Nearly 30 years of leadership experience within complex multi-functional organizations
Retired Navy Officer with 22 years of combined active and reserve service
Top of Class at Wake Forest University Babcock School of Management
Recognized leader in the outdoor industry with over eight years leading marketing and sustainability programs
Spearheaded development and growth of new outdoor sock brand – Farm to Feet
Farm to Feet on display at Great Outdoors Provisions in Winston-Salem, NC
In 2013 Farm to Feet socks was launched under my leadership as the new Vice President of Marketing at Nester Hosiery. Farm to Feet quickly distinguished itself by developing and executing a strategy that drove awareness, loyalty, and engagement. With an emphasis on authentic and creative storytelling as a point of differentiation, I developed and implemented a comprehensive marketing strategy that included: innovative product offerings, emotionally appealing content creation, omnichannel initiatives, and grassroots marketing.
Using these differentiation tactics, Farm to Feet went from unknown to a top ten outdoor sock brand within five years, resulting in a 60% average annual growth in revenue across all sales channels. Fueling this success was a talented team consisting of public relations, content creation, product development, and digital media experts.
My ability to collaborate was crucial to Nester Hosiery’s initial sustainability efforts flourishing. Under my direction as the Director of Sustainability, the company established itself as a leader in sustainable manufacturing within the outdoor industry.
I also served alongside other industry experts on the Outdoor Industry Association Sustainability Advisory Council to GUide the industry’s ongoing corporate responsibility initiatives.
Supporting the development of collaborative industry sustainability tools was another key accomplishment in this role. I was a manufacturing subject matter expert on several corporate responsibility working groups. During that time, I supported the development and pilot testing of the facility system indicators for the Sustainable Apparel Coalition’s Higg Index.
Outdoor Industry Association #TogetherWeAreAForce Campaign (Click on image to learn more)
On bridge wing of the USS HARRY W. HILL
February 1998
Over my thirty-year professional career, tackling challenging roles provided me with the skills required to lead. Several prominent positions early in my career were paramount to my professional development. Serving as an officer in the United States Navy provided me with proven leadership training and a disciplined approach for cultivating and implementing robust strategic plans to achieve success. Before pursuing a career in the outdoor industry, I was employed in prominent roles within the defense and power generation industries, further honing my leadership experience as well as gaining crucial skills in project management and team building. Complimenting this experience have been numerous volunteer positions that allowed me to also grow as a leader and learn from a broader network of experience professionals.
30 years of leadership experience provided me with insight to handle a variety of challenges.
Navy Leadership Roles
Volunteer Leadership Roles
Business Leadership Roles
USS GEORGE WASHINGTON (CVN 73)
Photo Courtesy of Pacific Fleet
In this podcast, I discuss the process to launch and grow Farm to Feet socks.
As a member of the Outdoor Industry Association’s Sustainability Advisory Council, I worked with other industry leaders in developing the sustainability strategy for the industry.