It's been another exciting season of growth at SimpsonScarborough, and we are happy to share the newest hires that have joined us in the last few months. Our colleagues have hit the ground running - many joined us at our in-person retreat in Los Angeles at the beginning of June! We are excited to see their work positively impact both the agency and our clients. Join us in welcoming these great individuals by reading more about their backgrounds below.
We welcomed David Harrell to the team in August. As Associate Creative Director of Copy, he helps come up with "the big ideas" and leads the verbal aspects of brand development for the clients in his studio. David has spent most of his career in copywriting—in-house, agency, and freelance—and was drawn to SimpsonScarborough's research-based approach.
Currently based in Chicago, David received his BA in French from Indiana University, and a DALF certification from Université Lumière Lyon 2. A memorable lesson David learned in college was that the impassioned (though frequently silly) discussions that happen after class could be as meaningful as the class itself.
David shared that his first job was detasseling corn (making him a good midwesterner). He also doesn't recommend detasseling corn. Let's just say we'll take his word for it.
La'Quasha Dixon (she/her) is our new Associate Director of Media Strategy, where she will strategize media implementation in media campaigns and client processes. She holds a BA in Mass Media and Women & Gender Studies from University of South Carolina, a Masters in Public Relations and Digital Media from Full Sail University, and a Doctorate in Psychology from Walden University.
Located in Columbia, SC, La'Quasha loves to watch the Nanny, and joins many others in the agency with her love of coffee. She also once auditioned for Shark Tank!
Prior to joining SimpsonScarborough, Phillip worked at Jackson Marketing as a Senior Media Specialist. He resides in New Jersey, and loves to read mafia novels and collect stickers.
Jake Wise (he/him) is SimpsonScarborough's newest Production Designer. Jake will be working with directors and project managers to assist in creating campaign assets. He will also work with our agency’s marketing team to create presentation assets and marketing collateral. Jake previously worked as a freelance designer and a graphic designer for Embee Media. He wanted to join the SimpScar team because he was intrigued by the higher education field, and heard amazing things about the team.
Jake received his BFA in Advertising & Graphic Design from the Columbus College of Art & Design. He still resides in Columbus, and in his spare time is a ceramicist and a plant lover.
Tim Jones (he/him) is our first Director of Digital Content. In this new role, Tim will help clients embrace a content-first approach that makes their university websites remarkable, digging into the strategy, story, substance, and structure of content to help bring brands to life with every word.
For the past 2 years Tim has been in a B2B higher ed-focused promotional marketing company, and before that, he was the Chief Communications and Integrated Marketing Officer at Beloit College in Wisconsin.
Tim holds a BA in English from Mary Washington College (now the University of Mary Washington). There, he spent a lot of time on the concert committee, setting up stages and running hospitality for some fantastic talent. Tim is a lifelong football (soccer if you must) and Bayern Munich fan. He also loves to collect fountain pens and ink, and confesses to having a mild obsession with paper quality.
Corynn Myers (she/her) joined us in early June as our first Director of Brand Strategy, where she will provide strategic oversight on the development of higher education brand platforms, messaging architecture, brand experiences, and content strategies. Prior to SimpScar, Corynn created multi-channel content strategies for national brands at Convince and Convert and before that, oversaw strategy at the University of Michigan as the Associate Director of Marketing. She joined the SimpScar team for the opportunity to come back to Higher Ed full-time and pursue her love of brand, content, and experience strategy.
Corynn received her AA from Monroe County Community College (MCCC), her BA from the University of Toledo, and her MA from Austin Peay State University. As a pre-engineering freshman at MCCC, Corynn took a communications course taught by an incredible professor who made her fall in love with communications and changed the entire trajectory of her career. That experience shaped Corynn's belief in the power of education and, just as important, the power of educators.
Corynn and her family reside in Canton, MI. In her free time, she loves to go antiquing with her husband and also serves as the Vice President of Softball for her area's Little League.
De'Awn Bunch (she/her) is our newest Account Director and serves as the primary point of contact for her clients, ensuring that projects move in the right direction. De'Awn received her Bachelor of Business Administration from Emory University's Goizueta Business School, and her MBA from Houston Bauer College of Business. Her favorite part of college was immediately feeling the impact of people, culture, and connectedness as soon as she stepped on her undergrad campus.
