Rhonda Perko

Creative Director | VP of Marketing | Brand Storyteller | Award-Winning Campaign Leader

General info
Creative Director | VP of Marketing | Brand Storyteller | Award-Winning Campaign Leader
Bear Creek, PA
Strategic creative leader with 20+ years experienced in developing award-winning campaigns, building brands from the ground up, and leading in-house and agency-based teams in contriving bold, business-shifting innovations. Known for transforming marketing departments into high-performing, creative engines and translating brand strategy into breakthrough storytelling across digital, video, print, and experiential mediums.

Equally confident in pitching innovative concepts and bridging the worlds of business strategy and design execution while leading multidisciplinary teams, guiding executive conversations, and delivering work that connects, converts, and endures. Accomplished at mentoring top-tier talent and building brand platforms that grow awareness, engagement, and revenue.
Experience
Duryea, PA
Mar 2018 - Aug 2025
Vice President of Marketing
Pride Mobility Products
• Led content strategy and execution across social media and organic channels including: campaign videos, brochures, landing pages, product photography, and email marketing.
• Developed platform-specific content for social media to increase engagement rates and drive measurable follower growth.
• Spearheaded a high-performing in-house marketing team that earned 11 creative awards over three years for excellence in brochure design, television commercials, and integrated campaign execution.
• Partnered with internal teams and external agencies to produce high-performing assets aligned to KPIs, audience segmentation, and lifecycle marketing goals.
• Fostered a collaborative culture centered on creative excellence and cross-functional alignment.
• Established workflow processes and resource allocation plans that ensured deadlines, budgets, and creative standards were consistently met.
• Oversaw a comprehensive website overhaul to improve UX/UI, content strategy, and consumer journey.

2025 Results:
• 12.6 page views per user (+16.9% from 2024).
• 5% increase in average session duration.
• 784K+ interactions with “Find a Dealer” tools.

2024 Results:
• +78.7% YoY growth in active users (957K).
• +74.5% increase in overall new users through targeted SEO and organic acquisition.
• +16.5% increase in page views per user with a 71% engagement rate.

• Developed a dealer-first digital ecosystem, driving tens of thousands of referral clicks to top dealers (e.g., SpinLife, MedMart, Mobility Scooters Direct).
• Created localized campaigns, educational content, and landing experiences tailored to support dealer partners, Medicare funding education, and in-store foot traffic.
• Built campaigns that bridged DTC branding with retail distribution support, increasing downstream sales across national dealer networks.
• Implemented SEO best practices across product pages, blog content, and support resources to improve visibility and search engine rankings.
• Grew organic search to account for over 55% of all website traffic.
• Developed interactive product brochures, educational tools, and long-form resource content that increased content dwell time and user engagement.
Duryea, PA
Mar 2018 - Nov 2019
Senior Marketing Director
Pride Mobility Products
• Recruited to transform Pride Mobility's in-house creative operations and elevate the quality, consistency, and impact of the brand and marketing efforts.
• Led and mentored a 25-member cross-functional creative team, including: design, project coordinators, PR, web development, photography, videography, and digital strategy, fosterning collaboration, elevating creative output, and driving team performance.
• Led end-to-end creative direction for 360º marketing campaigns and omni-channel strategies in the power mobility B2B2C (Business-to-business-to-consumer) market, driving seamless customer experiences across all touch points.
• Orchestrated offline channels, resulting in enhanced brand visibility and dealer network engagement, including: physical in-store displays, high-impact trade show events, in-store video production, strategic brand identity, and print communications.
• Directed full-scale, multi-platform brand campaigns from concept to execution, translating business strategy into emotionally resonating content across digital, social, OOH (Out Of Home), and video channels.
• Repositioned key sub-brands: Baja Mobility, Quantum Rehab, Mega Motion, and Rascal Power Mobility through targeted campaigns that improved consumer clarity and increased brand equity among competition.
• Applied creative storytelling and visual systems to expand brand relevance across B2B, B2C, and dealer-driven touch-points.
Pittsburgh, PA
Feb 2015 - Mar 2018
Creative Director
Highmark Health / Allegheny Health Network
• Led and scaled a 40-person in-house creative team spanning design, copywriting, video, and production; unified brand storytelling across one of the nation’s largest integrated healthcare systems.
• Developed and enforced enterprise-wide brand guidelines for both Highmark Health and Allegheny Health Network, achieving 100% alignment across campaigns, channels, and service lines.
• Partnered with executive leadership, marketing, and clinical teams to launch human-centered campaigns that increased patient engagement by 20% and improved overall brand perception.
• Directed the creative strategy and execution of integrated 360° campaigns across digital, print, broadcast, and OOH, supporting key service line priorities and market growth.
• Translated complex clinical and operational narratives into emotionally compelling, accessible content that resonated with diverse consumer and internal audiences.
• Modernized outdated brand systems and legacy assets, introducing refreshed design language and storytelling frameworks to reflect evolving brand positioning.
• Presented high-impact creative strategies to C-level stakeholders, securing approvals and increasing creative investment for enterprise initiatives.
• Oversaw branded events and experiential activations that drove a 30% increase in community engagement and local brand awareness.
• Built a high-performing team culture through talent recruitment, mentorship, and coaching—reducing creative team turnover by 15% and increasing output quality.
• Maintained final approval authority for all creative deliverables, ensuring brand consistency, regulatory compliance, and creative excellence across touch points.
Pittsburgh, PA
Sep 2012 - Feb 2015
Packaging, Project Manager
Southern Graphic Systems / GlaxoSmithKline
• Managed a $7.8M annual print budget, overseeing cross-functional production teams to deliver impactful brand campaigns that drove consumer engagement and market penetration.
• Hand-selected to lead the high-profile FLONASE pharmacy-to-over-the-counter launch, orchestrating a complex campaign involving 200+ individual SKUs across print, digital, and retail channels.
• Leveraged project management expertise to coordinate resources, resolve conflicts, and align deliverables with business objectives, utilizing the in-house Pegasus system for precise SKU input, communication, proofreading, and tracking.

