QUICK REFERENCE LINKS
Career Summary • Areas of Expertise • Professional Experience
Education • Certifications • Technical Skills
Additional Attributes • Community Experience • Affiliations • Awards and Honors
Managed Social Media • Website Experience
National Conferences and Workshops • Grant Roles and Partnerships • Committee Experience
Creative Content Specialist • Art Director • Communication Director
Top Gallup Strengths: Strategic, Achiever, Relator, Arranger, Futuristic
Master of Art, Graphic Design
Savannah College of Art and Design, Savannah, GA
Award-winning portfolio and community engagement work.
Bachelor of Science, Communications
Mississippi University for Women, Columbus, MS
Dual-focus on journalism and public relations with a minor in history.
AI Product Management Specialization – Duke University
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Specialist – University of California, Davis
UI / UX Design Specialist – California Institute of the Arts
Salesforce Sales Operations Specialist – Sales Force Path Stream
Certified Journalism Educator – National Journalism Educator Association
Southern New Hampshire University · Part-time, Global/Online
March 2023 – present
Providing affordable and accessible higher education to everyone.
Adjunct Faculty – Graphic Design and Media Arts UX/UI
Teach classes and mentor students in graphic design and media arts user experience and user interface design courses, including User Interface & Experience, Fundamentals of Design, Design Thinking, Web Analysis and Design, Web Development, User Centric Design, Information Architecture, and Collaboration in User Experience.
Chenoa Creative, Southeastern USA
January 2005 – present
My community outreach and creative freelance business.
Founder, Freelance Art Director, and Graphic Designer
This is my freelance passion project, where I use my unique skills to support the communities I live, work, and play. I offer creative direction, strategic content consultation, and studio and media arts services. Brand development and graphic design; Create unique branding, promotional, and collateral materials for a wide range of clients. Create print, digital, and social media initiatives, advertisements, and promotions. Including e-newsletters, custom emails, websites, brochures, and business systems. Oversee the art direction for various freelance photographers, illustrators, and programmers. Oversee marketing, sales, business, and financials. (Please see the community experience section of my resume for examples of projects and scope).
The University of Tennessee Extension, Family and Consumer Science, Knoxville, TN
April 2018 – Oct 2022
The research-based outreach arm of the University of Tennessee
Creative Content Specialist (Extension Specialist, Information Technology and Communications)
Served as lead for the Creative Content Team and was charged with developing a comprehensive communication strategy that promotes the collective impact story of programs while also strengthening the internal communication systems and workflow in a replicable, measurable, and manageable way.
Heritage Academy, Columbus, MS
July 2009 – July 2010, July 2013 – July 2017*
Advanced preparatory school.
Visual and Media Arts Instructor and Program Director
Developed and led a full-scale, award-winning visual and media arts program supported by in-house, student-led retail management and marketing efforts.
International Expeditions, Helena, AL
Oct 2007 – Feb 2009
Global tourism and voluntourism company
Art Director
Oversight and development from start to finish of sophisticated, impactful designs to support brand leadership in marketing and advertising on an international stage.
Clark Creative, Savannah, GA
Oct 2006 – May 2007
Boutique Graphic Design Agency.
Business Manager and Graphic Designer
Provided graphic design assistance on a range of digital and print client projects. Performed overall business management services, including customer service, public relations, and account management.
Scuba Diving Magazine, Savannah, GA
Jan 2006 – April 2006
An international magazine focused on scuba diving adventures.
Interim Assistant Art Director
Responsible for the layout and design of Scuba Diving Magazine and their annual Dive Into Adventure catalog. Including conceptualizing page layout, choosing and editing images, and advertisement placement.
Columbus First Methodist, Columbus, MS
July 2003 – Aug 2005
A large local Christian organization.
Communications Director
Public Relations role, responsible for marketing and media relations, creating publicity materials, and promotion of special events and programs. Copywriter and designer for publications, press releases, advertisements, and web pages. Served as a liaison for division leaders. Managed teams of volunteers and graphic design interns.
Including steps from concept to completion: governance, branding, marketing, content design and development.
UT Extension FCS: @utextensionfcs, #utextensionfcs
LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Pinterest
Also, manage social recommendations and coordination for 95 county state Extension offices.
