TL;DR: Despite uncertainty about my career path, I embarked on a journey that led me through various roles and experiences. From managing a tanning salon to revolutionizing social media for multiple brands and organizations, I honed my skills and expertise. Along the way, I navigated challenges and seized opportunities, ultimately landing a fulfilling position at Wolf Trap. Here, I’ve thrived, exceeding expectations and driven remarkable growth in our social media presence. While my title may not fully reflect my responsibilities, I’m proud of what I’ve achieved and excited for what the future holds. If you’re intrigued by my story, let’s connect on LinkedIn and explore new possibilities together.

I wish I could tell you I always knew what I wanted to do and that I had a clear career trajectory, but that wouldn’t be the truth.

Growing up, I had a lot of dreams.

But the one that sticks out in my mind is trying to explain that I wanted to engage with and build relationships with as many people as possible—whether for a brand, education institute, or another well known entity.

As an elder millennial, social media wasn’t a thing yet. A daughter of a coder, I spent a lot of time on computers as a child/teen. But telling people I wanted this weird, not fully understood, career prospect was met with questionable looks and a bit of a chuckle. Especially when most of my friends’ homes and schools didn’t have computers, and my dad given me full access to our home one to write stories and build worlds that only existed in my imagination.

It was alright though. I knew I was meant for something big. Even if the world had no idea it was coming.

After graduating from high school in the mid-2000s, I had enough self-awareness to know that I didn’t have actual goals and I didn’t want to wander aimlessly through school while everyone else was working towards something.

So, I decided to get a job.

For some reason after Y2K, very celebrity had a slight orange tinge. I think they thought they looked thinner and more attractive, but for whatever reason the “it” think to do was hit up the tanning bed followed by a spritz of spray tan. Since this was the then standard of beauty, when I saw a tanning salon opened nearby I had to check it out. Turns out, they were looking for staff.

I applied for a position, was hired on the spot, and promoted to Assistant Manager within a year. I held down the fort at a myriad of stores while corporate searched for and trained Store Managers.

I oversaw multiple Manager-less stores, including hiring, training, scheduling, and management of 12-18 employees, managed inventory and product control, handled day-to-day financial needs, and was consistently one of the top sellers nationwide.

Every day I came in, I ensured the store was running as expected, analyzed company-wide goals, made sure staff were effectively trained on new products and the tanning experience, and took every opportunity I could for professional development within the organization.

Why was I never promoted to Store Manager, you may ask?

Well, Managers did not make commission. Assistant Managers did.

I knew I could make more money as an Assistant Manager than Store Manager. Plus, as an Assistant Manager I was paid hourly, and took every opportunity to work in different stores, allowing for overtime.

Was it all about the $$$ back then?

Yes.

I was building up my bank account to support leaving home to go to college.

But I was also building a foundation for my future self. Working there was one of the most rewarding professional experiences of my life and set the tone for who I am as an employee: responsible, proactive, savvy, dedicated, a team player, and always willing to take on new challenges and opportunities.

After a few years, I decided it was time to pursue my degree. I still wasn’t sure what I wanted to do, but I did enjoy hanging out on Facebook and Twitter, blogging about celebrities and reality tv, and writing fan fiction.

During my college career, I tried a few different paths. I joined Sigma Sigma Sigma and became the reputation management chair.

I got my open water certification and then interned in the Animal Care and Training department at Dolphin Research Center.

I was hired for my college’s performing venue, overseeing all of the interns in the marketing department.

I took every graduate level course that was allowed of me, including some formidable courses on film analysis and communicating with desired audiences.

And in my last semester, I finally figured out what I wanted to do: convergent technologies…the precursor to social media management.

It was a great college career.

Once I graduated, I began working for a local celebrity in the Washington, DC area.

I was in awe of her. She traveled to New York frequently, was on television weekly, and chatted with local media and politicians by day, and taught the next generation of sleuths by night. It was so cool!

And as her assistant, she trained me on everything she knew.

Not for my own benefit, but so I could answer her media requests, ghostwrite her book and weekly columns, and pitch/write television segments.

I will never forget walking into her office and being told “You need to write a segment on 10 body language signs that hide illnesses for Dr. Oz” or “We’re going to the Today Show to talk about celebrities.”

I didn’t know that opportunities like this one existed. But I also wasn’t sure this was where I was meant to be.

