1. Rachel R. Whitman
4964 Emmit Dr. N. Unit 8
Hugo, MN 55038
612-384-3246
RachelRWhitman@gmail.com
Summary
Communications professional with experience as a strategic member of branding and
image development teams within the publishing industry. Highly effective copywriter for
advertising and corporate publications. Organized and effective product manager for
large scale national marketing endeavors with an emphasis on results tracking. Excels in
social media development, strategic planning and public relations. Known for exceptional
internal and external customer care.
Professional Experience
Augsburg Fortress Publishers, Minneapolis, MN 2004-2009
Augsburg Fortress is the publishing partner of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in
America—providing products and services that serve congregations across North
America and Canada.
Product Designer (Sparkhouse—an imprint of Augsburg Fortress)
2009
• Revolutionized product development process by partnering with and uniting
environmental education experts, writers, and early childhood development
experts to create a new product line in a workshop format. The process
innovation saved $100,000+ in development costs and was adopted for all new
products prospectively released.
• Created a children’s curriculum (ReNew: the Green VBS) centered in
environmental advocacy. Developed, branded, produced and marketed the
product in 8 months using the principles of design thinking. Successfully built an
online fan base of over 250 members using facebook, blogger, and Ning social
media platforms. www.wearesparkhouse.org/renew
• Wrote advertising copy that appeared in industry related periodicals, banner
advertisements on popular industry related websites, and email campaigns,
resulting in market visibility and product sales.
• Executive producer of all video work for the ReNew product line—writer, talent
supervisor and producer while on set filming ReNew commercials and product
overview videos.
Marketing Communications Specialist 2008-2009
• Social networking site administrator responsible for creating social networking
sites to expand Augsburg Fortress’ market reach. Served as the company’s voice
for 4 new product lines, resulting in effectively communicating with hundreds of
customers and increasing sales.
2. Rachel R. Whitman
4964 Emmit Dr. N. Unit 8
Hugo, MN 55038
612-384-3246
RachelRWhitman@gmail.com
• Responsible for managing all corporate branding efforts for internal and external
communications—helping to launch new company logo, color palette, and
mission statement. Effectively communicated the new brand via the company
catalog, website, email campaigns and printed mailings.
Marketing Coordinator 2006-2008
• Managed the life cycle and coordinated all marketing communications projects
for the entire marketing team. In 2008, 687 projects were executed, 97% were
completed on time or ahead of schedule.
• Marketing team copyeditor, effectively producing copy for advertisements,
catalogs, press releases and enewsletter content. Resulted in defining a voice
and point of view for 12 Augsburg Fortress brands.
• Switched project databases from FileMaker Pro to Microsoft SharePoint to
improve process efficiency and project organization.
Customer Service Supervisor 2005-2006
• Responsible for maintaining a call center of 30 employees, handling over 1800
calls a day. Hired, trained, coached and reviewed staff. Resulted in the creation
of a training manual and online training database for all customer service and
inside sales staff.
• Trained by the MN Employer’s Association—completed Supervision I and II
courses, emphasized employee coaching, resulted in the promotion of four of my
12 direct reports.
Customer Service Education Specialist 2004-2005
• Served in call center, specifically handling calls pertaining to Augsburg Fortress’
Education product lines.
• Recognized by Augsburg Fortress for call quality and ability to upsell
consistently, resulting in an annual $25,000 increase in total sales revenue.
Education
BA, Journalism, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 2005
Affiliations
Board Member, Kantorei Chamber Choir, 2009-present
Computer Skills
MS Word, PowerPoint, FileMaker Pro, MS SharePoint, Excel, Outlook, Photoshop,
Illustrator, Acrobat
