Western Springs, Illinois, United States
Award-winning Creative Director with 20+ years of experience delivering high-impact creative across brand, digital, and integrated marketing campaigns. Expert in creative direction, brand development, and visual design systems, translating complex business objectives into compelling work that drives engagement and performance. Known for leading high-performing teams in fast-paced, deadline-driven environments, consistently delivering exceptional quality at speed. Leverages AI-driven workflows to scale production, optimize execution, and deliver efficient, data-informed creative across digital, social, and performance marketing channels.
Lead creative strategy and execution for the Retirement division at TIAA, a leading Fortune 100 retirement organization with over $1 trillion in assets under management, delivering retirement and wealth management solutions at scale. Direct a high-performing in-house team of designers, copywriters, and strategists to produce brand-defining, performance-driven creative within a highly regulated financial services environment. Provide hands-on leadership across creative direction, brand strategy, UX/UI design, and integrated campaign development, while driving resource planning, workflow optimization, and operational efficiency. Own end-to-end brand storytelling across digital marketing, omnichannel campaigns, advertising, events, and content ecosystems—ensuring consistency, accessibility, and alignment with enterprise brand standards. Partner cross-functionally with marketing, product, compliance, and executive stakeholders, as well as external agencies, to deliver data-driven creative solutions that enhance customer experience (CX), strengthen brand equity, and generate measurable business impact. Recruit, mentor, and scale creative talent, fostering a culture of innovation, accountability, and continuous improvement across design and copy disciplines.
Oversaw and led the direction of the in-house design department by conceptualizing and producing websites, web ads and print materials such as annual reports, advertisements, fact sheets, white papers and investment brochures. Collaborated with CEO, CMO and department heads to define and establish creative direction of diverse marketing, corporate, and public communications collateral. Developed and maintained corporate branding for campaigns and internal/external communication initiatives, including various projects in association with our corporate sponsorship with the Chicago Bulls. Filmed, directed, edited and produced video content for social media, events and company website. Increased department efficiency by over 70% through automation of production on data-driven materials. Established branding and marketing plan of ETF product launches, rolling out 25 new B2C exchange-traded funds. Defined the creative blueprint for a joint investment venture featuring NBA star Giannis Antetokounmpo with the launch of the Calamos Antetokounmpo Global Sustainable Equities ETF and mutual fund.
Elton’s Designs was the In-house design agency for Weber Shandwick Chicago. Clients included Kraft, Unilever, Campbell’s, SC Johnson, Harley Davidson, Mars, got milk? and Genetech. Designed, created, and supported technical implementation of animated evites, websites, web ads, press kits, HTML emails, interactive presentations, and multimedia CDs projects. Facilitated brainstorming sessions to establish project direction and design strategies. Worked directly with Weber Shandwick Project Managers to coordinate milestones and ensure delivery within strict timeline, budget, and customer goals.
Clients included American Express, Kansas City Power & Light and Sprint. Designed and executed print and electronic materials for Blades and their clients, including logos, press kits, Web sites, advertisements, identity collateral and brochures
Provided design, production and creative support for all areas of the foundation’s communications department, including brochures, posters, advertisements, videos and Web site Worked along with other communications specialists and vendors to make sure all details of the job were completed correctly and on deadline