# Lise Dykes (@lhdonline.bsky.social)

Profile: https://sifa.id/p/lhdonline.bsky.social
Headline: Director of Communications & Creative Strategy | 30+ Years Building Brands, Teams & Campaigns for Mission-Driven Organizations

## About

I build communications functions that work—the strategy, the systems, the team, and the content—for organizations doing work that matters.I've led communications and marketing programs for nonprofits, higher ed, associations, and mission-driven orgs across the DC metro area and nationally. My background spans the full communications lifecycle: brand strategy and narrative development, integrated campaign planning, editorial direction, digital and social media, CRM and email marketing, multimedia production, and executive advisory work.

What sets me apart is that creative has always been connected to strategy. I've spent three decades working across both: directing visual design, UX, multimedia production, and environmental installations alongside communications strategy, editorial direction, and brand governance. For organizations with lean teams or limited agency budgets, that integration matters: you get tighter alignment between message and execution than you'd typically get from a single leader.

What I bring that's harder to put in a bullet: I'm someone who can hold strategy and execution together without either suffering. I've built brand voices from scratch, mentored communications teams, advised presidents and executive directors, and also written the copy, designed the campaign, managed the vendor, and fixed the workflow when it needed fixing. If you're looking to fill a Director and/or VP-level communications/brand/marketing role and you're building something worth communicating, I'd love to talk.

## Career

- **Director of Communications and Creative Strategy at Capitol Technology University** (Oct 2024 - Present)
  Lead university-wide marketing, communications, and brand strategy in partnership with executive leadership.
  • Drive integrated, omnichannel campaigns across digital, print, video, social, and environmental channels to increase enrollment, visibility, and engagement
  • Lead and mentor a cross-functional team of staff, contractors, and student employees, balancing strategic direction with hands-on creative oversight
  • Manage budgets, vendors, and resources while optimizing workflows and improving delivery timelines
  • Establish and enforce brand standards, accessibility compliance (WCAG/Section 508), and creative quality across all communications
  • Collaborate with admissions, advancement, faculty, and student life to align marketing initiatives with institutional priorities
- **Founder, Creative Director (Consulting) at LHDonline** (Dec 1995 - Present)
  Crofton, MD
  Founded and continue to lead an active creative consultancy delivering brand, marketing, and digital strategy for enterprise, nonprofit, healthcare, and education clients.
  • Serve as senior advisor on brand strategy, UX/UI design, accessibility, and omnichannel communications
  • Direct distributed creative teams and manage budgets, timelines, and vendor partnerships
  • Lead design and development of responsive websites, email campaigns, and scalable social media systems
  • Partner with executive stakeholders to solve complex communications, workflow, and visibility challenges
  • Selected clients include Conde Nast, Six Flags, CAMRIS International, International Literacy Association, PowellTate, and Access Intelligence
- **Creative and Multimedia Director at JBS International, Inc.** (Feb 2022 - Mar 2024)
  US
  Oversaw enterprise creative and editorial operations supporting national healthcare, justice, and equity initiatives.
  • Scaled internal agency services by 300% through workflow redesign, staffing strategy, and operational optimization
  • Led corporate website redesigns and large-scale digital initiatives in partnership with internal teams and external vendors
  • Developed organizational standards for accessibility, editorial quality, and ethical use of AI
  • Recruited, trained, and managed multidisciplinary creative and editorial teams
  • Partnered with senior stakeholders to improve creative quality, consistency, and delivery across programs
- **Senior Graphic Designer at Chesapeake Bay Foundation** (Sep 2015 - Feb 2022)
  Annapolis, MD
  Delivered award-winning creative supporting fundraising, advocacy, and engagement initiatives.
  • Designed and art-directed integrated campaigns that increased revenue by 25%
  • Created digital and social campaigns re-engaging 2,300+ lapsed supporters and generating $182K+ in revenue
  • Built responsive email design systems supporting accessibility compliance and engagement growth
  • Provided creative leadership, mentoring, and quality control for staff, interns, and vendors
  • Consulted on digital project management, accessibility standards, and workflow optimization
- **Early Career Roles (Design, Research, Publications at Various** (1992 - 1996)
  Built a strong foundation in editorial, research, and visual communications.
  • Designed and produced print and multimedia materials for academic and nonprofit organizations
  • Supported grant development, training materials, and publication workflows
  • Managed print schedules, budgets, and vendor coordination

## Skills

### Other
- Accessibility
- Accessible PDFs
- Adobe Creative Suite
- Adobe InDesign
- Adobe Photoshop
- Advertising
- Art Direction
- Brand Management
- Brand Strategy
- Branding
- Branding & Identity
- Brochures
- Cascading Style Sheets (CSS)
- CMS
- Communications Planning
- Content Strategy
- Copywriting
- Corporate Identity
- Creative Direction
- Creative Strategy
- Cross-functional Team Leadership
- Design Team Coordination
- Design Thinking
- Digital Marketing
- Direct Mail
- Donor Communication
- Editing
- Editorial Direction
- Email Marketing
- Executive-level Communication
- Graphic Design
- HTML
- HTML Emails
- Integrated Marketing
- Leadership
- Logo Design
- Magazines
- Marketing Campaign Management
- Media Relations
- Mentoring
- Microsoft Word
- Newsletters
- Nonprofit Organizations
- Online Advertising
- Operating Budgets
- People Management
- Persuasive Presentations
- Print
- Project Management
- Recruitment
- Research
- Resource Management
- Responsive Web Design
- SEO
- Social Media
- Social Media Marketing
- Staff Development
- Stakeholder Engagement
- Strategic Communications
- Team Leadership
- Typography
- User Experience (UX)
- User Interface Design
- User-centered Design
- Visual Design
- Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG)
- Web Content Management
- Web Design
- Web Development
- WordPress

## Education

- **Washington Bible College** — BA, Journalism/Design (Aug 1989 - May 1993)
  Activities & Societies: Student Government, Choir/Chamber Singers, Drama

## Links

- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lhdonline/
- Website: http://lhdonline.com