Pittsburgh, PA
Feb 2010 - Sep 2012
Creative Account Executive
Zoltun Design
• Served as a hybrid creative lead and client strategist in a uniquely designed role that bridged design and account management.
• Brought client visions to life while inspiring internal design teams through storytelling, design guidance, and concept refinement.
• Held a pivotal role in growing key accounts, pitching new business, and shaping creative direction across branding, digital, and print initiatives.
• Acted as the strategic and creative liaison between high-profile clients (e.g., Philips, Iron Mountain, Zoll Medical) and internal design teams, ensuring clear communication, brand alignment, and creative excellence.
• Provided high-level design direction for branding, website UI, print collateral, and digital media, translating client goals into compelling creative concepts.
• Offered clients creative consultation on everything from typography and photography to logo design and messaging hierarchy.
• Guided the visual storytelling process while ensuring each execution met marketing objectives and end-user needs.
• Led the creative development and delivery of pitch decks, campaign presentations, and client proposals, helping secure new business opportunities and expand existing accounts.
• Regularly presented branding strategies, logo concepts, and campaign direction to executive stakeholders and marketing decision-makers.
• Played a key role in onboarding new clients by articulating creative vision, aligning deliverables to KPIs, and setting expectations for design process and outcomes.
• Partnered closely with designers, writers, and developers, acting not just as account lead, but as creative catalyst and collaborative thinker.
• Fostered an internal culture of trust and experimentation by encouraging fresh ideas, offering actionable design critique, and celebrating conceptual thinking.
• Managed timelines, resources, and budgets (exceeding $5.5M) to ensure projects delivered on time and on brand.
• Developed custom marketing and creative solutions tailored to industry-specific needs, resulting in strengthened long-term partnerships and repeat business.
• Earned a reputation as a trusted advisor to both clients and creatives—valued for clarity, consistency, and creative intuition.
Boise, ID & Manassass, VA
Dec 2000 - Oct 2009
Creative Director
Micron Technology Inc
• Recruited to transform Micron’s in-house creative operations and elevate the quality, consistency, and impact of the brand’s marketing efforts.
• Built and led a multidisciplinary creative team from the ground up, shifting the organization away from outsourced, low-impact design toward an agile, high-performing internal creative agency.
• Partnered closely with C-suite leadership and SVPs to reimagine the company’s brand expression, marketing systems, and creative strategy.
• Overhauled internal creative capabilities by insourcing previously outsourced design work, resulting in over 45% annual cost savings and a dramatic uplift in creative quality.
• Rebranded the company’s visual identity, elevating the creative standard for marketing collateral, event experiences, web design, and digital campaigns.
• Introduced an agency-style model within the organization, building creative systems, team workflows, and presentation rituals that brought energy and polish to internal client relationships.
• Worked closely with the CEO, SVPs, and VPs across departments to align creative output with corporate vision, business priorities, and brand storytelling.
• Regularly pitched campaigns, rebrand concepts, and high-level design direction directly to the executive leadership team—gaining organizational respect and buy-in through elevated creative and strategic clarity.
• Served as a trusted creative advisor to internal stakeholders, guiding direction on logos, websites, branding systems, and visual communication frameworks.
• Recruited and mentored a full-service creative team including graphic designers, animators, copywriters, web designers, photographers, and videographers.
• Developed training programs to elevate team members from in-house generalists to concept-driven creatives capable of producing agency-caliber work.
• Created a culture of collaboration, innovation, and high expectations, ensuring design quality met the standards of a global tech brand.
• Launched and scaled an internal project management system to improve workflow, transparency, and creative resourcing across all departments.
• Managed a $10.2M annual creative operations budget, ensuring responsible allocation while increasing the volume and impact of in-house campaigns.
• Directed marketing campaigns and creative output across digital, print, experiential, and community outreach programs.
• Oversaw concept development, art direction, video storytelling, print production, and internal communication design.
Lancaster, PA
Mar 1996 - Dec 2000
Senior Art Director
Kelly Michener Advertising
• Key member of a fast-paced agency creative team, driving concept development, visual storytelling, and hands-on design for regional and national campaigns.
