Short version
Journalist, communications director, graphic designer, web developer, entrepreneur, marketing specialist, account executive, marketing leader.
Longer (& more interesting) version
1993-1996 : Sioux Falls, South Dakota
Back in the days of boxy Apple computers, glue sticks, and layout pages, I was an editor-in-chief of my high school newspaper for more than two years. (With a name like The Pep-A-Graph, how could I not?) Not wanting to limit myself to print, I did a job observation at KSFY Television and was quickly brought on as a writer and reporter. Within a few months, I became a special projects reporter as well as solo producer for a Saturday morning news broadcast, a role I held until leaving for college.
1996-2000 : Vermillion, South Dakota
When the founder of USA Today offers to pay for your education in exchange for four years of college journalism work, you take the deal. As an Allen H. Neuharth Excellence in Journalism scholar, I worked the equivalent of a full-time job at the University of South Dakota Volante while also a full-time student. During my tenure as editor-in-chief, I oversaw a newsroom staffed by more than 70 of my peers. Best of all, I learned from and interacted with journalists and designers from across the nation. (Ask me the story about Cokie Roberts and her t-bone steak.)
With a burgeoning interest in the visual side of communications, I spent one summer interning at Paulsen Marketing and another writing and designing a special full-feature newspaper section for the Hays Daily News.
2000-2002 : China
After more than six intense years of journalism work, college graduation offered the freedom to pursue different loves: adventure and travel. I lived at a university in China, studied the language, and worked with local students, also making sure to explore the region during holidays and breaks. Living overseas was full of lessons in problem-solving and flexibility, taught me a lot about myself, and gave me a lifelong appreciation for cultural differences and global affairs.
2002-2012 : Sioux City, Iowa
Life took an unexpected turn when I arrived in Sioux City shortly after returning to the States. A brief stay with family morphed into residency as I began reconnecting with a college friend who also lived there. (Spoiler alert: we eventually got married.)
I worked at a local church, quickly becoming the office manager and eventually the first communications director. My time there aligned with a period of rapid transformation, as attendance increased more than 500 percent in five years. Among many things, I help lead a name change, rebrand, building capital campaign, and creation of a modern communications department.
When my family had grown to include two small children, I decided to use my experience and skills in more flexible way. I started freelancing as Smart Cookie Creative. (What can I say? Personal branding wasn’t a thing yet, so I came up with something clever.) After enduring endless phone calls for cookie bouquets, I morphed my business into Ellenize, which is a very real word used by former co-workers to describe how I make things better.
2012-2014 : Le Mars, Iowa
A job opportunity for my husband took our family (by then of five) to the Ice Cream Capital of the World. Freelancing was still a practical fit for our schedule and family life, and I used that time to also learn website development. I became self-taught in WordPress through the University of Google and many hours of practice. I also ventured into podcast imagery, as well as book covers and layout for self-published titles.
2014-2023 : Sioux Falls, South Dakota
Moving five weeks after having your fourth child: practically insane. That’s what we were willing to do to come to Sioux Falls though. Our family knew and loved the area from years of connection to it, and we were ready to put down roots here. Just as we were beginning to get settled, our life was upended by a major medical emergency for our baby. (Another spoiler: he’s a healthy ten-year-old now.) Caring for him during his recovery meant putting freelance work aside for a while.
A break from ongoing project management and design led to an new idea and a new direction: a creative, entrepreneurial endeavor focused on helping families read together. Literaseeds launched in late 2017 as a lifestyle and children’s book subscription service. I recruited a dynamic volunteer team of marketing professionals, and we repackaged and rebranded our service into an unique short-term format praised by recipients and national experts alike.
There’s nothing like a global pandemic to upend entrepreneurial dreams though. With Literaseeds on hold (say it with me: supply chain disruption), my efforts shifted toward working remotely for a handcrafted Belgian chocolate company in central Minnesota. My left brain loved digging deep into a full restructure of the Shopify site and managing a robust email subscriber list, while my right brain enjoyed designing box covers, art directing photo sessions, and writing sales-generating email campaigns. (Another perk? I spent my days looking at amazing chocolate and got plenty of free samples too.)
When a local marketing agency approached me, I found the perfect opportunity to be part of a larger team and work more closely within the Sioux Falls community. As an account executive, I got to serve great clients, do great work, and spend my workdays in the heart of downtown Sioux Falls.
2023-2024 : Sioux Falls + Zoom
Thanks to modern technology and the evolving workplace, my story is now full circle. While not a journalist anymore, I work alongside a team of good ones as the marketing director at Christianity Today. Of course, the industry has changed in the past few decades, so the marketing team gets to think beyond print: podcasts, email newsletters, social media, video, live events, and the list goes on. Unfortunately, the media industry is also a rapidly shifting — and oftentimes, shrinking — landscape, and my time at CT concluded with a budget-driven layoff.
Where does my story go from here? One can only guess, but I’m betting it’ll involve plenty of focus, hard work, laughter, and coffee. (There’s no reason to give up what’s gotten me this far!)
If you or someone you know are interested in connecting, feel free to contact me.