A Comprehensive, but Not Exhaustive, List of Things About Me

1. In 2022, after six months of training, I ran Rim-to-Rim-to-Rim at the Grand Canyon. Over 17 hours, thereabouts, I went about 50 miles with approximately 11,000 feet of vertical gain.

2. For 42 miles, I felt really great, including a fast, for me, stretch coming back across the inner canyon.

3. The last 8 miles? Not so great.

4. At the first residency of my creative writing master’s program, my buddy welcomed me with an artful introduction, including the following: “Now, most people, when they look at the Grand Canyon, they say, “wow, impressive ditch.” Not Bob. Bob decided he was going to run from one edge, down to the bottom, all the way up to the other edge, then back to where he started — otherwise known as a RIM TO RIM TO RIM run. That’s about 50 miles of distance, over 11,000 feet of elevation gain, and 3 rims.”

5. When I daydreamed about attending a creative writing program, I always assumed I’d make a quick mark for my literary achievements, not my athletic ones.

6. Nor that I’d introduce myself to the professional world by pointing to said athletic achievement, and yet, here we are.

7. My experience running the canyon (as if we’re familiar, to the point of nicknames) does, though, illuminate some important things about me, including: I value community (the trip was to celebrate a friend’s 40th), setting big goals, and putting in the work to realize them. I do this personally, and I also do it professionally.

8. There’s something I love about parentheses, the whisper they suggest.

9. In real-life conversations, it seldom takes long before I talk about one of three things: my super cool kids (Owen, 8, and Emerson, 6), writing, running, and the pride I’ve taken in growing MissionWired, the direct marketing agency at which I’ve spent the last 12 years.

10. When I started at MissionWired, it was called Anne Lewis Strategies, worked almost exclusively with Democratic campaigns and organizations, and I was the company’s eighth employee.

11. Today, we’re more than 250 employees and widely known as a top partner to the country’s most recognizable and beloved charities, as well as the social impact initiatives of companies including REI.

11. I stopped at an REI in Flagstaff, Arizona on my way to the Grand Canyon.

12. I wrote about how I led our rebrand to MissionWired elsewhere on this site.

13. Proud as I am of our rebrand, it’s one of many accomplishments that highlight what I bring to organizations. I have long sat at the nexus of marketing and sales, overseeing both teams in my capacity as chief marketing officer. 

14. In one stretch in 2022, I caught fire and led winning proposal and pitches with the following organizations: the American Red Cross, Greenpeace, the American Civil Liberties Union, and Meals on Wheels. 

15. It cemented MissionWired’s status as a premier partner to nonprofits, and we continue to serve them well, and our sales pipelines are more robust than ever. As of this writing, we’ve already booked all of our 2024 revenue, and Q1 has only just concluded. Should you read this some months later, I expect our pipeline will continue to be robust with compelling partners.

16. My story takes the form of growth figures and numbers, but it’s also about creativity and identifying and investing in talented people. 

17. As part of a campaign for the Gates Foundation, I provided the creative strategy for a video that was retweeted by Shonda Rhimes and Kristen Bell.

18. I loved Kristen in “The Good Place.” I enjoy many other shows, too. Even more than shows, I love books, novels and short story collections alike. 

19. On the subject of people, which includes Kristen Bell, and which I intentionally steered toward, my proudest professional accomplishments relate to the people in whom I saw potential – and helped encourage and create opportunities for them to realize it.

20. At various points, I managed and mentored people who’ve gone on to become MissionWired’s president, creative director, marketing director, top-performing account managers, and sales leaders.

21. Success is a wonderful sensation, but there’s something even more profound in helping other people meet their potential and achieve great things.

22. At the same time, I can appreciate how far I’ve come. At MissionWired, I’ve been promoted, on average, every 1.5 years (editorial director - creative director - accounts director - vice president - executive vice president - COO - CMO+B). So, too, does leading and mentoring.

23. I can pinpoint our rebrand – when I made the case we needed a change, built a vision, and managed the execution – as the moment I became a CMO.

24. I live for words, but I know success has to be captured in numbers – wins, conversation rates, KPIs, growth. The story only works when it adds up.

25. I live in Denver, CO, where my wife and I chase around our two kids and adventures outside.