EDUCATION

  • Master of Arts, Creative Writing | Ball State University • 2015

  • Master of Library Science | Indiana University (IUPUI) • 2013

  • Bachelor of Arts, English, Theater | University of Texas-Pan American • 2008

Certificate: UX Design, General Assembly, 2018

40+ credit hours towards M.A. degrees in mental health and school counseling, with 150+ direct service hours in elementary school counseling.

Real Estate License, Indiana.

EXPERIENCE

Freelance Marketing Coordinator, Writer, Content Creator
Self-Employed | 2010 to Present

  • Work with clients to design content, strategize, and provide project management and organizational support to achieve digital marketing, growth, brand reputation, and creative goals on schedule or earlier. Past clients include Survey Monkey, The Home Depot, Wag.com, and Priceline, in addition to a number of tech startups. (I was at the acclaimed 500 Startups!)

  • Provide creative services, especially: copywriting, design, social media and blog content creation, social media and blog management, email (copy, strategy, and management), paid ads, pitch decks, and brand development projects.

  • Oversee production of creative and digital marketing campaigns; develop and review creative briefs; delegate tasks and provide timely feedback.

Communications Manager & Lead Copywriter
GivingAssistant.org | Jan 2019 - Nov 2020

  • Managed all stages of communications strategy and cross-channel marketing (web content, blog, email marketing, social media, video, PR, keyword research and SEO), working closely with CMO and VP of Growth to influence a diverse audience of nonprofits, shoppers, major brands, and investors.

  • Wrote and designed high-visibility copy and content (including marketing emails, social media posts, blog posts, UX copy, and more) producing a range of positive outcomes including a rapidly-growing user base, coveted capital investments, and major brand partnerships. Independently and collaboratively designed and wrote blog posts, landing pages, social posts, emails, presentations, and print materials.

  • Streamlined cross-departmental collaboration and improved productivity by building first marketing communications management system using low-cost solutions like Asana, Zapier, and Google Drive; managed creative assets, resources, and scheduling.

  • Recruited and managed freelance copywriters, designers, and other contractors, including a team of writers that contributed to a 4000% increase in traffic to our website in under 6 months.

  • Project managed daily, weekly, and monthly content deliverables; developed and managed content calendars; scoped creative projects; contributed to overall marketing and product strategy through daily collaboration with teams company-wide; developed and reviewed briefs to ensure teams could complete creative tasks confidently and efficiently.

  • Consulted and collaborated with all departments to develop and execute strategies to meet their unique communications objectives (including internally); collected data and delivered reports to executive leadership.

  • Led daily cross-functional meetings to review deliverables, ensure alignment on tasks, provide timely feedback, establish urgency, identify bottlenecks, and deliver results; set agendas and took notes to keep executive leadership informed and organized; nurtured all marketing and creative projects and campaigns end-to-end.

  • Used and adapted to dozens of CMS, web design, email, scheduling, and project management tools such as WordPress, Mailchimp, InVision, and Hootsuite.

Lead Copywriter, Strategist
GivingAssistant.org | Sept 2016 - Jan 2019

  • Met company-wide copy needs: email, UX/product, internal communications, executive pitch decks, landing pages, and more; collaborated with design teams to support creative and sales funnel strategies.

  • Created company's first official brand voice guidelines; wrote a brand story that made the CEO cry (in a good way).

Instructor: Rhetoric, Composition, Research
Ball State University | August 2013 - May 2015

  • Developed syllabi, lesson plans, and taught two courses in freshman rhetoric, composition, and research per semester to approximately 25 students per course.

  • Worked 1:1 tutoring students in our award-winning writing center.

  • Assisted department chair in managing social media accounts, editing and designing alumni newsletter, and composing articles for department blog.

ADDITIONAL EXPERIENCE

Editor, Graduate Assistant • The Teacher Educator • 2021-2022

Editor • Cause Hack (Content Marketing Agency) • 2021

Writer, Editor • Inbound Back Office (Content Marketing Agency) • 2020-2021

School Counseling Practicum • Longfellow Elementary • 2021-2022

Creative Talent Sourcer • Keva Dine Agency • 2021

Youth Services Librarian • Muncie Public Libraries • 2015

Owner, Photographer • Melissa Glidden Photography • 2011 - 2013

High School Teacher (Texas and Indiana) • 2008 - 2011

AREAS OF EXPERTISE

  • Content, communications, content marketing, and creative strategy

  • Copywriting, brand identity, storytelling, marketing psychology

  • Social media and email marketing

  • Cross-channel marketing, communications, and creative project management

  • Workflow development and time management

  • Education (public K-12 and higher education), mental health and psychology, library management, UX, arts and humanities

OTHER SKILLS & KNOWLEDGE

  • Copywriting, content creation, digital and print marketing creative

  • Web and UX/UI design; HTML and CSS

  • Graphic design and photography (esp. Adobe Photoshop, Lightroom, Canva)

  • Adobe Creative Suite, Microsoft Suite, Google Suite

  • MailChimp, HubSpot, Wordpress, Asana, HootSuite, and other content and project management platforms.

  • Digital growth and visibility; SEO/SEM, Google Analytics, PPC

  • Information architecture

  • Research, journalism, and PR writing

  • Spanish proficient