My experience to this point has been widely varied. My initial college experience was as a music major at Northeastern State University in Oklahoma. After a year and a half, I transferred to a tiny private college in Lakeland Florida called Southeastern College (now, Southeastern University). I received my Bachelors and promptly entered professional youth ministry for close to three years, working at churches in both Oklahoma and North Carolina. I returned to Oklahoma from Charlotte and went back to college, this time to be an educator. Three years later, I emerged and began teaching English and Yearbook at my high school alma mater in a very large, progressive district in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Five years into teaching, I began pursuing my Masters at Oklahoma State University. I made the decision to return to a previous interest that had been quietly hibernating during my years as a high school English teacher: marketing. Three years later, I completed my MBA with a concentration in Marketing.

After a couple of marketing internships, it became time for me to “transfer” into the corporate world (hence, the title of this blog). After eight years of teaching, in July of 2008, I made the decision to accept a position at PennWell Publishing in Tulsa, Oklahoma as the Online Editor for one of their trade publications (Power Engineering magazine). While it’s not in the marketing department per se, my position includes many marketing responsibilities. I produce a weekly e-newsletter (a companion piece for the magazine), I maintain the home page of the magazine’s website, I create podcasts and webcasts, and I participate in company trade shows. These are my primary, title-oriented duties. I also trendwatch, compile usage reports, write copy, take part in search engine optimization, read and review press releases, and create banner ads, among other things. I use a content management system daily and I regularly use PhotoShop, Clickability, and the Office suite. I also occasionally use Adobe Acrobat, InDesign, and InCopy. I use a Mac at work and a PC at home and am proficient in both platforms.

While my current duties definitely scratch my marketing itch much more than my previous profession, my ultimate goal is to be placed soundly and solidly in a marketing department or agency and to become a resource in the marketing community in general.

My specific marketing focus (as you may have noticed in my blog posts) has been that of services marketing as it pertains to a company’s brand. However, my previous experiences position me to contribute with some expertise in church marketing and in marketing to teens. Social media (if that term is not already outdated) is also a particular interest of mine.

Here’s my traditional resume if you’d like to look it over. I can also provide professional writing samples upon request. If you’re looking for a strategy-oriented, moldable, ambitious marketer, let’s talk.