CHIEF INFORMATION OFFICER, UMI

UMI (Urban Ministries, Inc.) is the largest independent African American Christian media firm. It was started in 1970 to create content and transformative media resources that especially empower African Americans, Africans, and other people of color.

• Manage content, user experience, and website development for multiple WordPress-based sites (UrbanMinistries.com, UrbanFaith.com, UMIDigital.com) and UMI’s e-commerce site on Shopify (Store.UrbanMinistries.com).
• Provide analytics reports and trends based on Google Analytics.
• Collaborate with CEO, Publisher, and VP of Sales on digital strategy, customer trends, and goals.
• Managed digital projects with several software tools over the years, such as Smartsheet, Asana, Buffer, and Airtable.
• Oversee email marketing sends and reporting via SendGrid.

ADJUNCT INSTRUCTOR, DOMINICAN UNIVERSITY

• Teach the “Writing at Work” course for undergraduate students with at least sophomore standing.
• Students learn to write effective workplace correspondence (including job-search correspondence), proposals, and reports. Also, they learn how to prepare and deliver workplace presentations.

DIGITAL CONTENT STRATEGIST (INDEPENDENT CONTRACTOR)

• • Project manager and digital analytics consultant for SB eMedia Co. Manage print and WordPress-based website projects for local municipalities, including Chicago Heights and Leyden Township. Create Google Looker dashboards for clients based on connections to Google Analytics and social media accounts.
• Product manager and liaison with interactive agencies for the production of two websites and a digital assessment guide for education practitioners: SchoolGuide.casel.org, DRC.casel.org, and MeasuringSel.casel.org for the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL)
• Editor, UrbanFaith.com and Urban Faith magazine, which are owned by Urban Ministries, an independently owned and operated publishing and media firm that services more than 10,000 churches nationwide and abroad.
• Strategic marketing and development consultant for The Chicago Reporter, an investigative news website, writing copy and tracking click-through rates for the organization’s AdWords account and working with the email migration team on list segmentation and retargeting. Tripled AdWords clicks and click-through rate in two months.
• Communications Director for the Oak Park Education Foundation (part-time). Executive producer for the celebrated “Hands On, Minds On” marketing video that significantly boosted fundraising efforts. Oversaw content strategy for the WordPress-based OPEF.org, writing articles and updating main pages, as well as social media sites.

VP OF BRAND MANAGEMENT, AUNT MARTHA’S HEALTH & WELLNESS

Aunt Martha’s Health and Wellness boldly commits to supporting the well-being of our communities, ensuring equity in access, and delivering exceptional care inspired by a culture of innovation

• Collaborated with the health team to create an online COVID-19 Resource Center with a symptom checker, patient safety information, and telehealth and other services, as well as redesigned the organization’s homepage to be more useful to patients who may need urgent care.
• Use all forms of mass media to strategically help influence public policy and to help educate the public about various health, wellness, and social issues relating to Aunt Martha’s service lines.

EXECUTIVE EDITOR, CHICAGO DEFENDER

• Web and Print Development: Managed the editorial team and production process for the weekly newspaper and website, ChicagoDefender.com. Redesigned front-end to align digital branding with newspaper. Also, re-categorized and re-tagged several years of articles in back-end to make it easier for freelance editors and writers to update the site. Supervised senior writer, senior editor, social media manager, and several contract writers.
• Email Marketing: Selected articles for daily email distribution. Analyzed click rates and open rates, making adjustments to increase traffic to website.
• Social Media: Analyzed user engagement on promoted articles, often responding with columns based on trending conversations.

URBAN MINISTRIES, INC., CHIEF CONTENT OFFICER

E-Commerce & Digital Operations:

• Managed the integration of four major marketing and accounting software tools (ExactTarget, Azox Integrated E-Commerce, and Microsoft Dynamics GP ERP and CRM), for more efficient collection and sharing of customer data and increased market intelligence.
• Implemented digital asset-management system (Elvis), an archiving solution for more than 45 years of articles, images, and video.

Digital Advertising and Marketing:

• Vacation Bible School Product manager – Yearlong development process from inception to shipment of products involving more than 100 ancillary pieces. Coordinated curriculum development for all age groups, professional photo shoot, print and digital catalog, display ads, trade ads, paid search, paid social media ads, microsite, promo video, e-mail campaign, and consumer and retail package designs.
• Developed microsites for marketing campaigns with high-profile partners such as the McDonald’s Inspiration Celebration Gospel Tour (featuring CeCe Winans and Hezekiah Walker) and The Bible miniseries with Mark Burnett and Roma Downey.
• Digital manager for eBook development, UMI’s app, and 10 websites.
• Promoted from Chief Technology Officer

WEB EDITS & MORE, A DIGITAL CONSULTANCY; DIGITAL STRATEGIST/SOLE PROPRIETOR

• Managed national publishing company’s launch of three enterprise e-commerce websites. Oversaw maintenance of corporate website. Offered full-time executive position in March 2011.

• Collaborated with IT Manager to redesign the website of a local government (South Orange, NJ). Wrote articles on local celebrities for the site.
• Designed and developed websites for small businesses, including an art studio, a special needs consultant group, and a preschool.

MEREDITH CORP., SENIOR PRODUCER (CHILD.COM)

• Content Management: Managed day-to-day website operations, including increasing social engagement on Child.com forums and writing news blurbs and articles. Wrote and emailed newsletters.

EDITORIAL AND COMMUNITY PRODUCER, HEARST MAGAZINE GROUP, IVILLAGE

• Content Management: Lead editor for GoodHousekeeping.com. Created several online-only interactive packages, including a health guide, a home improvement guide, and community challenges.
• Engagement: Encouraged community discussion on several Hearst women’s magazines’ forums, including Good Housekeeping, Marie Claire, Country Living, House Beautiful, Cosmopolitan, Redbook, and Town and Country.

• Project Management Professional

• Specialization in Social Media Marketing Certificate

• Certificate of Theology and Ministry

• Master of Science, Reporting and Writing

• Bachelor of Journalism, Advertising