Kristine Gates

Creative Professional.

Resume

Education

Master of Business Administration – Specialization in Marketing
University of Baltimore – Merrick School of Business

Graduation – December 16, 2019

As a student in the MBA program at the University of Baltimore, I was able to strengthen my analytical and communication skills, and in turn, study how these skills directly impact digital media and customer engagement. By studying marketing and analysis I was able to create a strong knowledge base regarding market data analysis and interpretation, in the context of making complex business decisions. I learned how to create integrated marketing communications strategies to achieve core promotion objectives. Overall, by mastering these skills I can create dynamic marketing solutions for small to medium-size businesses looking to explore integrated digital media strategies that will increase customer engagement and add customer value.

Bachelor of Arts in Art History
Texas State University

Graduation – Spring 2010

Experience

MT Sobek

Digital Design and Strategy Consultant
October 8, 2021 – Currently Employed

Responsibilities

Provide consulting and creative web designs, strategy and marketing, email creation, social media designs and graphics, social video production, and editing.

• Weekly meetings with the web development team and Director of Marketing to discuss web design, user experience, website maintenance, and brand strategy.

• Prepare landing page design and navigation design using Figma, as well as implementing designs on WordPress website.

• Consult on social media and email template design strategy.

Mint Media Agency - Web Designer and Project Manager

Mint Media Agency

Web Marketing Specialist
November 1, 2017 – Currently Employed

Creative web design agency in Annapolis, Maryland specializing in WordPress web design, e-commerce development, and small business marketing.

WordPress Web Designer
• Designing and building custom landing pages for seasonal promotions, new product launches, and multi-step marketing campaigns with WordPress. In this role, I have experienced the entire web design process, new website creation, existing website optimization, and ongoing maintenance strategies. In addition, I have managed social media calendars, creative promotions, engaging posts, writing persuasive headlines, and implementing effective digital campaigns.

Project Manager
• Monthly WordPress management of (5) client websites, social media strategy, social videos, and MailChimp email campaigns. Posting, editing, and optimizing weekly and monthly blog posts. Pitching and designing custom social graphics and impactful social media videos for a variety of client businesses.

Graphic Design
• Creative design of graphics, holiday promotions, social media graphics, animated images, 3D images, icons, business cards, and print media.

Social Video Production and Editing
• Creating animated social media videos optimized for social media engagement and response. Experienced in Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop and Illustrator) and various video editing software.

Email Creation, Strategy, and Marketing
• Concept, design, and creation of email marketing campaigns for company clients. Regular projects included themed seasonal monthly newsletters, holiday promotions, and company announcements.

Maryland Commission on Civil Rights - Secretary III

June 8, 2016 – October 31, 2017
Baltimore, Maryland

Provide administrative support to the Maryland Commission on Civil Rights
Screen telephone calls coming into the agency to decipher if the agency has jurisdiction over the matter the person is trying to file a complaint about
Provide excellent customer service skills to people seeking assistance from the Maryland Commission on Civil Rights and direct calls to the appropriate members of the staff
Prepare and send correspondence to prospective complainants regarding the status of their charge
Prepare and serve complaints and notices to respondents and complainants
Open new cases and input data onto State and Federal databases
Provide and update archiving system for closed and open cases

Law Office of Hunter C. Piel, LLC - Paralegal

December 2015 – June 2016
Towson, Maryland

Investigate post-judgment files to determine collection options
Conduct investigations to determine individuals’ assets, employment records, and other personal information
Draft reports of investigatory report and present findings to attorneys
Maintain and manage caseload of over 200 files for investigation after judgements are issued
Responsible for managing cases in the litigation process and maintaining follow-ups to ensure that matters are moving forward appropriately
Contact parties to litigation and discuss options with regard to debt, offer alternative dispute resolution, and discuss settlement options
Prepare and submit various pleadings and documents to court
Ensure service of documents by service deadlines through our private process server
Input information into multiple databases with high attention to detail
Perform efficiently and at a high level in a fast-past environment and switch tasks as priorities shift throughout the day.

Hartman and Egeli, LLP - Paralegal

January 2012 – December 2015
Annapolis, Maryland

Conducted investigations necessary for successful litigation and post judgement collection
Conducted investigations to determine sufficiency of potential personal injury claims, including obtaining medical records and bills, employment records, and other documentation
Worked independently to obtain and review various records and format data by specific deadlines
Provided support for preliminary suit filing activities: conduct conflict investigation and reports, compile necessary documents to file suit, ensure suit filing within applicable legal deadlines
Conducted independent research projects as assigned by attorneys in various legal areas and provide written reports to present findings
Engaged with clients during the settlement process by preparing settlement proposals for client review and approval, drafting settlement requests from clients to provide to opposing counsel, and disclosing whether the client should take an offer or give a counter offer
Maintained an organized filing system of over 150 files
Organized medical information according to date of appointment, insurance coverage, and total amount paid by client, within client files
Maintained attorneys’ court calendars; schedule and update court dates
Drafted and submitted various pleadings and documents to court
Disbursed money collected to clients once a week and ensured weekly collection goals were met
Corresponded with clients and attorneys in regards to the overall status of cases
Corresponded with co-counsel from firms in different states regarding statuses of cases
Prepared status reports to send to clients on a regular basis

