projects • Managed quantitative research projects including survey design, programming, analysis, report writing and presentation• Project management for qualitative research projects including focus groups and in-depth interviews• Moderated focus groups and conducted in-depth interviews • Supported Public Affairs projects including intelligence research and segmentation• Provided support for new business proposals including participating on pitch teams• Managed insight department interns and developed curriculum and projects• Member of Diversity Council and Mentoring Committee

Los Angeles, Ca, Us

Clients: Toyota Parts & Service, Flex Your Power, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, St. John’s Health Center, First 5 California, Save Our Water, Metropolitan Water District, Whole Foods Market, UCLA Anderson, UCLA Extension, Loyola Marymount University, The Gas Company, Los Angeles County Public Health--Office of AIDS Policy & Programs & STD Division, AIDS Healthcare Foundation, DCH Auto Group, LA City Emergency Management Department, Business Wire and others* Wrote creative briefs * Managed strategic marketing projects from beginning (focus groups, formative research) to end (data analysis, strategy formation and report writing)* Moderated and managed online focus group project * Experience in managing projects and planning in multiple languages* Managed qualitative research projects including focus groups throughout the state of California and targeted audiences in Los Angeles county* Contributed to brand and message planning projects by interpreting and using Repair Order Sales Data Analysis * Reported Competitive Analysis for automotive and health care clients* Planned digital and social media strategy for automotive and higher education clients* Experienced in quantitative research design and methods including cross-tab analysis, factor analysis, cluster analysis and multidimensional scaling* Chair of Agency Philanthropy CommitteeSenior Research & Planning Manager (2010)Research Analyst (2008-2010)Market Research Intern (2007-2008)

Los Angeles, Ca, Us

Research Positions included:* Reported and maintained contacts/research database* Conducted an internet/phone survey* Administrated a resource rating system* Assisted on a book editing process* Assisted Communications Director of an Educational Research Institute * Managed undergraduate research assistants in compiling dataset of wagesTeaching appointments included:* Social Research Methods (Sociology)* Comparative Immigration (Sociology)* Freshman Cluster Program (Designed and taught "Working Class Culture in the 1960s" seminar)

Pasadena, Ca, Us

• Managed executive office including maintaining CEO and presidents’ schedule, organizing travel, event planning, reporting for senior-level meetings and general office maintenance• Administrative Assistant to strategic planning project

Nairobi, Ke

UN-HABITAT is a specialized agency within the United Nations which focuses on human settlements throughout the world. It is headquartered in Nairobi, Kenya. I interned in the New York office at UN Headquarters.* Attended high-level diplomatic meetings * Documented meetings for Nairobi Office* Cataloged publications library

Ithaca, Ny, Us

The objective of this research project was to study New York State farm workers' use and access to hand washing facilities while on the job.* Conducted surveys in Spanish/English* Participated in day-to-day project management for survey team* Compiled qualitative field notes* Traveled New York State

Ph.D., Social Research Methodology

M.A., Social Research Methodology

B.S., Dual Major: Applied Economics And Management/Rural Sociology

Bachelor'S Degree, Accounting

Digital Arts & Accounting