Repositioning crisis prevention as joyful belonging
When I joined The Trevor Project, the organization was best known for one thing: crisis intervention. And while that work was — and is — lifesaving, the brand was stuck in a narrative of pain. My mandate was to build a marketing function from scratch and fundamentally reposition Trevor around a more expansive truth: that LGBTQ+ young people don’t just need to survive. They deserve to belong.
I led a team of eight marketers across organic and paid social, omnichannel advertising, web, and SEO/SEM, owning a $3MM brand advertising budget and driving the organization’s first rebrand in ten years. The repositioning wasn’t cosmetic — it was strategic. Working with our insights team, I led a multi-wave brand study that informed everything from message architecture to channel strategy, ultimately driving a 40% increase in brand awareness in a single year.
But the real measure of this work wasn’t the awareness number. It was the 100%+ year-over-year increase in crisis contact volume — more young people reaching out because the brand finally felt like it was for them, not just about them.
The multi-wave brand study revealed that Trevor’s audience wasn’t just looking for help in crisis — they were looking for recognition outside of it. That single insight reshaped our entire brand architecture, moving from “We’re here when you need us” to “You belong here, always.”
What I Actually Did
- Built the marketing department infrastructure from the ground up — hiring, systems, strategy, and reporting
- Led market and consumer research strategy, integrating insights into campaign planning and brand storytelling through a multi-wave study
- Guided brand strategy and management through the organization’s first rebrand in a decade
- Served as the organization’s marketing leader, collaborating across program areas (crisis services, advocacy, research) to align marketing with mission-critical goals
- Supervised the Director of Campaigns and the Director of Marketing
Press & Recognition
- Adweek 2021 Brand Save Award — Recognized for transforming The Trevor Project’s brand partnerships into life-saving resources
- PRWeek: "The Trevor Project rebrands for the next LGBTQ generation"