A few weeks ago, LaunchDM welcomed Kate Murray to the team as our Director of Marketing. In her new role, Kate will oversee the development and administration of LaunchDM’s digital outreach across multiple platforms including web, mobile, and social communications. She is responsible for the agency’s technical and aesthetic marketing infrastructure, ensuring a high degree of strategic implementation and deliverability. She will monitor and evaluate both traditional and new media data, and advise LaunchDM clients on matters related to digital innovation. Kate brings over 2 decades of experience in marketing and communications; originally a native of Wyomissing, PA, she earned her BS in Communication from the University of Utah in 1996 and her MBA from Alvernia University in 2003. Her professional tenure includes scores of design and marketing work for companies in both NYC and Philadelphia, as well as the corporate role of Vice President and Supervisory Principal of Compliance and Marketing for a global financial services organization.
When asked about her motivation to pursue this opportunity, Kate says:
I believe that experiences are what move people emotionally to impact and influence the evolution of our own society, and at LaunchDM, my goal is to help create a strategic trajectory for your brand with the underlying goal of becoming a world class, iconic category leader, elevating and separating you from the competition.
Kate is thrilled to be part of a team of creative and talented professionals; her philosophy is that the strength and success of your network lies in the imagination, passion and creativity of the people who work with you to build your reputation through every channel on a consistent basis: creative, online, social, broadcast, mobile, and print. She is passionate about serving the community in which she lives and works, and teaching her children to do the same.
We asked Kate to answer a few personal questions so we could get to know her better.
What are three things we’d be surprised to know about you.
- I’m an “award winning author.” My first book was a nonfiction novel published in paperback and Kindle in 2012 called A Silent Cure in my Back Yard. It’s a book about using healthy lifestyle choices to prevent disease. The 2nd is a hardcover children’s book called The Plant Pledge which was published in April, 2017. In connection with the books, I write a regular column for the Reading Eagle (a vegetarian recipe column in Berks Country Magazine) and formed a local 501(c)3 to further my charitable endeavors. I speak publicly at local libraries and elementary schools on a volunteer basis. My next public appearance in connection with the book is scheduled for Saturday, July 29, 2017 at Barnes & Noble in Wyomissing.
- In what seems like another lifetime, I was a professional figure skater. I started skating in 1982 and traveled around the mid-Atlantic region to compete while I was in high school. In college I turned pro and began teaching lessons on the side. In 2001, I worked part-time as the first Director of Figure Skating for BodyZone Sports & Fitness Center in Wyomissing. Along with a group of passionate women, we incorporated the Body Zone Figure the Skating Club and established a USFSA sanctioned “Learn-to-Skate” program.
- I’m active in our community and volunteer on the board of a local non-profit, the Mifflin Broncos Athletic Association as the recording secretary as well as the cheerleading coordinator. The Mifflin Broncos is a youth organization that serves over 350 families with children ages 5 to 12 that participate in the Governor Mifflin youth football and cheerleading programs each fall.
Do you have any philosophies or quotes that you personally live by?
Be kinder than necessary, because everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle.
If you could travel back in time and live in any past era, when would you choose and why?
1940s. I feel like it was a period of time when American culture was filled with gratitude, and hard-working, respectful people who valued their family, their job, and their community. In our modern day and age people are always rushing from one thing to the next which causes disdain, a lack pride in their work, and a feeling of entitlement. I think living a healthy lifestyle can help people get back to that sense of balance, but it takes commitment.
What are the top three places on your bucket list?
1. A Relais & Chateaux on the Amalfi Coast
2. Chamonix, Switzerland
3. Paris, France
