TEAM STOKED
di@stokedgroup.com
Even at an early age, Di (pronounced "Zee") could be found gathering her younger cousins to play court and school. She, of course, was always the judge or the principal. Some might call that bossy; we prefer to call it leadership. So it came as no surprise that after serving as Marketing Manager for a renowned global Tier I automotive supplier, Di joined the largest, fastest growing minority-owned North American Tier I automotive supplier. As Marketing & Communications Director, she built a brand new department for the $1billion+ organization. During her 2.5 year tenure, the company acquired several businesses, including that of an equal-sized competitor. Di was responsible for all internal and external communications and assisting with the integration of the acquired companies.
At the end of 2005, Di resigned from her post and moved from Ann Arbor, Michigan to Seattle, Washington with her husband and two young children. After consulting with a few select clients and managing the launch of her dentist-husband’s start-up practice, Di founded Stoked Group in February 2007 to provide businesses with access to high-quality marketing and creative expertise without the overwhelming agency experience. As Chief Optimist, Di encourages her clients to always imagine and brings their vision to life in the form of strategy, identity and collateral.
ameris@stokedgroup.com
You wouldn't know it by looking at her, but Ameris is a nerd. A data junkie at heart, Ameris loves her Excel spreadsheets, chart makers and pivot tables. Maybe that's why she chose finance as her career which started in the medical device field. Ameris quickly learned, however, that she needed more client interface and less number crunching time. She joined Morgan Stanley's private client group where she managed personal finance portfolios and developed sales and marketing strategies. Ameris re-joined the medical device realm and was responsible for financial analysis and reporting for a $600M US Sales organization.
In 2001, Ameris and her husband jumped at the chance to relocate from California to the Pacific Northwest. Once there, she landed at Microsoft's corporate planning team, project managing the worldwide revenue and expense budgeting process. Five years and two children later, Ameris found herself at Google where she received an intensive education in all things online and media. There, Ameris supported the marketing and communications efforts of top tier retailers in the Pacific Northwest. Ameris joined StokedGroup in January 2008, and became a partner in 2009. As Mission Control, Ameris maintains a steady head, manages the mission from take off to landing and keeps projects in order.
elizabeth@stokedgroup.com
Our recent newlywed, Elizabeth, has amazing design skills and pays particular attention to detail. In fact, she might be considered a font snob to some, but we love her for it. Elizabeth graduated with honors from Butler University in 2007, where she pursued a degree in Media Arts. She supplemented her design education with concentrations in Art History and Journalism. Upon graduation, Elizabeth worked as a freelance designer before joining Stoked Group in July 2008. With a background rooted in art and communications, Elizabeth works to successfully develop image, collateral and copy.
kevinb@stokedgroup.com
Kevin, our resident "Techmonaut," graduated from the University of Michigan (yay! Go Blue!) in 2009 with a degree in Art and Design. Skilled in web design and programming (to name a few), Kevin is our go-to guy for all things tech. Kevin works his magic on the backend of website development, ensuring sites are both visually intriguing and functionally sound. He's multilingual, but doesn't speak a lick of Spanish or French. Instead, he's well-versed in HTML, CSS and PHP. Sometimes, he even dreams in code and has nightmares about websites designed with tables. Thank goodness this Techmonaut is on our team...surely, he'll launch a few amazing sites.
steph@stokedgroup.com
Steph maintains that running helps her keep her sanity. Is running anything over 10 miles considered sane? She tells us that it helps her writing. And after reading her work, we say keep runnin'! Stephanie graduated summa cum laude from Hope College in 1999 with a major in English and a minor in Communications. She spent the next few years teaching at Cranbrook Schools in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. After the birth of her two daughters, Stephanie began freelance copy writing from her home, focusing mostly on website development and marketing materials. In addition to her work for Stoked Group, she is currently a contributing writer for the health and fitness website Bodies in Motivation.