Experience

2017 – Present
Communications Strategist + Visual Designer
  • Employer: Self (Freelance + Consulting)
  • Overview: My current work centers around integrated communications activities and visual design (particularly branding) for clients in medicine, research, health advocacy and tech.
  • Description: Integrated communications planning, vector graphic design, data visualization, infographics, visual reports, logo + branding, market analysis + positioning, user interface design, information architecture, visual + verbal content strategy + creation, coding, social media management, email engagement, project management (See What I Do for detailed list of current freelancing + consulting services)
  • Recent clients: Digital Medicine Society, Clinical Trials Transformation Initiative, Evidation, monARC Bionetwork, FDA’s Patient Engagement Collaborative
2014 – 2017
Communications Specialist
  • Employer: Clinical Trials Transformation Initiative
  • Overview: This chapter of my career marked a transition from junior designer to director-level specialist responsible for creating + managing a comprehensive suite of integrated communications activities.
  • Description: Manage a comprehensive, diversified marketing + communications program to promote the organization, including strategy development, visual + written content generation, creative direction, audience engagement; develop, design and coordinate dissemination of print materials + digital assets for peer-reviewed publications, reports, presentations, infographics, social media and website; interface with leadership and project managers to integrate communications activities and generate external-facing comms pieces; oversee continual improvement of web presence, including blog and social media, leveraging analytics; execute web platform upgrades; coordinate promotional activities via stratified email marketing campaigns; oversee branding implementation.
2013 – 2019
Non-Profit Program Manager
  • Employer: Burning Man, LLC
  • Overview: This seasonal contract provided an opportunity to apply my communications skills to cycling advocacy and event production while honing my leadership style.
  • Description: Develop and manage Burning Man’s network of Bicycle Programs, including free community bike program and abandoned bike cleanup effort; manage personnel for team of 20+, including hiring and scheduling; oversee ~$50k budget and purchasing; define and meet program objectives and timelines; create and adhere to programmatic standard operating procedures; strategize and create internal communications and external-facing outreach + advocacy; coordinate with non-profit partners; interface inter-departmentally; uphold leave no trace ethos.
2010 – 2014
Graphic + Web Designer
  • Employer: Self (Freelance + Consulting)
  • Overview: This chapter of my freelancing career focused on creating graphics and websites for small businesses, startups and advocacy organizations.
  • Description: Graphic design, web design, web build (WordPress), flyer + magazine layout design, write + design organizational newsletters, social media engagement + advertising, community building, development of branded print materials
  • Select Clients: InvivoSciences LLC, Issue TV, Take Back the Night Campaign, Diverse Arts Culture Works, Doing the Streets, LighterMate, Accolades PR, Shipley & Associates, Town Creek Mixed-Use Real Estate Development, Peace River Software, Professor Morton Ann Gernsbacher, Clinical Trials Transformation Initiative
2009 – 2010
Digital Media Consultant
  • Employer: Digital Media Center, University of Wisconsin
  • Overview: This job overlapped with completion of graduate school and stirred my desire to help people use digital media to tell their story.
  • Description: Assist faculty, staff and graduate students with media digitization; train faculty and staff on software (e.g., Adobe Suite); responsible for maintaining and updating Digital Media Center website.

Contact me for additional work history.

Strengths

  • Self-motivated
  • People person
  • Exceptionally thorough + detail-oriented
  • Constantly curious + awe-inspired
  • Big picture thinking combined with love of nitty gritty visual design
  • Rare combo of highly creative + analytical

Competencies

  • Software: Adobe Creative Suite (Illustrator, InDesign, Photoshop), Microsoft Office Suite (PowerPoint, Excel, Word), Google Suite, Canva, Final Cut Pro, iMovie, Garage Band
  • Web-Based Platforms: WordPress, Drupal, Plone, Wix, Constant Contact, MailChimp
  • Coding Languages: HTML, CSS, JavaScript, PHP

Fun Facts

  • 200 Hour Anusara Yoga Instructor Certification earned in 2017
  • Co-founder, guitarist and brand ambassador of a psychedelic spaghetti western rock band based in Austin, TX
  • Master’s thesis on Representations of Nanotechnology in American Comic Books as a Pop-Cultural Indicator of Public Perceptions of the Emergent Field

Education

Master’s Degree in Life Sciences Communication

University of Wisconsin | Graduated May 2010

  • GPA: 4.0
  • President of Students for Choice
  • Recipient of the Nellie McCannon Scholarship
  • Recipient of ADDY Award for AIDS Network video PSA
  • Active member of Graduate School Committee
  • Head designer for Women in Red Zine
  • Certified Radio Marketing Professional by the Radio Advertising Bureau
  • Radio host & engineer for WSUM 91.7 FM & WORT 89.9 FM
Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry

University of Florida | Graduated May 2007

  • GPA: 3.9
  • Graduated Cum Laude
  • Honor Student (4 years)
  • Golden Key International Honour Society
  • Recipient of Bright Future’s Scholarship
  • Dean’s List
Continuing Education

Conference | Bioneers 2020 “Beyond the Great Unraveling: Weaving the World Anew” Theme (2020)

Course | Gestalt Psychology and Web Design: The Ultimate Guide by Interaction Design Foundation (2020)

Course | Information Visualization: Getting Dashboards Right by Interaction Design Foundation (2020)

Course | Intro to Data Science: The Art of Visualizations by Thinkful (2019)

Workshop | Introduction to UX Design by We Work (2019)

Workshop | Developing Marketing & Communications Plans by Duke University (2015)

Workshop | New NIH Biosketch Format: Keys to Writing a Compelling Scientific Narrative by the NIH (2014)

“People love working with me because I love working with people. I feel exceptionally lucky to have a particular combination of skills and perspectives that uniquely positions me to help others’ unlock the potential of their stories, and I get particularly excited when those stories have the potential to change the world.” -Me