Susan Brake Email & Phone Number

In this role, I continue to bring innovation to the place marketing industry by developing the strategy for new digital products and partnerships that drive visitor arrivals, business investment and workforce attraction. Through this role, I help drive DCI's purpose of elevating the lives of people living, traveling and working in the places we serve by engaging our passions for travel, exploring new cultures, and doing good. In addition, I serve as an integral team player at DCI who leads the strategy for the agency’s owned media division from website design & development, data visualization, project management, content marketing and social media management.

Served as one of the lead strategists in growing the agency’s digital capabilities in the areas of Paid, Owned and User Experience. Given project management skills related to Owned Media has served as the lead client strategist on a variety of award-winning websites.Currently oversees the development of digital marketing staff (both full-time and contractors) in various specialties related to Owned Media and collaborates with counterparts in the Paid and UX space to ensure that client deliverables are met. In addition, manages the content and online strategy for Development Counsellors International from general website updates to major thought leadership initiatives including the economic development industry's only 40 Under 40 awards. She continues to speak on marketing trends for the economic development industry.

As an account director at Development Counsellors International, Susan is in charge of developing and implementing marketing plans for cities and states across the United States. Susan currently oversees a team of two to implement national economic development marketing plans for such clients as Oklahoma Department of Commerce, Metro Denver Economic Development Corporation, Corpus Christi Regional Economic Development Corporation, Greater Louisville Inc., Indiana Michigan Power and Northeast Indiana Regional Partnership. Susan is also the lead digital strategist on all economic development clients and provides tools and counsel DCI teams need to implement digital tactics on behalf of clients. In her digital capacity, Susan currently works on behalf of Invest in Bavaria, Choose New Jersey Inc. and Wake County Economic Development to implement plans as needed. In addition to client service, Susan manages DCI's overall digital marketing efforts including Economic Development's 40 under 40 award and the content marketing strategy for DCI's website. She's often tapped to speak on economic development marketing trends.

As Digital Media Manager of Economic Development, Susan serves the dual role of overseeing DCI’s social media profiles and presence as they relate to the ED industry, while also serving as a sounding board, digital strategist and as needed implementer for all economic development clients. In her role as Digital Media Manager, Susan has successfully launched a landing page and digital campaign for DCI's Winning Strategies Report, developed digital campaign ideas for current clients, managed DCI's social media presence and developed blog posts of interest to the place marketing industry.

In addition to overseeing and managing an assistant account executive, below are a few samples of what Susan has done for clients as Account Supervisor: • Developed and launched a phase II cleantechnology campaign for her Denver client at the American Wind Energy Association. The campaign entailed promotion of Colorado’s cleantech industry via social media including daily Twitter trivia contests and proactive public relations including story placements in Reuters, CNBC.com, MSNBC.com and Cleantechnia.com• To kick start the Oklahoma Department of Commerce’s contract, Susan coordinated and hosted a media tour to Washington D.C. and New York City with ODOC Commerce Secretary and the Mayors of Oklahoma City and Tulsa to discuss with media why Oklahoma’s economy would come out of the recession stronger than most cities in the U.S. This effort resulted in articles about Oklahoma’s economy appearing in USA Today, Newsweek, The Atlantic and Wall Street Journal online. • Susan has worked to get DCI clients placed consistently on national broadcast outlets including FOX, Bloomberg, CNN and CNBC.

Below are a few examples of initiatives Susan led and managed as an SAE at DCI:• To help the Metro Denver Economic Development Corporation make a splash surrounding the launch of its Colorado Cleantech campaign targeting national and international companies in wind, solar, biofuels, smart grid, and natural gas, Susan oversaw a traditional and social media marketing campaign, which included over 66 participants in a first-of-its-kind #CleantechHub Twitter chat and placements in Forbes.com, Bloomberg and Newsweek online. • To promote San Diego’s burgeoning cleantechnology industry, in particular within the realm of algae-to-biofuel development, Susan has hosted over 26 journalists to the region to see the product first hand resulting in full page articles appearing in various national publications including L.A. Times, international publications including The Economic Daily of China and trade publications including Cleantech Investor.• To promote Carrollton, TX’s three light rail stops and help highlight the city as the place “Where Connections Happen,” Susan secured a New York Times article on the city’s downtown revitalization as well as oversaw the city’s social media efforts at the Urban Land Institute’s trade show. These efforts resulted in speaking opportunities on downtown revitalization for the client and 69 new followers and fans on Facebook and Twitter including key targets, such as U.S. Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood.

Duties included planning and executing events, writing press releases and other media materials, pitching media and tracking news coverage and managing an assistant account executive on three accounts. Clients included: Procter & Gamble Commercial Products Group, IHOP Restaurants in Kansas City and Cincinnati and The University Hospital (Cincinnati).