I evolve. I elevate. I love a challenge.
After two decades as an award-winning, syndicated cartoonist and journalist, I now use my talents and insight to help companies tell their stories more effectively. Every chance to learn, collaborate, create, and help people makes my storytelling journey more gratifying.
Journalism and editorial cartooning were my proving ground, helping to sharpen my core creative, analytical, and writing skills. It started early: My first editorial cartoon was published when I was a sophomore in high school. Eventually, I became one of the top editorial cartoonists in the country. My award-winning editorial cartoons were distributed internationally to nearly a thousand publications by Cagle Cartoons and appeared in USA Today, The New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, Newsweek, Time, and U.S. News & World Report, among others. Along the way, I was featured on CNN, MSNBC, and Fox News, where viewers of “The O’Reilly Factor” officially voted me a “Pinhead.”
Newsrooms are fantastic factories of collaboration filled with smart, industrious people; the group effort was thrilling to be part of and always compelled me to elevate my own work. The daily news gave me a continuing education about the world and the way people think and act, and my passion for challenges and problem-solving was rekindled every day.
In my spare time, I have freelanced: magazine covers, caricatures, illustrations, and more.
One such project inspired a massive rebranding and marketing effort by my alma mater, American University. The “WONK” campaign originated from a sketch I drew for the AU alumni magazine and blossomed into the creation of dozens of WONK characters, comic strips, and other marketing tools.
Throughout all the phases of my career, I have tried to use my creativity to enlighten and discover elegant solutions. It began on a newspaper copy desk, writing, editing, and designing on deadline. I then built a name for myself as an editorial cartoonist, drawing thousands of cartoons that earned me both ire and acclaim. My evolution has continued into branding, advertising, and marketing, where the ability to distill the essence of an idea can turn the mundane into the memorable.
True success for me now isn’t measured by the shallow metrics of shares, likes, or clicks. I want to keep learning, make a positive difference in my community, and help people. That may be a tall order, but I’ve always loved a good challenge.
I have worked at Summerfield Advertising since 2019, performing duties ranging from copy director to art director to account manager, with an emphasis on brand strategy, brand identity creation, and copywriting.
I was the editorial cartoonist for The Columbus Dispatch from 2012 to 2019. Prior to that, I was the editorial cartoonist for The Washington Examiner from 2005 to 2012. My first job in journalism was as Virginia News Editor for The Journal Newspapers from 2003 to 2005.
Skills
Client Relations • Public Speaking • Photoshop • InDesign • Illustrator • After Effects • Acrobat • Canva • Figma • WordPress • Social apps
Awards
•2017 Sigma Delta Chi Award - Society of Professional Journalists
•2014 John Fischetti Award - Columbia College Chicago
•2010 Thomas Nast Award - Overseas Press Club
•2008 Berryman Award - National Press Foundation
•2007 Golden Spike Award - AAEC
•Multiple honors from the Virginia, Maryland, and D.C. press associations
Education
BA, Print Journalism, American University, 2002