Technical Experience

Over four years of in-depth technical training and implementation with WordPress, WooCommerce, Shopify, Figma, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, Canva, Lumen5, MailChimp, Google Ads, Google Analytics, and Yoast SEO.

Work

Atlantic Marinas

Atlantic Marinas is a family of marinas located on the Magothy River and Patapsco Rivers just outside Annapolis, MD. I led the creative strategy and graphic design for this project while implementing their new brand colors and brand guidelines.

Queenstown Harbor

As a project manager at Mint Media, I collaborated on a brand new WordPress website design and e-commerce platforms for Queenstown Harbor – a popular golf course on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. We used drone video footage, custom photography, and 360° virtual tours to highlight the property features.

Temporary Furnished Apartments

As a web designer at Mint Media, I collaborated with the team and client to create a custom WordPress website for TFA. Custom property profile pages, interactive maps, embedded WalkScore widgets, and instant search features help with website stand out from its competition.

Himmel’s Landscape & Garden Center

At Mint Media, we helped refresh Himmel’s brand and e-commerce website. With a new logo design, WordPress web design, seasonally changing home pages, and a fully integrated WooCommerce store, Himmel’s has figured out a way to stay in front of the competition.

Fichtner Services

At Mint Media, I work as part of the team that manages a monthly maintenance program for Fichtner Services – a roofing repair and installation company in Maryland. In this role I create social graphics, interactive videos, landing pages, and seasonal promotions to boost leads.

CoreLife

At Mint Media, I work as part of a team that designed and launched a brand new website for Core Life – a weight-loss Healthcare company in Maryland. The site is fully responsive included custom landing pages and interactive maps.

Access Nursing

At Mint Media, I worked as part of a team that redesigned, organized, and built a mobile-friendly responsive new WordPress website for Access Nursing. The site included multiple opt-in forms, customer segmentations, and a focus on staff personality.

Bold Ocean

At Mint Media, I worked as part of a team at that designed built and launched a WordPress website for Bold Ocean – an international shipping company based in Annapolis, Maryland. Their new website introduced a powerful new brand and has set them apart as a leader in the industry.

Oars n’ Paddles

At Mint Media, I was the project leader on the Oars ‘n Paddles WordPress website. From concept to design, to implementation and photography management, I was able to take this website from concept to final product.

Core
Competencies

Project Management

Monthly WordPress management of five client websites, social media strategy, social videos, and MailChimp email campaigns. Posting, editing and optimizing weekly and monthly blog posts. Pitching and designing custom social graphics and impactful social media videos for a variety of client businesses.

WordPress Web Design

Designing and building custom landing pages for seasonal promotions, new product launches, and multi-step marketing campaigns with WordPress. Experienced in the entire web design process, new website creation, existing website optimization, and ongoing maintenance strategies. In addition, I experienced managing social media calendars, creative promotions, engaging posts, writing persuasive headlines, and implementing effective campaigns.

Graphic Design

Creative design of graphics, holiday promotion, social media graphics, animated images, 3D images, icons, business cards, and print media.

Social Video Production + Editing

Creating animated social media videos optimized for social media engagement and response. Experienced in Adobe Creative Suite (Photoshop and Illustrator) and various video editing software.

Email Creation Strategy + Marketing

Concept, design, and creation of email marketing campaigns for company clients. Regular projects included themed seasonal monthly newsletters, holiday promotions, and company announcements.

An Overview of My
Professional Experience

For over four years, I have worked at Mint Media Agency, a creative web design agency based in Annapolis, Maryland specializing in WordPress web design, e-commerce development, and small business marketing. I have learned the best practices of web design, embraced the skills of developing responsive web design, and mastered the steps to efficiently execute email marketing campaigns.

Video

Testimonial

“I met John at Mint Media a few years ago when I was working for a different company and needed a web designer. Ever since his team has been my go-to, whether I need a complete redesign or small projects on any of the sites that I manage. Kristine and the team at Mint Media are so responsive and timely in getting back to me if I have questions or need to make changes.

I love their design sense, and their willingness to dig down deep to understand our company’s different business verticals and what’s important to the people we need to reach. I’m so thankful I found Mint Media!”

~Stacey Brumfield
The Brick Companies, Annapolis, MD