Mary Ridgway, MFA is an accomplished Art Director and Visual Designer with over two decades of experience in higher education. Mary has honed her expertise in brand management, innovative design solutions, writing, and art direction. Her diverse skill set encompasses project management, marketing, and market research and strategy, making her a versatile asset in any creative endeavor. Mary's proficiency in Adobe Creative Suite, coupled with her extensive knowledge of print and digital design, ensures the delivery of exceptional results. Known for her collaborative leadership style, Mary is a mentor and coach who fosters an environment where creativity thrives. Mary Ridgway's commitment to excellence, coupled with her extensive background, positions her as an invaluable creative force. With a keen eye for detail and a strategic mindset, she consistently delivers designs that resonate and captivate audiences.

Art Director | Visual Designer | Graphic Design | Project Management | Brand Management | Writing | Licensing | Marketing Research & Strategy | Web & Digital Ads & Apps | Illustration | Campaigns | Logos | Higher Education | Environmental Graphics | Presentations & Posters | Brochures | Templates | Print | CMYK | Promotional | Publications | Reports | Research graphics | Contract Management | Catalogs | Annual Reports | Fabrication & Casting | Signs, Billboards, Exhibits & Displays | Medical Graphics | Instructional Graphics | Logo design| Typography | Social Media | Microsoft Office | Drawing | Design production | AI applications

• Creative director, project manager, and strategic communications specialist.
• Over ten years designing, managing, and leading in-house, higher-education P.R., strategic marketing, communications, and publications departments, providing expert art direction, brand management, and innovative design solutions. 
• Seeking full-time position for an organization that expects agility, brand consistency, problem-solving, and delivering products on time and within budget.

CORE COMPETENCIES
• Graphic Design		• Branding			        • Sculpture/Jewelry design/3D  		
• Print/Digital Marketing	• Licensing & Advertising	• Sales/customer service
• Project Management 	• Coaching/Mentoring		• Product knowledge

SOFTWARE PROFICIENCIES
• Adobe Creative Suite	• Microsoft Office		• Keynote, PowerPoint
• Basecamp			• Zoom				• Lexus Nexus News Desk		

EXPERIENCE

Shift Lead/Servatii’s
Location: Cincinnati, OH							April 2022-May 2023

Pause in my career. Training, coaching, mentoring, associates, product sales and order fulfillment; end-of-day inventory counting and documenting stales; preparing, packaging, and restocking products; quality control; securing the store at closing; cash register and change bag reconciliation; preparing the store for the next day’s business.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS
• Part of a team that improved store sales rankings from last to middle of more than 15 stores.
• Learned about approximately 2,000 products
• Provide positive encouragement and support to lower-ranking team members

Visual Artist/Freelancer							June 2020 – Present
Location: Cincinnati, OH

Self-employed freelance graphic designer and also a broker for a business that liquidated beads, lapidary material, and mineral specimens.

FORT HAYS STATE UNIVERSITY (multiple positions) University Relations and Marketing, Hays, KS

Strategic Communications Specialist					July 2019 – Jul 2020
FHSU is a top-ranked state Regents university located in western Kansas with a current enrollment of about 16K students. I developed strategic media deliverables in multiple formats across various platforms (print, digital, social media, etc.).
ACCOMPLISHMENTS
• Developed high-profile executive presentation deliverables (e.g., talking points, university strategic plans, reports, and digital and print presentation materials.)
• Lead media researcher using Lexus Nexus News Desk to identify strategic advantages such as comparative data with competitors, accessing new markets, and opportunities for building the school’s reputation.
• Content writing for news releases, the university blog, and the university magazine.
• Significantly increased royalty revenues for the licensing program.
• Designepracticalve, customized projects including advertising, exhibits, transportation graphics, and packaging.
• Improved brand logo art files to make them more efficient and work for a broader range of vendors and products.

Project Manager								Feb 2016 – Jul 2019		
Managed the university’s in-house licensing program, advertising sales and tracking for the university magazine, and billboard lease contracts. Also designed and wrote for advertising and branded deliverables for adjunct university units.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS
• Doubled the number of licensed vendors and branded product availability by 60% in less than a year, making the program profitable again.
• Grew the billboard lease program by 400%.
• Pre-sold ad space for the university’s magazine, ROAR, three times more than required ($22K) before the first issue’s publication and continued to oversell for future issues. 
• Designed for adjunct university departments such as museums, alumni, et.al.

Creative Director								Aug 1992 – Feb 2016
Lead designer and senior creative management for the entire university. Advanced from graphic artist, graphic designer, art director to creative director. Conceptualized and consistently designed high-quality, award-winning deliverables for recruiting, building reputation, and increasing revenue. Did all job intake and project management, managed creative staff, computer equipment, billboard design and contracts, production schedules, and print contracts. Developed, wrote, and addressed identity/graphics/brand standards. Researched competitors, identified production resources, wrote bid specifications, and developed practical and creative concepts. 
ACCOMPLISHMENTS
• Created the current logo and launched the brand for Fort Hays State University. 
• Contributed to increasing student enrollment from 5,000 to more than 15,000.
• Supervised, trained, and mentored more than 50 student designers. 
• Earned more than 20 design awards.
• Introduced branding, identity standards, direct-to-plate printing technology, digital archiving, in-house licensing program, and digital project management and managed up to 600 projects annually.
• Set an example by providing a supportive, collaborative, bottom-up leadership style, with my main goal of helping people flourish and succeed. Worked closely with designers, photographers, web managers, copywriters, vendors, stylists, and clients to produce superior deliverables.

ADDITIONAL EMPLOYMENT
Wright State University, Dayton, OH, Publications, Designer
Wright State University, Dayton, OH, Instructional graphics, Graphic Artist/Illustrator
Wright State University, Dayton, OH, College of Medicine Graphics, Graphic Artist/Medical Illustrator

EDUCATION 
Fort Hays State University 	MFA in Sculpture, Jewelry 
DePauw University		BA in Art/Graphic Design 
Wright State University 	Certificate in Professional Writing

ADDITIONAL TRAINING AND EDUCATION posted on LinkedIn