Leadership
Leadership
Julie Cortés
Founder
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Copywriter by day. Freelance Rockstar by night. Julie Cortés lives, breathes, teaches, speaks, and coaches on all things freelance. She’s run her own business for nearly 25 years, is the founder of The Freelance Exchange of KC, and created a much-needed college-level course, Freelancing 101, for the world-renowned KC Art Institute, where she teaches as an adjunct professor. Awarded dozens of times over for her work, leadership, volunteerism, and community involvement, she’s regularly sought out for media interviews, coaching, and speaking engagements. Julie is loving life, living out her passion for helping creative freelancers succeed.
Kelly Ziegler
President
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Kelly is the owner of Numerical Tree. Kelly has been a marketing and advertising professional for more than two decades. In that time, Kelly has worked with a wide variety of industries and clients, from consumer goods to manufacturing. What’s more, Kelly has worked on both the client side and the agency side, giving her an excellent 360-degree view of the entire marketing cycle from strategy development through execution all the way through the sales cycle. Today, Numerical Tree clients are reaping the benefits of Kelly’s expertise and unique insight through digital marketing focusing on email, social media and SEO.
Katie Proberts
Secretary
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Introducing Katie Proberts, the driving force behind Enchanted Dawn. With her expertise in unique story driven digital marketing and operational management that is catered to her clients, Katie is a catalyst for turning your business aspirations into reality. From revitalizing your social media strategy to implementing cutting-edge CRM software that fuels a strong lead funnel, Katie has the hands-on experience to guide you beyond mere advice. She specializes in breaking through the barriers that hold business owners back, ensuring that you achieve your goals and propel businesses to new heights.
Holly Hempfling
Treasurer
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Holly has over eight years of design and marketing experience. She began her career as a freelance graphic and web designer and has worked on in-house marketing teams in the insurance and financial industry until returning to freelancing full-time in 2020. Holly is a fourth generation entrepreneur, and is committed to education and perfecting her craft. She is currently attending the Entrepreneurship Scholars program at the Bloch School of Management at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. Holly joined The Freelance Exchange to get to know other freelancers in the community and share what she’s learned. In addition, Holly is training for her 200 hour yoga teacher certification and incorporates mindfulness and the philosophy of yoga into her marketing and design strategy.
Board of Directors
Shannon Carpenter
Communications Director
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Shannon Carpenter is the author of The Ultimate Stay-at-Home Dad and is a graduate of the famous Second City, where he refined his humor writing to capture the attention of audiences everywhere. Whether writing social satire, essays, or copy for brands that want to stand out, he is always able to find your funny bone and leave you with a lasting impression. He has appeared on Good Morning America, CNN, MSNBC, The Wall Street Journal, Slate, NPR, Forbes, The Atlantic, and numerous other publications. Redbook magazine has named him as one of America’s “Adventure Dads.” Finally, BuzzFeed recognized him as one of the funniest women of the week in 2020, which was weird because he is not a woman. However, he is very funny.
Tom Woosley
Marketing Director
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Tom Woosley is a seasoned marketing professional with a track record of driving brand transformations and revenue growth in various industries. With experience spanning over two decades, Tom has consistently demonstrated his ability to craft and execute comprehensive marketing strategies that make a substantial impact. Tom's experience in the creative arts includes a ten-year stint as Founder and President at WooWoo Creative and WooWoo Productions. In this capacity, he developed and produced advertising campaigns for a wide range of companies and industries. He handled brand development, audio and video production, website design, and social media promotion, further showcasing his versatility in the field. Notably, Tom produced over 150 hip-hop albums for various artists, including well-known figures like TECH N9NE, national artist and several American Idol top-five candidates. Tom has pursued continuous professional development, with certifications from IDEOU and HubSpot Academy. His educational background includes studies in Business, Art, and Design at Johnson County Community College. He also holds a Certified Total Quality Manager Trainer certification from the American Society for Quality (ASQ) and is a member of the American Management Association. Tom’s skillsets, creativity, and commitment to quality have made him a driving force in the marketing industry, with a remarkable ability to transform brands and elevate businesses to new heights.
