Career Path Of A Social Impact Marketing Manager At Discovery Education

Absolutely. In college, I started at Davidson College, working as an athletic assistant. That experience launched my sports career.

I worked there for two years before transferring to the University of Georgia. There, I shifted from the general athletic department to the athletic academic department and compliance, ensuring student athletes were eligible.

My career path involved building client relationships with student athletes. I supported them through marketing efforts and social impact initiatives, and developed a rapport with them. This experience then transitioned into my professional career.

After college, I wanted to give back, so I joined TFA for a short period. After being in the classroom, I returned to sports and interned with the Atlanta Braves baseball team in a sales role. I also did a lot of social impact work there, which really began my social impact journey.

I have a degree in marketing, so I understood the digital mechanics of marketing. However, I didn't grasp how it contributed to corporate social responsibility, ESG, or social impact. While in that role, I learned how this work could support sports teams and benefit communities.

This was especially true for underrepresented communities who are fans. It also served as a marketing tool to encourage these communities to engage with sports activities and products.

After that, I took that experience to a minor league hockey team affiliated with the Boston Bruins at the time, now with the Nashville Predators. I used my experience from the major league baseball team to build their community platform.

I went from doing social impact marketing to becoming a corporate social responsibility leader, directing a foundation. I managed all community relations programs, worked with corporate partners, and handled fundraising.

I used my sales experience, but pivoted into the nonprofit space instead of for-profit work, like securing tickets for baseball games. Instead, I focused on securing donations to benefit the community, which was a phenomenal experience.

Then, the pandemic hit, and sports learning was in session. I pivoted into tech, using all my experiences to connect corporate partners with an education platform to build free programming for students globally.

Essentially, I've meshed together the skills developed in each role to continue making an impact, but within the technology sector. I leveraged transferable skills from sports to make an impact in a new industry, which was tech.

That's a summary of my career path. It's taken me to many different places, but there's been a consistent through-line of social impact and making a difference in the world.