And now…here’s what you’ve been waiting for! View or download my most current resume.
RUTH LAWSON
Marketing & Communications Maven
Career History
Director of Marketing – Bars & Recreation • 2023 to 2025
- Secured over 70 earned media placements in 2024 — including television, radio, print, and web — significantly increasing brand visibility and public engagement.
- Strengthened the marketing team by recruiting experienced talent, and fostering a culture of collaboration through weekly team building, enhancing cohesion and increasing capacity for high impact projects.
- Utilized project management skills to collaborate with cross-functional teams, including coordinating the successful re-launch of legacy brand, Splash Studio.
- Managed ticketing and promotional strategy for three grand opening events, raising $7,500 in donations for Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Milwaukee, Milwaukee Bucks Foundation, and USA Curling.
- Implemented Trello for project management, streamlining the marketing team’s workflows and boosting output efficiency.
Marketing Consultant / Premier Practice Consultant – Northwestern Mutual • 2022 to 2023
- Provided tactical and strategic go-to-market consulting to newly formed small businesses, driving measurable growth and long-term success.
- Bridged the gap between sophisticated financial advisors in the field and cross-functional corporate teams including Marketing Materials Compliance, Web Development, and Communications to ensure seamless collaboration as well as regulatory alignment.
- Leveraged project management expertise to help successfully transition over 300 team websites to a new mobile-friendly content management system while optimizing efficiency and maintaining operational continuity.
Marketing & Communications Director – Historic Third Ward Association • 2017 to 2022
Communications Specialist • 2006 to 2013
- Planned and executed numerous public-facing events including World’s Largest Coffee Break, Christmas in the Ward, Gallery Night and Day, and Weddings in the Ward, generating community engagement, goodwill, and economic development.
- Developed a multi-touchpoint sales funnel strategy to increase membership, resulting in a significant 15% increase in resident memberships within three weeks.
- Spearheaded the rebranding of the quarterly city-wide Gallery Night and Day art crawl event into Gallery Night MKE – increasing inclusivity and attendance through a vibrant, photo-filled website redesign.
- Achieved a consistent 40% email open rate through audience segmentation and targeted messaging.
- Modernized marketing technology by integrating SaaS and social media platforms to improve audience engagement.
Digital Marketing Manager – The Bartolotta Restaurants • 2014 to 2017
- Managed digital marketing initiatives for seven new restaurants — including website development, social media accounts, and guest feedback platforms such as Yelp, TripAdvisor, Google.
- Introduced Sprout Social and ti.to for more efficient online social media management and improved ticketing process across 17 restaurants and catering units.
- Created and optimized bi-weekly email newsletters and quarterly direct mail campaigns, enhancing audience engagement and click through rates.
- Conducted research and wrote persuasive sales copy to drive ticket sales and increase event sell-outs.
Marketing Communications Specialist – Johnson Creek Enterprises • 2013 to 2014
- Grew Twitter followers by 20% in two months through enhanced engagement and strategic hashtag utilization contributing to record-breaking Cyber Monday sales.
- Developed engaging blog posts, email newsletters, and social media content focused on clarity and brand messaging.
- Edited and refined corporate selling documents which led to the successful acquisition of the company by Republic Tobacco.
Additional Career History
Project Coordinator – Royal Recognition • 2004 to 2006
Project Assistant – Einhorn Associates • 2001 to 2004
Executive Assistant – Parker Hannifin Corporation | fka Waukesha Rubber Company • 1992-2001
Education
Bachelor of Science, Communications, Minor Business Administration Marketing
Carroll University, Waukesha, Wisconsin
Skills
SaaS, Web CMS, and Automation Platforms
Corporate Communications & Brand Strategy
Project & Event Management
Content & Digital Marketing Strategy
Process Improvement & Technology Integration
Roller Skating