<3 Community

In college, I served on a Student-Athlete Advisory Committee where athletes from every team would get together over pizza and figure out different ways to promote student-athlete welfare—from enhancing post-grad career development opportunities to hosting local elementary P.E. classes, teaching nutrition classes at Boys & Girls Clubs, and legislating for concussion protection at the NCAA.

Fast forward to an advertising career where late nights are the norm and it can be hard to keep up with a set volunteering schedule. That’s why I’m so grateful for the skills advertising teaches us to create events and awareness with our fellow colleagues.

Over the last couple years, I’ve been inspired to be part of teams that gather around noontime meetings, devote their extra nights and weekends, and their overflowing compassionate creativity to create events such as these below. Celebrating and elevating and rallying our community together for good. Especially when times around us can be so crazy.

I co-concepted a panel event comprised of women from every generation speaking their truth and learnings from every perspective and stage in life.

In collaboration with some amazing humans across industries, creating the website and social channels for the inaugural #CreatePridePDX event couldn’t have gotten better, except for the fact that year two was a bigger blast with an even stronger platform thanks to Denny Robles at W+K, et. al’s vision and others at AKQA, Laundry Service, Swift and eROI (too many to name but many, many people ensured this event was a hit).