CHRISTINA DAWSON18583 Cree Court Spring Lake, MI 49456Mobile: (616) 481-2001 Email: cdawsondesign@gmail.com

PROFILEDriven and detail-oriented marketing professional with 18 years of experience working with financial, retail, B2B and non-profit industries. Passion for developing branding and marketing projects, organized project management and maintaining quality relationships. Proven track record of planning and executing successful communications programs.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERTISE• Managing Relationships with Clients • Pitching, Presenting and Selling Concepts• Project Coordination and Management • Developing Branding and Marketing Support• Planning Strategic Communications Programs • Process Improvement

PROFESSIONAL EXPERTISE DEMONSTRATED LAKE MICHIGAN CREDIT UNION 2009 – PresentA Michigan-based credit union with over 900 employees and $4 billion in assets under management (AUM).Marketing Project Coordinator/Senior Designer IIProviding effective product/department specific and image marketing to assist internal departments in achieving their key initiatives.• Developing Branding and Marketing Support: Creating external awareness and interest in the brand,

products and services, through the channels of print, web and digital marketing, advertising and social media, benefiting 36 retail branches and 4 subsidiary service divisions.

• Planning Strategic Communications Programs: Designed and coordinated a membership acquisition direct mail campaign that generated over $13 million in new deposits over a 6 month period.

NORTH STAR DESIGN, INC. 2000 – 2010An independent marketing consulting firm servicing clients in the B2B, medical, retail, food service, financial, manufacturing and transportation industries.Creative ConsultantCoordinated marketing projects from conception to delivery, collaborating with external vendors and service providers as needed.• Managing Relationships with Clients: Cultivated rewarding relationships with over 40 client accounts,

interviewing each of them to understand their business needs and gather project requirements. • Developing Branding and Marketing Support: Surveyed clients to discover their point of differentiation

and provided a seamless brand presence through all projects to support their unique sales position.• Pitching, Presenting and Selling: Met with clients to demonstrate how creative concepts solved their

business problems or needs.

MEIJER, INC. 1998 – 2007A Midwest superstore chain with 213 stores, 72,000 employees and $15 billion in annual revenues.Creative Manager (2004 – 2007) Directed a team of 4 senior-level designers in the creation, production and execution of department identity graphics and corporate communications. • Managing Relationships with Clients: Successfully served as liaison for internal clients, handling inbound

requests from merchandising departments, coordinating with ad agency representatives, internal visual merchandising teams and frequently presenting to executive leadership.

• Process Improvements: Independently originated and pioneered a successful system for coordinating the timely delivery, communication and implementation of all promotional and department graphic packages for new store builds.

Retail Design Team Leader (1999 – 2004) Supervised a team of 7 retail graphic designers responsible for creating promotional point-of-sale and department identity graphic packages. Directed daily creative functions (e.g. editing, producing, outsourcing), tracked project progress and communicated status directly to internal clients.• Project Coordination and Management: Interfaced with merchandising managers and executives to

identify strategic marketing objectives and effectively translate them into clear instruction for the design team. Responsible for monitoring and reporting the progress of ~30-50 open projects on a weekly basis.

• Planning Strategic Communications Programs: Conceptualized and executed a new technology and media department identity that resulted in an 11% category sales increase within the first year.

Retail Graphic Designer (1998 – 1999) Responsible for designing promotional point-of-sale signage from concept through execution.

PREVIOUS ROLES• Creative Director – ROSS & ASSOCIATES, INC. (1997 – 1998)• Public Relations and Marketing Specialist – GOODWILL INDUSTRIES OF MID-MICHIGAN, INC. (1996 – 1997)

EDUCATIONBachelor of Business Administration (Marketing)-With Distinction The University of Michigan School of Business Management—Flint, MI

OTHER RELEVANT INFORMATIONComputer skills: Adobe Creative Suite, Basecamp, Microsoft OfficeAwards: American InHouse Design Award—Graphic Design USA (2013)Portfolio: www.behance.net/cdawsondesign

