Recent Work

SOUTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY

Magazine Redesign

Southwestern University leadership sought a fresh image that matched the institutions national aspirations. I directed the complete redesign of the official university magazine as a first step in creating a new look for the university. These most recent issues can be viewed here and here.

The magazine’s previous design, as well as its content, had a more regional appeal…

Thrive Capital Campaign

Southwestern’s development team sought the expertise of Marketing and Communications to define their $150 million capital campaign. The development team had already established “Thrive” as the name of the campaign, however I developed the tag line and copy, and oversaw the overall marketing effort, including publications, social media and video production. The campaign is on track to exceed its goal.

I also directed a refresh of the university’s website, done in-house, which is ongoing.

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NATIONAL PARK SERVICE

Between working at UT Austin and Southwestern I did contract work with the National Park Service, developing messaging for the restoration of neighborhoods and parks in the hurricane-damaged regions in Southwest Louisiana. Some of the messaging was used as part of a greater campaign, Just Imagine SWLA.

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THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT AUSTIN

Life & Letters Magazine redesign

The College of Liberal Arts magazine was in need of a refresh to better promote the college, and liberal arts generally, to a larger national audience. The resulting redesign—all accomplished in-house—took first place among all universities and colleges in Texas, and also took a bronze award in international competition. Reader response was overwhelmingly positive, many writing that they appreciated an alumni magazine that was less “rah rah” and more issues-focused.

Rebranding UT Austin

Early in my career at The University of Texas at Austin I spearheaded discussions with colleagues in other colleges as well as in the president’s office regarding the lack of clear, university-wide branding standards. The College of Liberal Arts Office of Public Affairs, under my direction, played a lead role in helping to develop logos, word marks and other branding standards.

Graduation Rate Study

At the request of the Office of the President, The College of Liberal Arts took the lead in creating a task force that ultimately recommended programmatic and structural changes to improve student retention and graduation rates. As part of the task force I edited the final report, which was cited in the cover story for the May 15, 2014 edition of the New York Times Magazine.

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JOSLYN INSTITUTE FOR SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITIES

Nebraska Nexus

While at UT Austin I continued to serve as a board member of the Joslyn Institute. In 2014 I moderated a panel discussion (below) that served as the basis for Nebraska Nexus, a documentary focusing on urban and rural sustainability issues that aired on Nebraska Public Television. This led to a statewide Sustainability Leadership Program Series in 2015 and the development of an Urban Thinkers Campus in 2017.

Envisioning Regional Design Conference

In September 2006 we staged two-day Envisioning Regional Design conference that brought together our stakeholders—more than 150 architects, planners, civic leaders, environmental groups, developers—organized into six charrette teams. Noted regional planner George Crandall of Crandall Arambula (Portland, Oregon) led the event. Arranged throughout the Strategic Air & Space Museum’s cavernous restoration hanger (located halfway between Lincoln and Omaha), each team conducted a comprehensive analysis of the six environmental scenarios. I wrote designed all of the materials used at the conference, and also wrote two final reports summarizing the recommendations made by the teams, a number of which have been implemented.

Joslyn Partnerships

Joslyn President W. Cecil Steward and I co-founded the Green Omaha Coalition and Lincoln Green By Design, both active today. I developed communications for both organizations.

The Joslyn Institute also launched EcoStores Nebraska and Deconstruction Nebraska in 2004. Until 2018 EcoStores was instrumental in diverting thousands of tons of materials from local landfills. I developed communications and marketing for both entities.

Drake Court Revitalization

One of my first projects with the Joslyn Institute was developing communications for the Drake Court Apartments revitalization project in Omaha. I wrote and designed the final report to the Drake Partnership in 2007.

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OTHER WORK

At the University of Nebraska-Lincoln I help lead the development of marketing communications, including the founding of an arts magazine and a redesign of the university’s alumni magazine. Since 2000 I have also written extensively on sustainability issues, ranging from urban planning to a variety of environmental issues.