Meg Maker

Current

Director of External Information Services at Dartmouth College

Past

Director of Product Management at NextMark, Inc.
Information Architect at NextMark, Inc.
e-Commerce Product Manager at eMotion, Inc.

Web Manager at FOOTAGE.net

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Education

Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College

Recommended

4 people have recommended Meg

Connections

128 connections

Industry

Online Media

Websites

Meg Maker’s Summary

Meg Houston Maker is the Director of External Information Services for Dartmouth College development, where she oversees web strategy for fundraising. At Dartmouth, she has designed the interactive marketing programs for both annual fund and campaign priorities, helping the institution achieve its first-place national standing for online fundraising.

Maker has 19 years’ experience in software design and interactive product management, having served clients including CNN, National Geographic, The Image Bank, ABC News, and the Associated Press. She is a frequent lecturer on user-centered design and the effective use of technology in online communications. She writes about experience design and digital culture at www.engagingexperience.com.

A summa cum laude graduate of Dartmouth College, Maker is currently pursuing her master’s degree in creative writing at her alma mater.

Meg Maker’s Specialties:

E-communications strategy, e-commerce design, online customer experience design, electronic marketing, and social media marketing.

Meg Maker’s Experience

Director of External Information Services

Dartmouth College

(Educational Institution; Higher Education industry)

February 2003 — Present (6 years 10 months)

• Web strategist charged with oversight and management of Dartmouth College’s fundraising web presence. Develops new online communications to support cultivation, stewardship, online giving, volunteer services, and interactive marketing efforts.

• Works closely with business unit leaders, including the directors of the undergraduate annual fund, parents fund, and capital fundraising, to identify their online communications goals then chart product strategy.

• Manages $200K annual budget, internal staff, consultants, and vendors. Works closely with communications team to develop content strategy for online publications.

• Introduced a comprehensive web analytics program to measure success of all web and email communications. Peers regard system as being in the vanguard for higher education institutions.

• During the course of tenure as director, online giving to the annual fund increased from $900,000 in FY04 to $2.5 million in FY08. Dartmouth College is ranked the first among US higher-ed institution in per-alum online giving.

• Created an online Honor Roll listing donors to the undergraduate annual fund. This site feature, updated daily, pumps over 80% of site traffic via search engine referrers. Honor Roll pages also generate significant online giving activity; classmates want to join the ranks of their peers. Dartmouth’s Honor Roll was later used as a model by other higher education institutions.
Director of Product Management

NextMark, Inc.

(Privately Held; Computer Software industry)

2002 — 2003 (1 year )

• As director of product management, responsible for assuring NextMark’s client-centric product development approach. This helped assure market acceptance for the new startup, and helped NextMark acquire and retain over 1,000 paying professional users within its first year.

• Analyzed client needs and structured feature development. Successfully managed monthly client-driven software releases.
Customers praised NextMark’s quick turnaround on feature requests and responsiveness to their needs.
Information Architect

NextMark, Inc.

(Privately Held; Computer Software industry)

2000 — 2002 (2 years )

• Served as information architect and interaction designer of NextMark’s web-based application for direct marketing mailing list research and promotion.

• Responsible for all aspects of user experience design, including specification, interface design, prototyping, information architecture, and front-end development.

• Integrated NextMark technology within client websites, tailoring the look and feel to provide their clients with a seamless online experience. Clients included American List Counsel, one of the largest list business companies in the US.
e-Commerce Product Manager

eMotion, Inc.

(Privately Held; Computer Software industry)

2000 — 2000 (less than a year)

• Designed a digital footage licensing application for the creative services market.

• Conducted market research, analysis, and requirements specification. Specified functional and content requirements and drafted product documentation. Served as chief interaction designer.

• Coordinated engineering and design teams to develop and deploy services.
Web Manager

FOOTAGE.net

(Internet industry)

1998 — 2000 (2 years )

• Interaction designer and product manager for web search portal serving film, television, and new media professionals. Coordinated the work of staff, clients, and technology partners in developing and enhancing FOOTAGE.net and client web portals.

• Designed and deployed branded search sites for dozens of clients including National Geographic, NBC News, ABC News, The Image Bank, Associated Press Television News, and CNN.

• Managed publication of over 3 million moving image records across dozens of web channels. Site's full-text footage search engine was first in its class.

• Served as lead designer for print and electronic marketing collateral, including banner and button ads, brochures, stationery, and print promotions.

Meg Maker’s Education

Dartmouth College

MA, Liberal Studies , Creative Writing , 2005 — 2009

Creative Writer specializing in nonfiction essay and personal narrative. Concentration courses included narrative nonfiction, creative nonfiction, play writing, oral history, and comparative literature. Completed all course work with straight High Pass (4.0) average.

Currently writing a nonfiction thesis about turning a house into a home. Expected completion: May 2010.
Dartmouth College

BA , Visual Studies , 1983 — 1987

Studio work focused on painting, printmaking, and mixed media works on paper. Scholarly art historical work included research on European and American art history, contemporary art, contemporary architecture, and women artists. Completed a foreign study on the Italian Renaissance in Florence, Italy. Was awarded Adelbert Ames Fine Arts Award for top achievement in the major.

Activities and Societies:

Summa cum Laude, Phi Beta Kappa, Rufus Choate Scholar, Academic Citation, Adelbert Ames Fine Arts Award. Graduated top 1% of class.