Quick Interview: view Salary range: $50,000 to $75,000 Willing to relocate: No Years of related job experience: 25 Highest degree earned: BA, Public Relations (pending) Software: Use Adobe Creative Suite, including Photoshop, Lightroom, InDesign, Illustrator, Flash, and Dreamweaver, to create illustrations, signage, photography editing, layouts, schematics, floor plans, logos, and other artwork. Create and edit videos using Final Cut. Develop databases with Filemaker and Knack. Manage documents, mail merges, spreadsheets, and presentations using Microsoft Office, Pages, Numbers, and Keynote. Manage sales process using Salesforce. Basic accounting using Quickbooks.
Deanna Burks is an award-winning event professional with over 25 years of experience in event planning and design. She applies her artistic skills and business acumen to yield solutions that work. Deanna helps companies get noticed, improve sales, and increase event attendance.
EMPLOYMENT HISTORY
Organization: Please reach us for these details! Location: Hendersonville, TN Job title: Owner Years and months employed: 19 Year(s) Responsibilities: Owner, Creative Director, Event Planner, and Floral Designer for a boutique design firm specializing in event planning and rentals. Clients include individuals and corporate clients including Barge Waggoner Sumner & Cannon, RC Mathews Contractor, The YMCA of Middle Tennessee, MoveStrong Fitness, CSX, Dane Fitness, and Metro Water Department. Provides event design and planning, social media marketing, website design, print and paper goods design.
Sales & Marketing
Market services to potential clients through social media, website, workshops, and trade shows. Meet with clients to determine their needs and develop a customized approach based on needs, goals, and budget. Develop proposal and agreement outlining scope of work to ensure the goal is understood by all parties.
Event Planning
Gather information to create client profile. Develop initial budgetary guidelines, anticipate problems that might cause spending to exceed budget and inform client about solutions, and provide client project financials throughout the project to ensure spending is on track. Develop and track the progress of planning milestones.
Collaborate with others to drive event attendance, ensure that creative goals are continually met and are on track, and establish positive and highly productive working relationships with entire team. Plan and deliver oral and written communications that make an impact and persuade their intended audiences. Provide clear creative direction. Offer timely and helpful feedback to improve creative processes to keep work on budget and schedule.
Designs memorable guest experiences conducive to building brand reputation, generation of leads, increasing sales, or attendance of future events.
Negotiate agreements and follow up with others to ensure that commitments are fulfilled.
Coordination
Utilize database and website development skills to manage the workflow between clients and vendors. Create detailed micro and macro: timelines, drawings, and layouts. Confirm information is complete and accurate. Ensure that information is passed on to others who should be kept informed.
Design
Manages the entire creative process including event design, paper goods, florals, signage, website, and social media posts. Evaluate goals and design authentically and thoughtfully. Create mood boards to explore options with client. Develop design aesthetics through selection of color palettes, furnishings and decor, lighting, florals, typography, calligraphy, and paper.
Studies the creative marketplace. Assesses everyday trending, styles, pop-culture, and inspiration gathering. Drives constant improvements in creative quality and capabilities.
Notable Projects
CSX Transportation Earth Day
Retained by CSX to promote their environmental focus. Used several coordinated strategies to promote the company’s sustainability, including award-winning, 24-page book and three consecutive Earth Day events. Earth Day events showcased CSX’s environmental focus through exhibits, posters, videos, speakers, and student participation. Transformed CSX’s Jacksonville headquarters lobby into a rainforest, with thatched huts, trees, animals, and educational features about CSX’s environmental stewardship. Coordinated student participation at three schools in Nashville and Jacksonville, where students created artwork celebrating the environment. The Earth Day events, unlike anything CSX had done before, were attended by more than 300 employees, the public, the mayor of Jacksonville, and other local dignitaries. The book was awarded a Gold Ink Award, the print industry’s most prestigious award, and a Parthenon Award, Nashville’s communication award competition.
YMCA of Middle Tennessee After Breast Cancer Program
Increased giving for YMCA of Middle Tennessee private fundraising event through design by creating a welcoming and intimate atmosphere. The result: fundraising goal was met and helped facilitate bringing the ABC program to the Sumner County Family YMCA. Raised $10k in a three-hour event.
Dane Fitness
Increased sales of client Dane Fitness from a deficit in the first two years to sales in excess of $1.6 million per year through strategic marketing efforts including website design, social media marketing, and event design and planning. Developed a database design that automates customer service requests and workflow.
Metro Water Department
Designed annual water quality report, road signage, new customer handbook and newsletters. Received Parthenon Awards.
Organization: SunTrust Bank Location: Nashville, TN Job title: Creative Director & Event Planner/Designer Years and months employed: 25 Year(s) Responsibilities: Creative Director for one of the nation’s largest banking organizations, serving a broad range of clients. Designed and managed marketing graphics and campaigns for major financial institution. Developed branding for rollout of new financial programs and designed product displays, brochures, and related promotional materials.
EDUCATION
Institution Name: David Lipscomb University Location: Nashville, TN Degree earned: BA, Public Relations (pending) Major/Concentration: Public Relations
Institution Name: Nashville State Technical School Location: Nashville, TN Degree earned: Major/Concentration: Graphic Design