Prior to joining SimpScar, De'Awn worked as a communication consultant for AIG. She has also worked in various marketing and communication roles in higher ed, most recently as the associate Vice President for Marketing and Communications at University of Houston - Clear Lake.
Residing in Houston, TX, De'Awn loves arts and crafts and also enjoys playing and watching basketball. She also says she has a love-hate relationship with running half-marathons (we are sure the SimpScar running club will convince her that it's "love" after all!)
Jason Gonzales (he/him) recently started as Associate Creative Director, Copy. He will lead and work alongside a talented team of creatives to give higher ed brands a voice and identity that build meaningful relationships with their students. Prior to SimpScar, Jason worked at Push, a branding agency, where he led campaigns for Sonny's BBQ, Olive Garden, Corkcicle, and others. Prior to that, he helped develop digital campaigns for Hertz at FKQ Advertising and developed shopper marketing campaigns for Chobani and Hillshire at The Mars Agency.
Jason earned a BA in English from the University of Michigan where he learned the value and power of compelling storytelling - the essential building block of empathy and human connection. He currently resides in Winter Park, FL and when he's not working, he continues to create for himself through writing, ideating, and even voiceover work!
John Sokorai (he/him) joins us as Associate Creative Director, Design. He will help reestablish higher ed brands and reimagine how they are interpreted visually.. John holds a BS in Graphic Design Communication from Thomas Jefferson University, and says the most impactful moment from his education was knowing that anyone or anything could lead to limitless inspiration.
Prior to joining SimpScar, John worked at MindStream Interactive and is looking forward to getting back into the higher education sphere with this role. John and his family reside in Columbus, OH, and likes to run and fish in his spare time.
Katelyn Prete (she/her) joins the growing Analytics team as a Junior Analyst. She will help build analytics reports, collect and manage data, and support the development of analytics strategy and documentation. She holds a BA in Data Science with an emphasis in Business Analytics from the College of Charleston.
Prior to joining SimpScar, Katelyn worked as an office assistant and marketing campaign manager at National Tax Group. She was drawn to joining SimpScar for both the job and the company culture. Katelyn currently lives in Charlotte, NC where she cultivates her love of sustainable and vintage fashion, and hopefully will be getting a cat soon.
Adam Mothersbaugh (he/him) is our newest Junior Analyst. In this role, Adam will help uncover insights that drive big ideas and our ability to measure success. He comes to us from WebFX where he served as an Internet Marketing Analyst, and is excited to join an agency that combines his greatest passions (marketing, education, and data).
Adam Mothersbaugh (he/him) is our newest Junior Analyst. In this role, Adam will help uncover insights that drive big ideas and our ability to measure success. He comes to us from WebFX where he served as an Internet Marketing Analyst, and is excited to join an agency that combines his greatest passions (marketing, education, and data).
Adam holds a BS in Mathematics and Secondary Education Studies from Juanita College. He says his most impactful moment in his higher education journey was an internship in which he helped create a mobile math museum to educate students on the mathematics that govern various natural phenomena. Residing in Mount Joy, PA, Adam is a self-professed spicy food fan. In fact, a few years ago, he completed a hot wing challenge that consisted of 6 hot wings that scored 500,000 on the Scoville scale!
Kerri Shook (she/her) joins us as an Enrollment Strategist. In this new role, she will help clients with enrollment marketing strategies that translate into recommendations and integrated media campaigns, and also support larger branding and marketing work. Prior to joining the agency, Kerri worked at various universities and higher ed marketing agencies. She was drawn to SimpScar because of the agency's work and the folks that she's met throughout the years.
Kerri Shook (she/her) joins us as an Enrollment Strategist. In this new role, she will help clients with enrollment marketing strategies that translate into recommendations and integrated media campaigns, and also support larger branding and marketing work. Prior to joining the agency, Kerri worked at various universities and higher ed marketing agencies. She was drawn to SimpScar because of the agency's work and the folks that she's met throughout the years.
Kerri earned a BS in Communication and Journalism from Appalachian State University (in just 3 years!), and a Masters in Digital Communication from UNC Chapel Hill. Part of her educational journey was a thesis on enrollment marketing for racially and ethnically diverse student recruitment - she hopes to continue to research and pursue this topic in her career.
Be sure to reach out and congratulate the newest members of our team. And check out our careers page for our latest career opportunities (remember, we're a fully remote agency) — we currently have seven openings!