Within three months, I was offered a media and marketing position in the Florida Keys and my heart was down there before I could accept. I knew the second the job description crossed my path, that was where I wanted to be—teaching the public about dolphins while living in paradise.

Returning to Dolphin Research Center a few years after my internship was the most exhilarating time of my life. I hung out with dolphins every day. Worked with global media entities. Helped share conservation, research, and education messages to visitors, television shows, newspapers, and…most importantly for my career trajectory, overhauled their social media presence, website, and moved them towards a digital first mindset.

I became an expert in the field of social marketing, digital advertising, and experiential marketing. Countless colleagues from animal facilities reached out asking about effective social media strategies, engagement opportunities, and advice on how to manage positive and negative comments.

I had not had any formal training, but I was able to quickly rise above the other social media brands in Florida and the Florida Keys to become a trendsetter. It was amazing! I only wish social media grew faster back then so I could have leveraged even more opportunities.

Prior to my arrival, my colleagues hadn’t seen the potential benefit and reach of social media. They thought it was just a toy millennials used to share silly videos and memes. I quickly taught them about setting goals and making purposeful content.

I created a system using the 30/70 rule: 30% marketing, 70% fun.

Yes, as a nonprofit organization it was necessary to market our organization to get foot traffic and guests inside to purchase experiences. Members, donors, and guests provided the food for the animals.

But it was just as important to raise our brand awareness to leverage media opportunities and free advertising. After all, we were a small organization with a miniscule marketing budget. So, I took every chance I could to share our story.

I added every Twitter chat that aligned with our organization on my calendar and engaged, engaged, engaged. I started conversations with colleagues across the globe, even if it was just a friendly “Hi!” and asked how their day was going. I found articles that outlined the importance of conservation and caring for animals.

I provided live updates on day-to-day activities. I welcomed celebrities, fam tours, mommy bloggers, television hosts, radio DJs…

Every opportunity that aligned with our bramd was an opportunity to tell the world about our incredible nonprofit organization that needed members, donors, and visitors to survive.

Not only did I take on the initiative of launching new social media strategies, but I also empowered our staff, interns, and volunteers to be active ambassadors for the organization. Resulting in incredible organic growth across platforms and record-breaking donations.

When I left Dolphin Research Center, I was heartbroken. But there were lifestyle challenges.

The Florida Keys, while one of the most amazing places in the United States, is a difficult place for locals to live. I refused to live a lifestyle where I had to work 2-3 jobs to afford rent, and so my boyfriend (now husband) at the time and I left for new opportunities.

I managed to secure a position with a digital marketing agency that I had connected with during my time at Dolphin Research Center.

They had been following me for years, and I had such a respect for their knowledge, that I reached out about the possibilities of a position—and they hired me. They knew I was already a leader in the industry and I quickly became one of their strongest team members, managing social media, blog, and content for 10+ clients across Florida.

While it was a wonderful opportunity and I learned a lot, after getting married I was ready for a new professional opportunity, and so we decided to relocate back to my hometown—Washington, DC.

In the process of considering new career opportunities, I decided I wanted to work at a live music venue. I put it out into the universe and two days later I saw a social media job opportunity at Wolf Trap—my favorite local venue!

I received a job offer the day my husband and I moved into our condominium. I could not wait to get off the phone to scream in excitement. I was so thankful for the opportunity—but also empowered that I had managed to get a job so quickly after deciding what my new goal was going to be.

In my position at Wolf Trap, I have had the immense pleasure of growing not just my skill set but the entire scope of our social media presence.

I began as a small entity of the media/pr team then grew into the social media subject matter expert.

I have been promoted, brought on a support member, and then managed to bring on a multimedia specialist to create a full team.

My scope went from managing the social media editorial calendar and using data to inform content decisions, to then getting promoted and overseeing a coordinator, to optimizing paid marketing strategies, to launching new platforms, to building in a new multimedia content creator to moving towards video first content.

Now, I oversee a team of 2-4 individuals with a dynamic scope that includes organic/paid content, creating toolkits, influencer/content creator relationship management, and acting as the customer advocate in content and marketing discussions.

Additionally, I continually exceed our social media benchmarks and goals and was a key player in reaching a record-breaking $25 million season.

While my official title may not complement the scope of my current duties and responsibilities, I am lucky to have direct reports that do. They like to tell me I am in my director era.

If you stuck around, thank you for reading my story.

If you liked what you read, consider being a chapter in my book.

Feel free to connect with me on LinkedIn.

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