AIGA Knoxville: @AIGAknoxville
Facebook, Twitter
Skill Up Tennessee: @SkillUpTN
Facebook
National Awards:
First Place: Social Media Education; NEAFCS 2022
Second Place: Social Marketing Series; NEAFCS 2022
Third Place: Social Media; NEAFCS May 2021
Second Place: Social Marketing Series; NEAFCS 2022
Third Place: Video/Television; NEAFCS 2022
Third Place: Social Media; NEAFCS May 2021
Silver: Scholarly Poster; ACE April 2021
Bronze: Logo Design; ACE, Apr 2021
Bronze: Marketing Communications Campaign with Budget of $1k or Above; ACE, Apr 2021
Regional Awards:
First Place: Social Media Education; TEAFCS 2022
Second Place: Social Marketing Series; TEAFCS 2022
Diversity Team Award: UCDA Affinity Group; TN ESP Omega Chapter, 2021
First Place: Video Series; TEAFCS, Feb 2021
Award of Appreciation: logo design; ESP: Tennessee Omega Chapter, Dec 2020
Sergent, K., Bates, M., Towman, J. & Pickett, C. Cultural Competency Across Extension – A Roadmap for Administrators. Presentation at the Extension Leadership Conference, Joint Council of Extension Professionals, Virtually (2022)
Sergent, K., Bowers, A., Urban and Culturally Diverse Audiences Affinity Group Charter and informational presentations. Epsilon Sigma Phi National Conference, Savannah, GA (2021)
Sergent, K., Bowers, A., Madhosingh-Hector, R. & Bates, M. Rethinking the Extension Toolbox – A Focus on Culturally Diverse Audiences. Session presentation at the Extension Leadership Conference, Joint Council of Extension Professionals, Virtually (2021)
Professional Affiliations:
AIGA Knoxville (soon to be AIGA Tennessee)
Professional Organization for design
VP and Educational Chair
Epsilon Sigma Phi (ESP)
Honorary Extension Professionals Organization
National/Tennessee Extension Association of Family and Consumer Sciences
The main organization for Family and Consumer Sciences as a profession.
Community Affiliations:
United Way of Knoxville, Information and Technology Committee
Promotes health, education, and financial stability of every person in every community.
Knoxville Area Urban League, Member
An affiliate of the National Urban League, is dedicated to empowering communities and changing lives.
Representing UT Extension:
Extension Strategic Plan Implementation (2022-2025),
Goal Team: Fostering greater engagement of diverse communities
Visibility Committee, standing member and state representative
Storytelling sub-committee
Representing the Department of Family & Consumer Science:
Department of Health and Human Sciences:
HHS – CDC – Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:
HHS – Administration on Community Aging:
USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture:
Tennessee Department of Labor:
• SNAP Employment and Training (SNAP ET/SKILL UP Tennessee), 2018-present
Robert Wood Johnson:
• Well Connected Communities, 2019-present
The following are examples:
The Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science, Columbus, MS
Ranked #6 public high school with the #1 ranked faculty in America.
Freelance Art Director and Graphic Designer
I created an alum magazine from concept to completion to drive interest in the school, increase alum relations and establish a more extensive alum database. I serviced the magazine through its 5th year, building a readership of over 75,000. I also worked to streamline their social media presence and created numerous branding and marketing materials.
The Magic City Blues Society, Birmingham, AL
An all-volunteer nonprofit membership association dedicated to preserving and performing the blues.
Established a branded printed and digital newsletter to promote and bring in blues musicians to the area. The newsletter also supported blues education and general awareness of blues as the first American form of music. I photographed musicians, performances, and venues and traveled to blues festivals and events to capture the heart of this musical art form and bring to life the stories of the living blues legends while we still could. I also sketched a series of charcoal renderings of blues artists that have been sold and auctioned around the southeastern USA.
America’s Second Harvest, Savannah, GA
Leader in the effort to end hunger and improve lives.
Photojournalist
Partnered to create a book that juxtaposed realities and assumptions surrounding Savannah’s homeless living in tent communities. I was allowed trusted access to photograph the residents and ask questions about who they were, why they were there, and if they would be interested in leaving or why not. The book was printed and freely distributed across Chatham County, Georgia, effectively raising awareness of the realities of these personal experiences and the legalities they faced. This book established a conversation that led to the development of a place for the homeless to groom and have access to phones and computers in a first-step effort to create dignity when applying for work. Additionally, it helped to create more beds in the area to better meet the needs of the homeless.