I inherited a neighborhood nonprofit with an empty bank account and big ambitions. As Executive Director of The Milk District, I grew the organization sixfold, strengthened board governance, built an accessible membership model, and leveraged municipal funding and partnerships to expand our impact. When COVID-19 threatened neighborhood businesses, we mobilized more than $40,000 in economic activity through Milk Money and helped build a remarkably resilient local business community.

For more than a decade, I have worked to make space for local culture within Central Florida's tourism economy. From establishing cultural tourism partnerships in Winter Park to developing new membership pathways with Visit Orlando and serving on statewide tourism committees, my work has connected independent businesses, cultural institutions, and neighborhoods with the resources and visibility of a major global destination.

The Milk District did not need to be reinvented. Its eclectic businesses, artists, and creative communities had already established a culture of subcultures worth celebrating. As Executive Director, I championed a placekeeping approach to economic development, connecting people, resources, and opportunities to amplify what was already there while giving the community a stronger voice in its future.

Not everyone sees themselves in traditional holiday celebrations. As Executive Director of The Milk District, I transformed a volunteer committee's unconventional idea into Krampusfest, an alternative holiday festival designed around the neighborhood's creative culture and hospitality community. By finding an underserved audience and creating a celebration where they belonged, we attracted thousands of visitors and established a distinctive new tradition.

What does it take for a child to see themselves as a reader? I led the experience design, brand strategy, and partnerships behind the inaugural Florida Children's Book Festival, creating a new cultural destination that brought thousands of families together while balancing community impact with the goals of authors, publishers, and booksellers.

I led the brand repositioning of Central Florida Community Arts through a documentary video series created with Oxenfree Film & Motion. Across more than 20 shoot days, we moved beyond transactional marketing to tell a bigger story about the people, relationships, and sense of belonging that make an arts organization matter.

Small businesses rarely have the resources to change state policy on their own. Through The Milk District, I helped turn a neighborhood challenge into a collective advocacy effort, advancing legislation that removed regulatory barriers and opened new opportunities for independent restaurants across Orlando.

A century of storytelling became a platform for the future. As Senior Director of Marketing at Orlando Family Stage, I led the strategic positioning of its Centennial, connecting artistic programming, philanthropy, partnerships, and community engagement through a shared narrative that celebrated the organization's legacy while building momentum for its next hundred years.