Operations Director

• Jan 2019 - Present

Responsible for creating a positive image of Noble County, organizating, and promoting assets to encourage economic growth and managing economic development projects. In this role, I develop and carry out the organization's marketing plan in alignment with strategic priorities, manage social media accounts, publish electronic newsletters, issue news releases, communicate opportunities, develop content and maintain websites, develop collateral materials, collaborate and communicate with other EDOs, and help manage a wide variety of strategic projects. I also seek out opportunities to connect people to one another and to local resources to foster collaboration, reduce redundancy, and move the region forward by coordinating assets and resources. Show less

Freelancer

• Feb 2021 - Present

Over 30 years of experience in marketing, more than 25 years in nonprofit management, and a background in computer technology, website design and development, graphic design, writing, and publishing, sharing that knowledge and experience has become a passion - especially to help my own community thrive - has become a passion project. In early 2021 I decided to take the plunge and extend my services as a freelancer in a more professional capacity by launching Catchy Creations LLC. I am available late afternoons, evenings, and weekends to help local small businesses and nonprofits expand their digital presence and become more aggressive in efforts to market and promote their missions, products, and services. My services are affordable and and I promise only straight talk, no hype, and to capitalize on no cost and low cost options. Show less

Co-Owner

• Jun 2015 - Dec 2019

My husband, a fine artist, and I, owned and operated Noble Art Gallery, located in an historic downtown Italianate building. My role in the business was that of bookkeeper and marketing coordinator. We closed at the end of 2019 to enjoy more freedom to enjoy our convertible and weekends off. My husband, a fine artist, and I, owned and operated Noble Art Gallery, located in an historic downtown Italianate building. My role in the business was that of bookkeeper and marketing coordinator. We closed at the end of 2019 to enjoy more freedom to enjoy our convertible and weekends off.

Executive Director

• Aug 2008 - Jan 2019

As a volunteer for Black Pine from 1995 until 2006 I developed and maintained a website, designed and published collateral materials, wrote staff work instructions, and developed volunteer and staff training programs. I was a tour guide, set up bookkeeping on Quickbooks, and more as a volunteer. After a successful grant-writing effort, I took on a full-time job as Director of Development and immediately led the organization through a relocation and rebuilding from the ground up, safely moving over 80 exotic animals to a new site, and building all new physical facilities. The project required significant community relations, public relations, and fund raising development over a four-year span.I was then promoted to the role of Executive Director and took on oversight of all aspects of the organization including human resources, direct animal care, veterinary care, volunteer management, the development of a retail store, facilities management, risk management, accounting and more. In that role I also served a lead animal caregiver for eight years and provided daily care to over 55 species of non-domestic animals.Accomplishments during my tenure included the successful completion of the Relocation Project, the launch and development of a CRM database and donor management system grown to over 2,500 donors and growth of assets to over $1.5mm. Under my watch, Black Pine achieved BBB Accreditation, Accreditation by the Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries, and received grants totaling more than $750,000 and built attendance to nearly 20,000 people each summer season.Personally, my work garnered the notice of a regional media business, in 2015, awarded me first place in the region for in-house use of Facebook in digital marketing efforts. Facebook marketing initiatives, none paid, resulted in the organic growth of followers to over 51,000 in a two-year period. Show less

Director of Development

• Feb 2006 - Aug 2008

Director of Customer Support

• Sep 2002 - Sep 2004

In this position I was responsible for the development of marketing materials, running promotions, social media, website updates, and inside and outside sales, customer service, office and technology support. Seasonally, this position focused nearly exclusively on traveling around primarily the U.S. but also internationally as a speaker, educating salon owners and staff at trade shows and conferences, about the importance of protective eyewear and risks of UV exposure to the eyes. (Traveled 25-30% of the time, U.S. and abroad) Show less

Various

• Feb 1991 - Sep 2002

My tenure with the various divisions and companies that originated at Group Dekko International provided me diverse learning opportunities in that included all processes of manufacturing environments. I worked as a customer service representative, key accounts manager, customer service manager, in outside sales, as an administrative manager for the distribution division, and as a project manager. Responsibilities grew over time and included overseeing a number of customer service relationships, entering and processing product orders, receiving, auditing and processing top account electronic orders (EDP) for international key accounts, inventory audits and cycle counts, AS/400 query development, ERP YTK 2000 project implementation, IT user support (over 900 users around the globe), hiring, evaluating staff, marketing initiatives, trade show coordination and attendance, executive assistant duties (serving the VP of Operations), short and long-term travel in the U.S. and abroad. (Traveled 10-15% of the time, U.S. and abroad). During Y2K, I advanced to help desk manager and established a 24/7 support department and team responsible for aiding users in every department in three countries. This role required a solid understanding of all manufacturing and support processes, from order entry through quality control's RMA processing and tracking of raw materials, as well as purchasing, accounting, work-in-process, shipping, and other related functions. Show less