Great storytelling gives people a reason to care. For Purdue Convocations, I’ve used storytelling to turn organizational priorities into human-centered creative that connects audiences with the people, ideas, and impact behind our work. Why I Give uses personal stories to communicate the meaningful impact of giving, making philanthropy feel less like a transaction and more like a personal connection to the organization’s mission. For Staging Our Future, Convocations’ development plan, storytelling helped articulate a larger vision for the organization’s future—connecting its aspirations and strategic priorities to the people and community who could help make them possible.

Across both projects, my role was to help shape the story, determine how it should be told visually, and create communications that made complex or organizational messages feel clear, authentic, and compelling. To me, storytelling is one of the most powerful tools a creative leader has: it can clarify strategy, build trust, inspire action, and turn an organization’s goals into something people can see themselves being part of.