Karen Whatley, Director of Marketing Services
Karen Whatley comes to Trace Marketing with a strong background in client account service, print production, copy writing, and event planning.
Ms. Whatley brings to Trace Marketing experience in account management, event planning, writing, and direct mail marketing. As director of marketing she supervises marketing projects for clients locally and nationwide.
After receiving her BA in psychology from Louisiana State University, Ms. Whatley went on to complete an MA in English literature at LSU, where she taught English for five years.
On moving to Connecticut, she was offered a position as an editor for a children’s book-market directory service, where she was responsible for writing, layout, and production of the annual annotated catalog.
After five years in Connecticut, Ms. Whatley moved to Sarasota, Florida, and began work as the marketing coordinator for a small publishing firm specializing in books for mental health professionals.
Moving on to a larger company that produced investment seminars for the senior market, Ms. Whatley was initially signed on as editor of Investor Guide, but soon was promoted to vice president of programming and conference coordination. Her duties included planning up to eight major conventions a year that showcased a major exhibit hall, up to 120 speakers, and hosted as many as 8,000 audience participants. Ms. Whatley’s department was responsible for securing meeting and lodging space, programming speakers, overseeing hotel and travel arrangements for speakers and audience, supervising the catering of lunches and dinners, and on-site management of each event.
As a vice president, she was also involved in writing and editing collateral material for the conferences, including direct mail promotions.
Ms. Whatley then worked at a Sarasota advertising and marketing agency as marketing services manager, acting as liaison between account executives, graphic artists, and clients, overseeing traffic control and production, and servicing some client accounts.