Owner, Steeped In Media LLC (January 2020-present)
- A solely owned digital services company focused on helping businesses thrive. Digital strategy, email newsletters, social media, writing, editing, web design.
Marketing and Audience Development Director, Metro Parent Media Group, MetroParent.com, BLACdetroit.com (April 2018-September 2019)
- Directed events, marketing, distribution and audience efforts across all platforms: print, digital, email, social media.
- Created and implemented welcome and re-engagement journeys for Metro Parent website and email subscribers.
Instructor, University of Michigan-Dearborn (January 2018-present)
- Taught classes in College of Arts, Sciences and Letters, including “Online Reporting, Research and Writing” and “Feature Writing.”
Director, Digital Strategy and Audience Development, Crain’s Detroit Business, Crain’s Cleveland Business (July 2012-May 2017)
- Developed and managed digital and audience strategy. More than doubled website, social traffic for each site.
- Directed digital operations including content, development, advertising, custom content. Responsible for budget, project management and design.
- Directed responsive redesigns of both websites, web apps, new email newsletter products and data centers. Oversaw transition to new CMS and CRM systems and new advertising platform.
- Instituted metered approaches to content and paid social media campaigns in both cities.
- Supervised editors, contracted with freelancers, recruited bloggers. Managed partnerships and contracts with vendors and clients.
- Acted as liaison with corporate advertising operations, engineering, audience and digital operations. Teamed with other publication digital and audience leaders to create efficiencies, duplicate processes and create new products.
- Oversaw analytics and reporting for websites, audience, advertising and social media, including Adobe Analytics, Salesforce, Chartbeat, MOAT, Social Flow, Qualtrics and Submittable.
Regional Editor, Southeast Michigan, Patch.com (July 2010-May 2012)
· Oversaw 10 Patch hyper-local websites, including management of editors, budgets, customer issues. Duties included data analysis, SEO and social media optimization and regional budgets.
· Recruited and trained 20 local editors; oversaw launches of 15 sites in eight-week period; conducted webinar training for Patch editors throughout country.
Visiting Editor-in-Residence for New Media, Michigan State University (August 2008-January 2011)
- Full-time faculty member in the Department of Journalism
- Creator, coordinator and instructor for Spartan Online Newsroom
- Created high school sportswriting camp as pilot for similar J-school camps.
Project manager and site editor, http://www.ItsMILife.com (October 2008-August 2010)
- Planned and supervised development of social network and website for teens.
Director, New Media, The Detroit News (May 2006-August 2008)
- Oversaw Detroit News website and the department that produced the site, which attracted an average of 30 million page views and 2.5 million unique visitors per month.
- Directed first major redesign of detnews.com in its 12-year history.
- Honored as one of top three business sites (www.AutosInsider.com), and one of top four sports sites (www.detnews.com/sports) by Editor & Publisher’s EPpy Awards in 2007 and 2008, respectively. Cited as best designed website in country with 2008 EPpy Award.
Director of Photography, The Detroit News (September 2002-May 2006)
- Supervised 25 editors and photographers in photo and multimedia editing and usage
Editor & Chief, www.ican.com (September 1999-March 2002)
- Planned, designed and maintained a Web site for and about people with disabilities.
Editing positions in Features, Metro, Business, Sports at The Detroit News (1986-1999)
Copy editor and wire editor (1984-1988), Fort Wayne News-Sentinel (Fort Wayne, Ind.)
EDUCATION
Ohio State University, bachelor of arts in journalism and math sciences, emphasis in business.
University of Michigan, MBA program
