When we formed SimpsonScarborough in 2006, it was fair to say that higher education marketing was in its infancy. And it’s no coincidence that as it reaches its adolescence, our agency has grown along with it. The reason is simple—the best higher education brands are built, measured, refined, and expressed through research. Colleges and universities need insights to inform strategies, seek out what sets their institutions apart, measure their impact, and bring skeptical academics along with them on the brand journey.
As the industry has matured, we have added more services as our clients have needed them. In 2014, we began to go deeper on strategy and offer creative services. This summer, we’ve made several additional changes that will allow SimpsonScaborough to continue to grow and serve the industry we’re so deeply committed to.
First, we refined the role of our agency partners. I’ll be truly taking on a CEO role, working with university presidents and chancellors to define and build their marketing teams and strategies and provide a vision for SimpsonScarborough’s continued growth that makes sure we are able to support our clients at the highest levels. Jason Simon is now our Chief Operating Officer, overseeing our work, client relationships, and 30+ member team. And as our Chief Marketing Officer, Dana Edwards will handle all of our marketing and business development, finding new clients who could benefit the most from our partnership.
While we’ve quickly grown from a small team to a full-service, integrated agency, we continue to expand, hiring people who are not only the best and brightest but those who share our passion and commitment to higher education. This summer alone we added five talented professionals, and we’re excited to tell you about them.
Matt McFadden is our new Vice President of Strategy and Account Planning. He came to us from Up & Up, a higher ed branding and marketing agency in Greenville, SC. When I first met Matt, he convinced me to try rice and beans at the Baton Rouge airport, and I knew right then and there that he had to be on our team. Matt will apply his 20+ years of experience, including work with loads of colleges and universities, to leading our team of AVPs, Senior Strategists, and Account Teams.
Cole Londeree is our new Associate Creative Director (Design). She is a talented, award-winning designer who has worked with cool brands like the Greater Columbus Arts Council, ProMusica Chamber Orchestra, and Susan G. Komen, in addition to working with schools like Carnegie Mellon, Denison, and University of North Carolina. Fun facts about Cole include that she has a twin, has a particular talent in hand-lettering and paper arts, and is an expert in curated craft cocktail products and experiences (trust me, you want to try one of her creations!).
Emma Miller joined us as a Senior Account Executive from Butler/Till, a digital marketing agency, where she worked her way up from an assistant account executive to a senior account executive role. Emma knows SimpsonScarborough’s work well, as she worked with our team when we partnered with Butler/Till on several previous projects. She earned her B.A. in Communication from University at Buffalo and has all the traits of a great account manager, including the fact that her greatest fear is clutter.
Jack Edgar is also a new Account Executive. Jack spent the last five years working in advancement at William & Mary, where he tirelessly managed volunteers and worked to engage the 25,000+ alumni in the DC metro area. He also earned his degree in Marketing and Sociology at William & Mary. Jack’s personal motto is, “If you’re going to do something, do it right,” which is related to his proudest accomplishment: he had perfect school attendance in 1999.
Alec Smith started interning with us in May and was so impressive that we offered him a full-time position. His dream job is to be a general manager for a major league baseball team, but for now he’s happy to settle for Assistant Account Executive at SimpsonScarborough. Alec graduated from University of South Carolina, where he majored in Marketing and Entrepreneurial Management. While at USC he studied abroad in Copenhagen and Spain and worked in the Off-Campus Student Services office.
We are continuing our growth and expansion, actively seeking to fill three more positions that are located at our headquarters in Alexandria, VA, just outside of Washington, DC. We’re in search of an AVP of Research, or VP if you are super talented and experienced (#superdatageek). We also need another right-fit Account Executive and a Qualitative Research Coordinator. If you’re interested in joining SimpsonScarborough or know someone who would be a good fit, please let us know!