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CHRISTINA DAWSON18583 Cree Court Spring Lake, MI 49456Mobile: (616) 481-2001 Email: cdawsondesign@gmail.com

PROFILEDriven and detail-oriented marketing professional with 18 years of experience working with financial, retail, B2B and non-profit industries. Passion for developing branding and marketing projects, organized project management and maintaining quality relationships. Proven track record of planning and executing successful communications programs.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERTISE• Managing Relationships with Clients • Pitching, Presenting and Selling Concepts• Project Coordination and Management • Developing Branding and Marketing Support• Planning Strategic Communications Programs • Process Improvement

PROFESSIONAL EXPERTISE DEMONSTRATED LAKE MICHIGAN CREDIT UNION 2009 – PresentA Michigan-based credit union with over 900 employees and $4 billion in assets under management (AUM).Marketing Project Coordinator/Senior Designer IIProviding effective product/department specific and image marketing to assist internal departments in achieving their key initiatives.• Developing Branding and Marketing Support: Creating external awareness and interest in the brand,

products and services, through the channels of print, web and digital marketing, advertising and social media, benefiting 36 retail branches and 4 subsidiary service divisions.

• Planning Strategic Communications Programs: Designed and coordinated a membership acquisition direct mail campaign that generated over $13 million in new deposits over a 6 month period.

NORTH STAR DESIGN, INC. 2000 – 2010An independent marketing consulting firm servicing clients in the B2B, medical, retail, food service, financial, manufacturing and transportation industries.Creative ConsultantCoordinated marketing projects from conception to delivery, collaborating with external vendors and service providers as needed.• Managing Relationships with Clients: Cultivated rewarding relationships with over 40 client accounts,

interviewing each of them to understand their business needs and gather project requirements. • Developing Branding and Marketing Support: Surveyed clients to discover their point of differentiation

and provided a seamless brand presence through all projects to support their unique sales position.• Pitching, Presenting and Selling: Met with clients to demonstrate how creative concepts solved their

business problems or needs.

MEIJER, INC. 1998 – 2007A Midwest superstore chain with 213 stores, 72,000 employees and $15 billion in annual revenues.Creative Manager (2004 – 2007) Directed a team of 4 senior-level designers in the creation, production and execution of department identity graphics and corporate communications. • Managing Relationships with Clients: Successfully served as liaison for internal clients, handling inbound

requests from merchandising departments, coordinating with ad agency representatives, internal visual merchandising teams and frequently presenting to executive leadership.

• Process Improvements: Independently originated and pioneered a successful system for coordinating the timely delivery, communication and implementation of all promotional and department graphic packages for new store builds.

Retail Design Team Leader (1999 – 2004) Supervised a team of 7 retail graphic designers responsible for creating promotional point-of-sale and department identity graphic packages. Directed daily creative functions (e.g. editing, producing, outsourcing), tracked project progress and communicated status directly to internal clients.• Project Coordination and Management: Interfaced with merchandising managers and executives to

identify strategic marketing objectives and effectively translate them into clear instruction for the design team. Responsible for monitoring and reporting the progress of ~30-50 open projects on a weekly basis.

• Planning Strategic Communications Programs: Conceptualized and executed a new technology and media department identity that resulted in an 11% category sales increase within the first year.

Retail Graphic Designer (1998 – 1999) Responsible for designing promotional point-of-sale signage from concept through execution.

PREVIOUS ROLES• Creative Director – ROSS & ASSOCIATES, INC. (1997 – 1998)• Public Relations and Marketing Specialist – GOODWILL INDUSTRIES OF MID-MICHIGAN, INC. (1996 – 1997)

EDUCATIONBachelor of Business Administration (Marketing)-With Distinction The University of Michigan School of Business Management—Flint, MI

OTHER RELEVANT INFORMATIONComputer skills: Adobe Creative Suite, Basecamp, Microsoft OfficeAwards: American InHouse Design Award—Graphic Design USA (2013)Portfolio: www.behance.net/cdawsondesign

CHRISTINA DAWSON Mobile: (616) 481-2001 Email: cdawsondesign@gmail.com