The Director of Retail Operations sets and guides the strategy for educational and interpretive product development and sales in collaboration with public land agency partners at more than 30 retail sites across the state of Alaska. I recruit, lead and motivate 40 managers and staff members working in the field and in the central office in Anchorage.

Founded in 1959, Alaska Geographic, headquartered in Anchorage Alaska, connects people to Alaska’s magnificent parks, forests, and refuges. We achieve our mission through educational bookstores, publishing, encouraging volunteerism, and by engaging youth in hands-on learning programs in Alaska’s wildest classrooms. We are supported in our efforts by our partner agencies, members, donors, and customers. My responsibilities include:• Maintain strong relationships with the National Park Service, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Services, National Forest Service, the Bureau of Land Management staff, Alaska Geographic colleagues, and vendors.• Recruit, train and develop retail store associates and managers who engage visitors and help connect them to Alaska. • Develop and implement training and process improvements in regards to all aspects of retail sales.• Order and manage high quality educational inventory for 25+ locations across the state, keeping them at sustainable levels to ensure profitability. Use and manage Point of Sales system. • Manage pricing and merchandising, ensuring that display areas are designed to promote sales. • Set sales projections and drive sales. • Manage store budgets.

• Organize and oversee store operations, staff, scheduling, placing in-house bulk orders as well asorders from outside vendors.• Keeping records of cash and daily reports, using QuickBooks to manage payroll.• Implement more effective ways of running store operations and staff management.• Promoted from retail staff to management within seven months of hire.

Acting as a liaison to the press and public.Supplying creative promotional publishing and postings through various media forms including social media and short video advertisement.

Provided arts articles for publication, including film, play, and gallery reviews.

Wrote as a freelance correspondent providing profiles on local business owners.

Worked as a member of the research team verifying text and photo accuracy, keeping carefulrecords and notes on simultaneous assignments.Learned how a major magazine is produced over the course of several months. Worked with writers, editors, photographers, and experts to make needed corrections to text.

Processed thousands of images coding and key wording for inclusion online. Assisted customers with creating folders of photographs for their use in ads and periodicals.

Researched and reported on the Center’s historical foundations. Wrote promotional and publication materials in order to attract volunteers and new members.Designed pages and wrote articles for the Center’s quarterly print and monthly online publications.