About

My experience combines business and economic development, branding, integrated multi-channel marketing and communications and government relations.

Seattle, Washington

In 2019, I moved to Seattle and started my company, Leiding, LLC dba Affect Media.

One of my largest clients, Greater Seattle Partners (GSP), became a full-time commitment, and I served as managing director of marketing and communications, and then as the vice president of marketing and communications. Most recently, my focus was on attracting new investment, promoting international trade, and growing existing industry clusters in the Greater Seattle region as vice president of economic development. I was partner on all active economic development projects, RFPs, and RFIs with 15 global wins.

Over the course of 5 years, I played a lead role in the following:

Spearheaded the development and launch of Uncommon Thinkers Welcome, Greater Seattle’s first-ever award-winning regional brand positioning and marketing campaign.
Implemented “uncommon thinking” across thought leadership platforms in partnership with GeekWire, Puget Sound Business Journal, and Seattle Magazine.
Launched the Greater Seattle Export Accelerator, which provides small to medium-sized companies with export advising.
Partnered with the U.S. Department of Commerce to create the region’s first SelectUSA Seattle Spinoff.
Represented GSP in key industries and geographic markets such as France, India, Spain, United Arab Emirates, and the United Kingdom.
Developed Forward Together, which is an economic recovery framework established during the Covid pandemic with the support of a 200-person led taskforce of public and private leaders.

Being in it to win it has garnered numerous marketing and advertising awards including a WEBBY for one of the marketing industry’s first podcast series; Gold Telly Awards for video production; PRSA Awards for international and national communication strategies; and IEDC Gold Awards for economic development campaigns.

Reno-Tahoe

In the early days of database segmentation and digital marketing, I developed email and search marketing campaigns for Mandalay Resort Group. My results-driven work caught the attention of interactive marketing agency, Twelve Horses, where I directed their corporate marketing, advertising and public relations efforts, as well as provided strategic consulting for travel/tourism clients such as Park City, Heavenly Mountain Resort and the Reno-Tahoe CVB.

Tampa, Florida

Expanding beyond the Americas, I moved on to direct the global marketing and communication initiatives for SAXOTECH (NewsCycle Solutions), a leading provider of digital publishing and advertising solutions in use by more than 700 media organizations across the globe. This experience honed my ability to support a SaaS-based sales team with lead generation and brand differentiation.

Atlanta, Georgia

As the global director of account management for the Georgia Department of Economic Development, I created and executed global marketing and communications strategies that exceeded benchmarks and consistently delivered strong ROIs. I built brands, launched dozens of web applications, led a team of account managers, and managed external agency relationships with combined budgets exceeding $5M.

I successfully collaborated with multiple government and community entities including the Office of the Governor, Office of the Mayor, chambers of commerce, boards and associations, as well as enterprise-level companies such as AT&T, CNN, Coca-Cola, Delta, Gulfstream, Kia, Porsche and many others.

In addition, I have worked in sales, marketing, advertising and public relations for a variety of companies including Switchback PR & Marketing, Stoel Rives LLP, Preferred Capital Corporation, and Patagonia.

I have an MBA with a specialization in marketing from the University of Nevada, and a Bachelor of Arts from Clemson University. Growing up in the port city of Charleston, South Carolina, and attending boarding school in the Appalachian mountains of North Carolina, provided solid ground for a balanced blend of urban business and a love of the outdoors.

When I am not working, I am often crawling, hiking, climbing, peddling, or paddling somewhere on the planet, often with a camera in tow.

Where are we going next?