Hi, I’m Kelsi! I’m a Peoria, IL native; Chicago land transplant. Chicago’s DePaul University brought me to this diverse and thriving city. After seven years time, I’ve come to call Chicago my home. Majoring in Public Relations and Advertising and minoring in Latino Media & Communications, I obtained my bachelor’s degree from DePaul University in November 2014. Other areas of study included marketing, relational communication, and organizational development.
Working my way through college in industries ranging from sales to service prepared me for the workforce, giving me real-world experience at a young age. Having held four intern positions in the fields of PR, marketing, and event promotion/planning throughout my college years, my experience heightened my industry knowledge and lead me down my desired career path. After graduation, I accepted a Technical Marketing Engineer position at Keyence Corporation, a Japan-headquartered industrial automation company, gradually shifting my residence from the city to a suburb near Keyence’s U.S. corporate headquarters in Itasca, IL. There I was responsible for multi-channel lead generation for the 35-person digital microscope team, focusing on industries such as automotive, aerospace, semiconductor, and medical.
Bringing me back to the city was an accepted job offer at Vogelzang Law, a boutique Chicago law firm dedicated to victims of asbestos-related diseases, where I currently am the Director of Business Development. Additionally, I am Managing Editor of Cancer Wellness, Vogelzang Law’s partner and an enlightened lifestyle magazine for those affected by cancer. It feels good to use my marketing and business development knowledge for something that helps families financially, medically, physically, or psychologically. Crafting the multi-channel marketing programs, directing the creative/marketing department, and outlining successful ‘streams of revenue’ plans have been extremely rewarding, both professionally and personally.
Driven is understatement and passion is a given when it comes to my work ethic. I like to see people succeed and companies thrive. Working well alone and on a team, I can craft a strong strategy and utilize delegation and additional resources for successful implementation. Being agile and adaptable, I can quickly adjust to the needs of a department or the client as well as cater to the c-suite requests. Lastly, having foresight allows me to predict some potential roadblocks and adjust to avoid them. Taking pride in one’s work is a motto I plan to employ throughout my working career and life.
Notable Side Project: My partner and I founded an entertainment company called Vision Live Inc. In March 2017, it became an S-Corp and we opened a live performance venue/consignment shop and creative agency in Wicker Park in mid-year 2017. Vision’s mission is to provide a platform for visionaries to thrive utilizing their unique passion-derived skills. We support and encourage collaborative and creative thinking.
Since helping to launch the startup, Vision Live Inc. has morphed into a multimedia agency that offers unique insights and expertise on an ever-evolving visionary, highly digital landscape. Vision offers services including video, web, design, and marketing. Most recently, it launched the beta for an email marketing tool. You can click to Vision’s Facebook and website by using the blue social icons in the header and footer of my portfolio website.
Skills
- Strong oral and written communication skills
- Highly experienced channel marketer through E-mail marketing, PPC, SEO, trade shows, digital advertising, & direct mail
- Experienced in working with vendors & budgets
- Social media marketing specialist (LinkedIn, Facebook)
- Proficient with Marketo, Zoho, Salesforce (other CRM’s), Microsoft Office Suite, Adobe Creative Suite, WordPress, SEMRush, MOZ, MailChimp, Google Analytics/AdWords, GSuite, customer/project management software, OneNote, HTML, GoToWebinar
- Lead generation; fully integrated marketing campaigns; copywriting; event planning
Awards & Recognitions
- On Dean’s list each term at DePaul University
- Graduated Summa Cum Laude
- 1 of 7 selected to be an NJCAA PR intern out of Illinois Central College’s communication department
- Channel leader/Project Manager at Keyence Corporation
- Quarterly bonuses, half-pay increases, and title change granted at Keyence Corporation
What makes me different? I’m spunky, charismatic, fearless (mostly), tenacious, spirited, and I always push to make my dreams a reality.
