2012-Current  Owner/CEO of Creative Visionary Inc

Freelance clients in US/UK/Canada

Provides daily visual merchandising and store/practice design services

Special event coordination and fashion show production services

Consultations on the interior design of retail stores and optical practices

Conference speaker and training and development facilitator 

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2007-2012  Creative Marketing Director, International Academy of Design and Technology, Chicago, IL
• Oversee the design, ordering of materials, installations, and execution and revisions of creative projects at IADT Chicago plus other campuses including Collins College in Phoenix and IADT Vegas.
• Projects include interior marketing, window displays, interior design, printer materials, and special events
• Produced nearly one hundred special events on behalf of the school for the campus as well as charitable organizations.
The focus is to rebrand the campus with new technology and excitement that permeates the target market of potential students, investors, and faculty
• Teach Visual Merchandising, Marketing, Management, Advanced Visual Merchandising, and Fashion Show Production
• Designed the online Visual Merchandising Course & writing a Fashion Show Production textbook for Fairchild/Conde Nast (editing stages)



2006-2007 Full time Faculty/Advisor, International Academy of Design and Technology, Chicago, IL

2002-2006 Adjunct Faculty, International Academy of Design and Technology, Chicago, IL

• Taught Visual Merchandising, Retailing Practices and Procedures, Advanced Visual Merchandising, Fashion Show Production/Practicum, Fashion Publicity and Promotion and Fashion Technology with the average class load is around 25-35 students. 
• Teaching has been an excellent way for me to combine all of my knowledge and experience of the industry and use it to help the students understand real life applications of the ideas, standards, and terms they learn in class. 
• Escort students on field trips to stores all around the city to let them serve as volunteers to develop hands on experience and build their network
• Produce many fashion shows for this school at large and small venues across the Chicago land area every year to promote the Fashion Design program as well as the Merchandise Management program, plus all other special events the school participates in such as the Greater State Street Council, Humane Society of the U.S., the International Housewares Show, the Midwest Vision Congress, and much more.



Fall 2007 Visual Merchandising Corporate Consultant, InStore – 6 Locations throughout Ireland
• Worked hands on with the visual merchandisers and managers in six stores in Ireland for a thirty-five day project involving training and development of store and corporate level employees. 
• Worked with store planning on concepts for two new stores as well as planned remodels for current stores. 
• Chose paint colors, moved fixtures, reset walls, and designed windows for each store
• Authored a visual merchandising standards and best practices binder for store level and corporate training. 
• Merchandised stores in Limerick, Waterford, Galway, and Sligo in Ireland



2003-2007 Visual Trimmer, Marshall Field’s/Macy’s – Chicago, IL Flagship Location

• Served as part of a 10 member visual merchandising team at the newly renovated Marshall Field’s flagship store.  
• Personally oversaw the store-wide retrofits for the conversion of the Marshall Field’s store to the Macy’s concept.
• Personally responsible for misses moderate clothing, shoes, swim, coats, dresses, bridal salon, women’s way, petites, kids, lingerie, updated sportswear, and athletic apparel. 
• Organized special events setup/takedown and participation, holiday trim, team member training, trend forecasting, and storewide setups/takedowns Partnered with the merchandise placement team to create unique brand driven shops that draw interest as well as boost sales
• Collaborated with the special events team and the fashion office to assist with large and small scale events



2001-2003 Visual/Merchandising Supervisor, Sears – Chicago, IL, State Street Flagship Location
• Opened this new flagship store and was responsible for 17 windows per floor, with 4 floors as well as interior displays and multiple special events. 
• Hired as the supervisor for the visual team of 7 associates with responsibilities including task delegation, training, display design, special event production, and acting as a liaison between corporate and store level staff.
• Designed store layout of fixtures and forms for new merchandise, window layout and design, selecting merchandise for interior display  and in windows, lighting, music, desktop publishing, sign creation and placement, animated digital display creation, computer aided graphics, replenishment assistance, dressing of body forms and mannequins, table layouts, fashion shows, celebrity appearances, book signings, and etc.



1999- 2001 Visual Merchandiser, Ann Taylor - Chicago, IL, Michigan Avenue Flagship Location
• Opened this new location in fall of ‘99 with two other visual merchandisers. 
• Produced on site special events, pulled looks for fashion shows and styled models, etc.
• Organized and directed store layout of fixtures and forms, window layout and design, selected merchandise for interior display and in windows, and dressed of body forms and tables
• Provided customer service at P.O.S. stations and task delegation and offered shipment processing assistance
• Opened the new LOFT location downtown with the corporate Visual Director as well as assisting other stores with their monthly store sets



1998-1999 Computer Service Consultant, Kinko’s Gold Coast – Chicago, IL
• Lead Desktop publisher and Computer Service Consultant. 
• Collected detailed orders, created professional and creative digital designs such as business cards, resumes, logos, web sites, advertisements, in-store marketing, and presentations 
• Trained guests in the self-serve computer department
• Performed machine repair, product ordering, software installation and updates, hardware installation and task delegation for the desktop department
• Extensively trained in customer service as well as new technology seminars



1999-1999  Visual Merchandiser, American Girl Place – Chicago, IL
• Hired as a freelance merchandiser specializing in holiday visuals ranging from Halloween, Christmas and New Years
• Served on 5 person team that implemented  Shane McCall’s Michigan Ave. prize winning holiday windows (Best Holiday Windows on the Magnificent Mile) and (Best Children's Window on the Magnificent Mile) as well as creating numerous  interior displays, desktop publishing work, new product design and hand decorated their  holiday trim for the store
• Participated in customer service as well as purchasing materials and delegating responsibilities to stock team

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1994-1998 Visual Merchandiser/Sales Associate, Pier 1 Imports, IN/Chicago, IL
• Transferred to a Chicago location
• Assisted in opening two new locations as well as heavy customer service training
• Organized special events, product merchandising, store cleaning, upkeep, stock processing, window/store displays and P.O.S. transactions
• Recognized often for leading sales and instant credits accounts