Wendy Purcell
Membership Director
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Wendy has been a graphic design professional for two decades working with the home building and home improvement industries in their corporate offices. She has a broad range of talents including page layout, graphic design, logo/branding, project management, fundraising and editing/copywriting. Wendy started doing freelance graphic design again recently, working with clients on print, digital, events and marketing. She also has a passion for working on yearbook and magazine design. Once nicknamed “Eagle Eye” for her meticulous attention to detail and organized process of working, she can anticipate what is needed next. Other things that bring Wendy joy are baking, taking pictures, coaching volleyball and softball, listening to rock music, working out, painting, singing, dancing and getting together with family and friends.
Shauna Clark
Programs Director
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With a resume resembling a pinball machine comprised of multiple sectors, various fields, and numerous industries the constant was always creative marketing. Trained in graphic design over 25 years ago, adding web design, digital photography, social media, and blog writing to the mix. She recently hung her shingle, Ess Factor Solutions, to share those creative talents with the rest of the world. A military brat, spending formative years in Hawaii, ultimately relocating to Independence, Missouri where her parents are from. When not working on contributing to world peace, you can catch her between adventures, at a Kansas City Royals game, spending time with her husband of 18 years, waiting for a text from their four adult children, or most importantly hanging out with one amazing grandson.
Angela Van Holland
Social Director
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Angela has over 30 years of experience consulting with creative clients. She has spent the last ten years in her current role at NextPage. She uses past experience to help clients explore the possibilities while always being mindful of the goal and the budget of the current opportunity. She thrives on integrating marketing communications into a revenue-generating strategy - to work smarter while protecting budget and brand. NextPage has allowed her the opportunity to bring a great team to the table to assist in the ‘dream making’.
Linda Waterborg
Web Director
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Linda has been in marketing and journalism for 17 years. Her specialty is large-scale projects (catalogs, magazines, etc), but she’s experienced in all sorts of print and digital work, branding, web design, and copywriting. She considers herself a one-woman agency ready to help clients with all their marketing needs. She’s creative but also efficient and detail-oriented, and she loves getting to know the people she connects with in the small business community. Linda graduated from the University of Missouri and lives in Shawnee, KS with her husband, son, and dog.
Mike Sherry
Public Relations Chair
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Mike spent more than 30 years as a print and online journalist, working for publications in Washington, D.C., and at East Coast and Midwest newspapers. His career brought him home to work for a time at The Kansas City Star, and he also spent several rewarding years at Kansas City PBS. But he was probably predestined to strike out on his own, given that both his parents were small-business people — Dad in the garment industry and Mom in advertising. Mike established OnPoint Communications in 2020 to specialize in storytelling for nonprofits. When Mike is not working, you will likely find him exercising at The Jewish Community Center of Greater Kansas City or reading at home. He also enjoys spending time with his wife and two children.
Brady Timmons
Design Chair
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I graduated from Kansas State University with a BFA and a concentration in Graphic Design in 2021, where I developed my passion and creativity for user-centered design and emerging technologies. I completed an internship at Copies4Less, where I gained valuable experience in designing and printing advertisements for local businesses. I also worked as a tech consultant at Target for three years, where I leveraged my knowledge of video game trends, connected home lifestyle, tech accessories, TV technology, and improved my networking skills by communicating complicated concepts and selling products to customers. Through that experience I learned a lot about consumer psychology, demographics, and product packaging design.
In my current role as a proofing and plates specialist at Harvest Graphics, I apply my production and graphic design skills to create high-quality prints for various clients. I work with the latest Adobe Creative Suite software and printing technology, ensuring accuracy and efficiency in every project. I enjoy collaborating with my team and learning from their feedback and insights.
I am seeking opportunities that combine my passion for emerging technologies, user-centered design, and working collaboratively, where I can contribute to innovative and impactful solutions that enhance user experience and satisfaction.
Noah Rhee
Web Chair
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Noah is a senior consultant & senior software engineer with +5 years of experience; I've worked with clients to transform their existing websites/applications to 1) find huge time/cost savings and 2) have the technology to seize on new opportunities. In one case a manual +80hr process was transformed to a mostly automated 4hr process - a huge win for his client! Noah works with the full stack; from the UI Frontend, to Backend, to the Database across a variety of technologies, including Wordpress, Modern Javascript/Typescript, and .NET. Recently he's taken the plunge into freelancing and has begun volunteering KC Freelance Exchange. Outside of work, Noah enjoys PC building & gaming and working out.