J

jGadus Design

This Show’s Been Running for a While, so Let’s Start at the Beginning.

We’re going to do this ‘work history’ thing a little differently. I’m going to start you off at the beginning so you can experience the growth along with me.

2007

Advertising Experience

Digital Art Director

I thought it would be super cool to be one of those super cool kids who work at a super cool ad agency. So, I freelanced for a few of them, splitting my work between print & digital. Freelancing full time in advertising meant I was putting in some really long hours, so eventually (in 2009) I accepted a full-time gig at an agency that specialized in food advertising for international brands like Kellogg’s, Tyson, and McCain Potatoes.‎

As the company’s first Digital Art Director, I helped stop the outsourcing of digital creative by opening their first in-house digital design and production shop. We saved a ton of cash with that approach.‎

2013

Internal Marketing Experience

Web Design Manager

Working in advertising was great, but it was time for a change. I decided to accept a marketing position with a SaaS company. There, I managed & led multiple rebranding initiatives, and the combination of 28 international websites into one cohesive design (and the production work to make it happen).

2014

Diving Deeper into Tech

Principal UX Designer

Cision’s brand was finally stable and it had merged with Vocus to become the biggest PR software powerhouse (dare I say…) in the world.‎

After managing international marketing experiences, I wanted to apply what I had learned to the products. I wanted to help Cision dig deeper into the mind of the consumer and really understand how—after we’ve caught their eye with our marketing—we could keep them engaged by creating usable, captivating, and intuitive products.‎

2015

Financial/Fixed Income (Marketing)

Sr. Art Director & Product Designer

Performance Trust was in desperate need of a branding update and also needed someone who could help them bring new financial products to market. The opportunity to formulate a full brand strategy while continuing to work in product design was perfect for me.

2016

FinTech Time!‎

Product Design Director

Moving into the Tech department, I worked closely with industry experts and leaders to help increase collaboration across the firm. Working directly alongside stakeholders to get to the root of problems and creatively solve them is an area in which I excel. Through a fresh & continuous collaboration process, we launched the company’s first customer-facing financial software tool and continued to enhance it every quarter.‎

2017

Bringing it All Together

VP & Head of User Experience

Working in the financial sector, there’s not really much I can talk about (or show) unless it’s already public knowledge. However, I can tell you that my overall creative direction led branding and design strategy from a user-centric perspective at every point in the marketing and product life cycle.

By the time of my departure in 2019, Performance Trust had begun prioritizing the customer in everything they did—even in how they re-envisioned their core services.

2019

B2B marketplace/Start-up

Sr. Director, Customer Experience (Design)

By this point in my career, I started to think of myself as a “fixer”—that person you rely on when you have a very specific problem to solve. Similar to Performance Trust in 2015, UpCity needed a complete creative overhaul.‎

This was a smaller company, so after many discussions, I took the risk of stepping into a lower title (although the work was essentially equal to my current role). This was a risk I’ll never regret taking, because…‎

2021

“Full Stack” Management

VP of Product Management & Design

Stepping back into the VP Chair allowed me to continue creative direction (❤️) while also leading product, research, and UX from a user-centric perspective. At UpCity, we continuously strived to ensure we were delivering real value by offering partners everything from individualized success plans, to a SaaS/vendor portal experience where they can take a hands-on approach to managing their partnership & content. This meant we were also able to deliver buyers an accurate and honest look into what it may be like working with these B2B vendors.

2023

And Beyond…

Digital Product Director, Services

After UpCity was acquired by Gartner, my goals were refocused on growth and ensuring the former UpCity employees feel supported & transitioned comfortably into their new organization. Today, I lead the growth of Services buyer products within both Capterra and UpCity brands.

Thank you for joining me on my trip through memory lane. It’s been a wild ride (that’s for sure!) but I wouldn’t change a thing. I’m grateful for all of the knowledge I’ve gained & shared through my non-linear experience and for how it has impacted my career. I look forward to whatever I’ll be learning next!

Looking for professional accomplishments? No problem.

View my PDF Resumé