The Strategist

I am known for my creative marketing approach — starting with a résumé I printed on the side of a coffee cup, which led to my first marketing job at an international hotel chain and a Tourism Award for southwestern Ontario.

Entrepreneurship

I have led two successful web-based startups: Market Me (a web marketing agency - one of Google Engage agency partners in Canada, at the dawn of the industry, when Ask Jeeves was still cool) and 14 Theories (a large web and digital tech company with offices in Canada and Nepal). Winning the Young Entrepreneur of the Year award was the highlight from that era.

Economic Development

For more than 20 years, I have worked inside and in support of the machinery of economic development — raising capital, aligning institutions, and building the partnerships that move projects from idea to implementation. I’ve tripled public funding for a regional entrepreneurship centre under government scrutiny, secured $83.6M in federal infrastructure support alongside donor matches, and increased unrestricted revenue by 141% year-over-year through disciplined sponsorship and partnership strategy. My work spans municipal economic development offices, polytechnics, research universities, and now a city-building innovation hub — often serving as the bridge between Boards, government officials, industry leaders, and academic partners. I have led enterprise fundraising, stewarded multi-level government operating grants, and built cross-functional teams responsible for brand, revenue, events, and stakeholder engagement under one unified strategy. Whether briefing directors, negotiating corporate investment, or aligning post-secondary institutions around commercialization priorities, I focus on durable funding models and clear performance metrics. Economic development, to me, is practical work: structure the deal, earn trust, deliver results, repeat.

Post Secondary Education

My post-secondary leadership experience spans research universities, colleges and polytechnic institutions, where I have led enterprise marketing, advancement strategy, and institutional positioning during periods of significant change. As Associate Vice President at the University of Victoria (2022–2025), I developed UVic’s first integrated national and global marketing campaigns, increasing fundraising and brand-affinity conversions by 458%. I led UVic’s brand refresh in alignment with its first comprehensive fundraising campaign, built Advancement’s first marketing performance dashboard, and spearheaded high-impact stewardship and student recruitment campaigns generating record number earned media impressions. Prior to that, as Associate Vice President at SAIT (2019–2022), I chaired the institutional CRM implementation to strengthen donor and alumni engagement, and led award-winning digital and campaign initiatives that modernized recruitment and continuing education revenue models. Earlier at Queen’s University (2014–2019), I developed the Faculty’s first marketing plan in 175 years through engagement with 178 stakeholders and launched award-winning workforce partnership programs in collaboration with municipal and industry partners. Across institutions, my focus has been consistent: align brand, recruitment, revenue, stakeholder trust, and institutional strategy to support long-term sustainability and growth.

Thought Leadership

• Perception, Positioning, and the Space Between. Message Received: A Syntax podcast. 2026 {podcast}
• User-Generated Cities and the Rise of a New Urban Identity. Invest Ottawa 2025 {blog}
• From Anchor to Ally: Strengthening partnerships between economic developers and post-secondary institutions in a changing world. City Nation Place. 2025 {article}
• CCAE Expose Interview: Re-discovering the digital advantage. 2022. {interview}
• Modernizing Customer Engagement in Higher Education. Modern Campus. 2021 {video interview}
• How To Build Innovative High-Performing Teams, Leaders of Change 2021 {podcast}
• Creating Digital Opportunity, Annual CDO Partnership Network Conference, Chair David Wolfe University of Toronto Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy, Invited Delegate, 2019.
• Radio Show Host, Ads Fads and Rock and Roll, CJAI 92.1, 2016-2017

