Lurking 101

Hi, thanks for coming. I grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio (home of WKRP, Graeter's and Skyline Chilli) and now live in London (home of the BBC, chicken tikka masala and jellied eels). Art and creative thinking have always been important to me and I have a BA and MA in Art History from the University of Cincinnati’s College of Design, Architecture, Art and Planning. It's a very cool building designed by Peter Eisenman. It’s worth a google.

I currently work in children’s publishing at Penguin Random House. I like to describe myself as an “ideas person,” an inclusive, curious and creative critical thinker. I love thinking big and outside the box, and inspiring others to do the same. I enjoy getting to the root of what makes people tick and understanding how human behaviour influences how we work. I believe strongly in the power of good design. If something looks sharp and is easily accessible, people engage with and understand it better. Having worked in both creative and commercial roles, I’m able to synthesise your ideas, analyse the data, and then put everything in the best-looking presentation you’ve ever seen.

I am illustrator in my free time (feel free to contact me for jobs and rates) and am really good at convincing myself that "tomorrow, I will finally download that running app."

Likes: Bowling, girl power, Barbra Streisand, runny eggs, crabbing, and a good sharp cheddar

Dislikes: Bananas, tartare sauce, nail clipping on public transportation, and other people whistling

 

Here's a little sampling of what I've done over the years:

Work

  • Project & Brand Executive (October 2017 - present): Penguin Random House Children’s (London)

    The elevator pitch is, I have a non-publishing job in a publishing company. Penguin Random House Children’s is home to some of the most recognisable brands in the world - Ladybird, Puffin, and of course, Penguin. I split my time across creative and strategic support for the managing director, external social impact projects (scroll down to the awards section to read about some of them, shameless self-promotion), and optimising the way the division operates. I have a knack for clarity and the special ability to join the dots across various projects, priorities, and parts of the business. As a project manager, I am experienced in taking ideas from inception to delivery, challenging ideas, and finding the most efficient ways to get things done. Projects include: our divisional diversity, equity, and inclusion action plan, data collection and analysis, our approach to hybrid working, Puffin World of Stories, WriteNow, Lit in Colour, accessibility in relation to disability and neurodiversity, and divisional communication surrounding our strategic priorities.

  • Project Manager (April 2016 - September 2017): Edge (London)

    (Edge is a 2019 rebrand and expansion of DADI)
    As a certified ScrumMaster at DADI, I leveraged my experience to run dynamic and complex projects in the technology industry. A strong strategic planner with excellent interpersonal skills, I excelled in planning, developing processes, monitoring deliverables, problem-solving, and managing a team of engineers and designers. I managed the agile planning and execution a programme of work worth £3.5m, including website UX and design, platform builds, CRM, and search engine optimisation. Projects included merging multiple magazine websites into a single lifestyle hub which resulted in quicker load times and higher UX performance and migrating over 50 radio websites into one platform, delivering workflow savings of over 30%.

  • Distribution Manager (July 2013 - Feb 2016): Monocle (London)

    As a growing and international lifestyle brand, the distribution of Monocle’s primary product, its magazine, was a cornerstone of business growth. I was responsible for driving newsstand sales in over 60 countries and subscriptions in over 120 countries. I maintained important key account relationships through extensive travel in Europe, Asia, and North America and led annual plan negotiations with retailers and distributors. I managed a seven-figure budget, tracked KPIs, and planned and executed numerous initiatives that drove 4% YoY circulation growth to above 80K. In my final year, I was a parental-leave cover for the Distribution Director.

  • Creative Director (June 2007 - Jan 2013): Kiki (Cincinnati)

    As part of the small but mighty team who launched Kiki, an inclusive magazine for tween girls, I created the overall brand identity, managed the schedule of each issue, generated content, procured talent, provided briefings, and managed the creative team. Quantifiable success was apparent through continual and consistent growth in circulation as well as numerous design and editorial awards from Folio Magazine, the Association of Educational Publishers, iParenting Media, and Parents’ Choice Foundation (please see below).

Education

  • Honours MA Art History, College of Design, Architecture, Art and Planning: University of Cincinnati (2009): Thesis with distinctions: “Let us Now Praise Famous Women: Deborah Kass’s ‘The Warhol Project’ (1992-2000).” My primary areas of study were post-war contemporary art and feminist art history and I received a certificate in Museum Studies

  • Honours BA Art History, College of Design, Architecture, Art and Planning: University of Cincinnati (2007): First student to complete a supplemental certificate in American Ethnic Studies: dual focus on Jewish American and African American studies.

Awards

2021

  • FutureBook Discover Award for WriteNow (shortlisted)

2020

  • Best in Media/Entertainment for Puffin World of Stories at the Business Charity Awards (shortlisted)

  • Innovation Project of the Year for Puffin World of Stories at the Business Charity Awards (shortlisted)

2019

  • Best in Community Engagement for Puffin World of Stories at The Drum Social Purpose (won)

  • Best Brand/Charity Partnership between Penguin and The National Literacy Trust at The Drum Social Purpose (shortlisted)

2012

  • Best Cover Design for Kiki Magazine Winter 2011, issued by Association of Educational Publishers (won)

  • Best Visual Story for Kiki Magazine’s article on auction houses, “Going Once, Going Twice, SOLD!,” issued by the Association of Educational Publishers (won)

  • Best Whole Magazine for Kiki Magazine, issued by Association of Educational Publishers (won)

  • Gold Award for Kiki Magazine, commemorating it as an ‘outstanding publication for 8 - 14 year olds,’ issued by the Parent’s Choice Foundation (won)

2010

  • Best Article Design for Kiki Magazine, "History of 20th Century Fashion,” issued by Association of Educational Publishers (won)

  • Best How-To Editorial Feature for Kiki Magazine, “How to Create Your Own Website,” issued by Association of Educational Publishers (won)

  • Best One-Theme Issue for Kiki Magazine Spring 2009, issued by Association of Educational Publishers (won)

  • Best Visual Story for Kiki Magazine, '“Made in Hong Kong,” issued by Association of Educational Publishers (won)

  • Best Whole Publication Design for Kiki Magazine Winter 2009/2010, issued by Association of Educational Publishers (won)

2009

  • Best Product for Kiki Magazine, issued by iParenting Media · Jan 2009

  • Gold Award for Kiki magazine, commemorating it as an ‘outstanding publication for 8 - 14 year olds,’ issued by the Parent’s Choice Foundation (won)

  • Golden Lamp Award, ‘Periodicals’ category for Kiki Magazine, issued by the Golden Lamp Awards (finalist)

  • Magazine of the Year for Kiki Magazine, issued by The Mom’s Choice Awards (won)

2008

  • Best Product for Kiki Magazine, issued by iParenting Media (won)

  • Gold Award for ‘Best Table of Contents’ (Kiki Magazine) at the Eddie & Ozzie Awards, issued by Folio Magazine (won)

  • Gold Award for Kiki magazine, commemorating it as an ‘outstanding publication for 8 - 14 year olds,’ issued by the Parent’s Choice Foundation (won)

  • Gold Award for Kiki Magazine, issued by National Parenting Product Awards (won)