“…Learn as if you were to live forever”

I love Ghandi’s quote. Every year, I set my sights on achieving a new or honing an existing skill. For many years, I bounced the idea of earning the prestigious Professional Certified Marketer (PCM®) designation from the American Marketing Association, but the huge time commitment required kept getting in the way of work. In October 2022, I made it happen. I earned dual certification from the AMA with a PCM® in Digital Marketing and the Certified Digital Marketing Professional designation from the Digital Marketing Institute.

My 2023 goals:

Earning the Certificate in Nonprofit Management (Intensive Track) from Duke University to strengthen my core in the nonprofit sector | completed May

Earning the certificate in Piloting AI For Marketers to learn how to effectively and ethically use artificial intelligence tools in marketing and business | completed July

(Now that I’ve completed both, I’m thinking of one more goal by year-end)

My Marketing Rules

• Be brave & adventurous.

• Be comfortable stretching far enough to make mistakes and learn from them. Have a Plan B.

• Embrace the data and make it meaningful.

• Laugh a little, laugh a lot. If you can’t have fun at work, it’s just work.

• Be ethical… or walk away… no negotiation. Your reputation follows you and walks in front of you.

Life Rules

God is the center of everything. Nothing happens without His permission or His will. As His children, we need to make a difference in this world through acts of kindness, positive encouragement, gentle nudges, and serving one another.

Appreciate the uniqueness and beauty in others. Meet some new people. Learn about other walks of life, and respect their cultures. Suspend your opinion on what’s right… you don’t have to agree with everyone. We are all equal in the eyes of the Almighty.

Home is where my heart is

Creating garden landscapes and DIY renovation projects around my house rejuvenates me. I love finding unique plants that accent the garden, and I built a garden where families can walk through to discover unusual trees and plants, and even take home some culinary herbs.

I am fascinated with people and different cultures. I’ve watched more K-dramas than American TV, and while I’m not fluent in Hangul, I can sing you a love song (사랑해요), order you a seafood pancake (Haemul Pajeon), or accidentally offend you in Korean (the word for “handsome” and “delicious” are one vowel sound away!). The world is a melting pot, and the common thread that breaks the global barrier is sitting down to a family meal. As a home chef, I love to create my own recipes, taking things I love from different cultures and blending them together.

My early adult years were spent in the dog show circuit showing Great Danes and German Shorthaired Pointers. I’ve traveled the hot Florida circuit and the snowy Indiana circuit just for many a 3-cent ribbon. After decades of traveling and showing, I decided I wanted to enjoy other activities around my home and said adieu to that chapter.

My Marketing Credentials

Professional Certified Marketer® (PCM) by the American Marketing Association 

Certified Digital Marketing Professional (CDMP) by the Digital Marketing Institute 

Masters in Business Administration – University of North Carolina at Wilmington

As a senior leader and department manager with 20+ years of hands-on experience in marketing, I have a solid foundation in marketing, branding, business development, and communications. I’ve functioned as an in-house agency designing and creating publications, ads, and a variety of marketing tools using Adobe Creative Suite, Canva, and a host of other tools. For specifics on skills, experience, and education, check out my LinkedIn profile.

Also in my Toolbox:

• Graphic Design, Website Management, Content Creation, Social Media

• Leadership, Business Development, Budgeting

• Events Planning, Development, and Fundraising

• Customer Service, Reputation Management

• Public Relations, Crisis Communication (with formal training as PIO and Incident Command System)

---