Awards

• Outstanding Achievement Award, Canadian Council for the Advancement of Education
• 2022 CCAE prix d'excellence Best use of social media for Giving Tuesday
• 2022 CCAE prix d'excellence Silver award for "Best initiative" for Giving Tuesday
• 2023 Strategy Online Marcom Awards best marketing campaign “Learn as if Life Depends on it”
• 2024 Heist Award shortlisted for Best Prospective Customer Journey / Experience 2024 “Growth Minded”
• 2024 PIEoneer Awards Global 2nd runner up for Marketing Campaign of the Year “Growth Minded”
• 2024 CASE Best of District VIII for DEI leadership for “ÁTOL,NEUEL”
• 2024 CASE Best of District VIII for Best Marketing Campaign
• 2021 Marcom Awards Platinum 'Attend from Anywhere' Open House Campaign, Events Strategy; Con Ed Magazine, Print Media; 'Pivoting is Simple' Con Ed Summer Campaign, Integrated Campaign. yellow sait.ca Future students’ website, Digital strategy; Experts Online, website; yellow, 2022 Viewbook print media.
• EDM (Education Digital Marketing) Awards 2021 yellow> 'Pivoting is Simple' Con Ed Summer Campaign, digital advertisement; sait.ca Future students’ website, microsite; Con Ed Magazine, digital publication; digiTALKS thought leadership, video ad. Silver> Experts Online, microsite. Bronze> 'Attend from Anywhere', video ad. Merit> 2022 viewbook.
• 2020 Marcom Awards Platinum Award> 2021 viewbook, Print Media.
• AVA 2020 Digital Awards 2020 yellow Award, sait.ca refresh, Website Strategy. Platinum Award, SADT launch, Integrated Marketing Campaign. Education Digital Marketing Strategy Award.
• #hashtag Awards 2020 Web Project of the Year (>10 pages); Best Integrated Campaign; Runner Up for Diversity and Inclusion in Marketing for the Aboriginal Student Viewbook.
• yellow award, QCA:K, Partnerships category, International Economic Development Council 2021 Excellence in Economic Development
• Excellence in Innovation Award, Major Maps, Canadian Association of Career Educators and Employers (CACEE), 2016
• Kingston Entrepreneur of the Year Award, 2005
• Kingston Business Woman of the Year (1st runner-up), 2003
• Tourism Sales and Marketing Award for the City of London, 1998.

Presentations and Keynotes

From Parallel Paths to Shared Futures: Rethinking University Partnerships for a Transformed World, HESA Re:University Conference, 2026.

Race cars and Robots: Brand Differentiation in Engineering Education in Canada, Engineering Deans Canada, 2025.

Strategic Enrolment Marketing for Leaders, SEMM Academy/Brainstorm Group, Lead Instructor and Program Designer, 2024, 2025.

Fundamentals of Student Recruitment Marketing, SEMM Academy/Brainstorm Group, Lead Instructor and Program Designer, 2024.

Strategic Marketing & Communications Masterclass: Crafting Your Institutional Blueprint for Success SEMM Forum Conference, 2023.

Unveiling Your Essence: Unpacking Differentiation in Higher Education, SEMM Forum, 2023.

Their words not ours. Increase your alumni and donor engagement one email at a time. CCAE National Conference, 2023.

Consuming Authenticity: In search of an ‘authentic’ brand. International Place Branding Association, Aix-en-Provence, 2022.

University Neighbourhood Brands: From coalition-led to user-generated and the tensions between them. 2021 AMA Marketing + Public Policy Conference, 2021.

The other Ps in the Marketing Mix: Personas, Persuasion, Politics, and Pennies. MarComm Guild hosted by Ken Steele, 2021.

Marketing Publications with a Punch: Breaking through the Clutter, CAUCE, 2021.

Creating Brand Cohesion in a Decentralized Environment, CICan, 2021.

The 4ps of a Marketing Plan in Higher Education, SEMM Forum, 2021.

Using Micro-Campaigns to Test Big Ideas in Marketing, SEMM Forum, 2020.

The young, the old, and the restless: who will win the A.I. Adoption challenge? TEDxQueensUSalon, 2019.

Profile of the Online Learner – Implications for Academic Advising and Marketing, OCULL, 2017.

They psychographics of adult learners and implications for marketing, CAUCE, 2016.

Agile Content Marketing from inside the head of an 18-year-old, PSEWeb, 2015.

Teaching Essential Employability Skills through work-integrated learning in post secondary education, St. Lawrence College Learning Connections Conference, 2014.

Creating a Digital Learning Strategy, St Lawrence College Learning Connections Conference, 2013.

Rural Creative Economy Conference, Discussion Leader, 2011.

Sample of Major Consulting Projects

Craft Ontario, Digital Strategy, 2016
Export Development Canada, Digital Strategy for Entrepreneurs, 2016
City of Kingston, Public Engagement using Digital Listening, Strategy and Pilot, 2014
Boys and Girls Club of Canada (Kingston/Eastern Ontario), Fundraising and Donor Engagement Strategy, 2013
St. Lawrence Parks Commission, Search Engine Optimization Strategy, Events Strategy, 2011-2012
Kingston Accommodation Partners, Web Marketing Strategy, Influencer (blogger) Strategy, 2006-2009
Queen’s University Department of Advancement, CRM Business Case, 2004
IBM, Waterfall Internal Social Networking Tool Vision Strategy, 2000

The best way to learn more about my work is to connect on LinkedIn.