Experience

The Lamplighter School

• United States
• Primary and Secondary Education
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Interim Associate Director of Admission & Placement

  • Jun 2022 - Present

• Admission Coordinator

  • Oct 2021 - May 2022

• Assistant to the Catherine M. Rose Head of School & Liaison to the Board of Trustees

  • Nov 2017 - Oct 2021

  • Executive support to the Head of School and Board of Trustees• Oversight of communication to internal and external high-stakes constituents, clients & donors • Impeccable administrative, organizational & communication skills with diligent attention to detail (calendar management, meetings and materials management, recording official Board minutes & record-keeping for 13 committees)• High ethical standards, ability to work independently and under pressure to handle a wide variety of activities and confidential/sensitive matters with discretion• Meeting preparation (in-person & video/audio conferencing), digital presentation design, annual handbook & year-end report preparation for both public and private audiences• Travel planning, professional development & event planning for head of school & trustees; social events & team-building for school-wide faculty/staff• Special projects include: 2020 website refresh, 2020 Mattingly Committee Chair, 2019-21 Admissions parent interview support



Storybook Blankie, LLC

• Owner, Entrepreneur & Chief Marketing Officer

  • Jul 2016 - Present

  • Small business innovator, owner and entrepreneur; day-to-day operational & financial management • Reinvented formerly successful personalized baby blanket company and business model as own start-up specializing in luxury embroidered keepsake baby gifts (GoTellitOnTheBlankie.com) • Brand & asset management, digital marketing (social, SEM, email), writing (website copy, SEO/Google PPC), graphic, PR, sales/marketing, community events, graphic design, website architecture/coding • Small business innovator, owner and entrepreneur; day-to-day operational & financial management • Reinvented formerly successful personalized baby blanket company and business model as own start-up specializing in luxury embroidered keepsake baby gifts (GoTellitOnTheBlankie.com) • Brand & asset management, digital marketing (social, SEM, email), writing (website copy, SEO/Google PPC), graphic, PR, sales/marketing, community events, graphic design, website architecture/coding



Interstate Batteries

• United States
• Manufacturing
• 700 & Above Employee

• Senior Manager, E-Commerce/E-Business

  • Jan 2013 - Jul 2016

  • Team Manger for 9 consumer-facing and 5 internal web sites, each serving a unique audience/location in a variety of formats/platform (HTML, SharePoint, WordPress) • Partnered with cross-functional teams, customer segments and business units to identify & plan enterprise messaging across a variety of channels with timely delivery and measured engagement • Provided strategic enterprise communication planning, analytical leadership for B2B & B2C• Collaborated in development, lead integration and deployment of corporate-wide digital marketing strategy• Developed, tracked and presented routine and ad-hoc business performance updates w/site analytics • Participated in budget forecasting, revenue generation planning and monthly P&L review/approval • Pursued continuous improvement opportunities with existing and emerging digital platforms• Maintained value proposition & brand claims for products/services in keeping with company values• Monitored competitive landscape for changes in industry trends; recommended strategies for greatest gains in KPIs (acquisition, engagement, conversion) • Regularly refined on-site merchandising (including visuals and voice) to increase sales in high-margin categories• Lead and inspired digital design team to consistently deliver excellent results, on-time & on-budget• Managed remote eCommerce customer service team, utilized CRM tools (order manger, database, live chat, email, phone, vmail) & established cross-functional collaborative relationship with Dallas-based SLI team; championed change for online and offline improved customer experience • Identified & implemented online cart changes resulting in measurable decrease in abandonment, 30% YOY increase of high-traffic, poorly converting products, and $15+ mean increase in AOV• Managed/coordinated annual $4M multi-channel, advertising campaign (desktop + mobile) 2 years in a row, including initial project schedule, agency collaboration (Firehouse), design team & deliverables

• Business Partner/Account Manager - Marketing & Communications Dept

  • Aug 2010 - Dec 2012

  • Designed marcom workflow & approval process efficiencies for emerging internal agency • Implemented local marketing tool: field-driven “On-Demand” portal (digital/print/TV/radio assets) for international network of distributors & franchisees (BrandMuscle.com) • Inspired collaboration, aligned marketing and communication strategies and managed project deliverables for 7 business segments: retail, executive/c-suite, recycling, international, supply chain, events and IT• Crafted comprehensive project plans for trimester retail POS kits; delivered on-point, on-brand messaging for variety of media (video, digital, print, email, social) • Analyzed/presented post-campaign analytics and success, offering strategic solutions to redirect future efforts to maximize messaging and ROI • Validated newly created position as necessary and viable to the strategic growth of department and day-to-day operational plans of moving toward in-house agency model

• Supervisor, Web Design

  • Aug 2008 - Jul 2010

  Introduction shared by now CEO Scott Miller (then VP of Advertising & PR) company-wide upon return to Interstate Batteries:"Sydney returned to Interstate Batteries to supervise the creative direction, design and corporate branding across all web and electronic communication. Currently, she is playing an instrumental role in the re-design of corporate content at www.interstatebatteries.com and internally, with an Intranet upgrade from Sharepoint 3.0 to 7.0.From her 3 1/2 years away from Interstate, Sydney brings her expertise in small-business startup, managing business operations, financial skills through budgeting and fundraising at The Kessler School. Her legacy at The Kessler School was far-reaching during the span of 8 years, having served on the founding board of directors, PTO president and as an employee in establishing market and fiscal stability. She currently remains involved at The Kessler School as a parent of a 3rd grade student."Other duties included:• conducted conversion of static HTML intranet to 1st enterprise-wide, audience-targeted, data-driven, digital portal and CMS (SharePoint 2003)• developed architecture/lead content conversion during 13-week revamp of interstatebatteries.com• lead, managed and expanded team of digital designers, driving growth and development for future technology & market understanding• created executive-level speaker support (Keynote/PowerPoint) for 8 biennial conventions(2,500+ international attendees)



Fill In The Blankie.com

• Vice President

  • Sep 2007 - May 2008

  FillInTheBlankie.com was the .com start up, and very successful small-business company of talented entrepreneur. This site was the premiere location for newborn baby gifts, or for baptismal/christening occasions. High quality, one-of-a-kind, ultra-personalized (in short-story format) baby blankets embroidered with up to 200 characters (50 per side). Duties included: • established annual/seasonal digital marketing/merchandising strategy, including pricing & promotions • initiated and fostered inventory management protocol, error/defect analysis and replenishment/ordering process to eliminate backorders and high-margin missed sales • re-engineered, documented & re-implemented lapsed customer service protocol/process to improve consumer satisfaction, reviews/ratings and loyalty • managed initial B2B large-retailer account (Neiman Marcus – digital, brick & mortar)



The Kessler School

• United States
• Primary and Secondary Education
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Assistant Director

  • Jan 2006 - Aug 2007

  • created assets and promoted school through online and offline marketing, advertising & PR channels• managed all operational functions (county, state, educational compliance/accreditation); maintained confidential student (academic, health, financial and discipline) records• managed cash flow, budgeting/financials, payroll/billing; prepared/presented monthly financials within 501c3 compliance for executive board• conducted annual admissions and enrollment, incl. scholarship application and award process• designed, constructed and implemented 1st digital report card delivery system

• Office Manager

  • Jan 2005 - Jun 2006

  • designed, developed and implemented online/centralized report card entry system for staff and 100+ students • responsible for cash flow, financials, before and after School Care billing/collections, clerical, and parent/teacher communication• maintained all business (compliance/accreditation), confidential, and student (academic, health, financial and discipline records)

• Senior Art Director / Webmaster

  • Jun 1990 - Dec 2004

  Established an 14-year, multi-role, accomplishments-driven career, highlighted by rapid acceleration to increasingly responsible positions within the MarCom Department including: Production Assistant, Video Producer, Communications Specialist, Multimedia Developer Significant Accomplishments include: • hand-coded first online catalog, corporate roster and developed initial corporate intranet & website (1997) • pioneered company conversion from slides to digital presentations using PowerPoint (1991) • set design (actual and virtual), casting, budgeting, scriptwriting, directing, editing (linear and non-linear)