• Partnered closely with copywriters and account executives to develop award-winning creative and pitch work that helped win and retain major clients.
• Known for translating complex marketing goals into bold, emotionally resonant creative that delivered results.
• Created and executed original, brand-aligned visual concepts across broadcast, print, outdoor, and direct response.
• Played a central role in developing high-impact campaigns for clients including Ehrlich Pest Control, PENNDOT, Bell & Evans, among many other clients.
• Partnered with creative directors and copywriters to translate strategy into attention-grabbing campaign ideas that aligned with target audience behavior.
• Spearheaded visual conceptualization and design for new business pitches, partnering with copywriter and account lead to present fully formed campaign ideas to prospective clients.
• Led pitch-team meetings and final client presentations, often serving as the visual voice of the campaign during strategy reviews and creative defense.
• Helped win several large accounts through a combination of strategic design thinking, persuasive presentation, and collaborative client engagement.
• Oversaw design from sketch to press, including layout, typography, photo direction, color correction, and print production.
• Delivered high-quality work under tight deadlines while maintaining visual consistency, brand integrity, and strategic intent.
• Used Adobe Creative Suite to execute both concept-driven creative and tactical deliverables.
• Worked side-by-side with account management and production teams to ensure campaign alignment, accurate scoping, and efficient handoff to vendors.
• Mentored junior designers and interns, contributing to the agency’s creative growth and team development.
• Known for infusing energy into brainstorming and pitch meetings, fostering creativity and client confidence.
New York, NY
Jan 1993 - Aug 1996
Conceptual Designer / Art Director
Faith Popcorn’s BrainReserve
• Selected to join the world-renowned futurist consultancy known for shaping the brand futures of Fortune 100 clients.
• Partnered directly with CEO Faith Popcorn, and a multidisciplinary team of strategists, cultural analysts, and creatives to translate predictive insights into powerful brand concepts and campaigns.
• Played a pivotal creative role in visualizing the future of consumer behavior and guiding brand evolution for clients across food & beverage, tech, fashion, and personal care sectors.
• Interpreted macro trends and cultural forecasting insights into visual concepts, brand identities, and future-facing product experiences.
• Developed speculative design work and presentation visuals that brought trend-driven narratives to life in a way that clients could see, feel, and understand.
• Drew connections between emerging consumer behaviors and actionable brand storytelling.
• Co-developed future brand platforms and creative territory maps alongside copywriters, cultural anthropologists, and strategists.
• Provided art direction for concept boards, visual trend-scapes, and future-state packaging, digital, and retail experiences.
• Helped Fortune 100 clients visualize product innovations, brand repositioning, and identity shifts based on BrainReserve’s proprietary insights.
• Participated in client workshops and visioning sessions, presenting conceptual design work to marketing and innovation teams at the highest level.
• Served as a creative interpreter—bridging strategy and execution to ensure ideas landed with clarity, style, and business relevance.
• Built strong relationships with internal and external stakeholders through collaboration, insight, and high-level creative output.
Pittsburgh, PA
Dec 1991 - Nov 1992
Graphic Designer
BD&E
• Supported senior designers at a boutique branding and communications agency, contributing to the development of high-end corporate identity, brand strategy, and investor materials for premium clients.
• Gained foundational experience in visual design, production, and creative problem-solving, supporting senior designers and art directors on a variety of corporate branding and print assignments.
• Developed strong design instincts, attention to detail, and a passion for visual storytelling.
• Designed and produced key visual components for annual reports, corporate communications, and investor-facing collateral for national clients across financial, healthcare, and industrial sectors.
• Contributed to the layout, typesetting, and production prep of complex print documents with high visibility and regulatory guidelines.
• Ensured all designs met brand standards, adhered to tight deadlines, and reflected a high level of craftsmanship.
• Worked under the mentorship of senior art directors and creative leads, absorbing foundational best practices in branding, composition, and corporate visual tone.
• Participated in brainstorming and creative development meetings, contributing ideas and assisting in visual research and mockup creation.
• Helped prepare and refine client presentation decks, gaining early understanding on creative pitching and positioning.
• Developed fluency in traditional pre-press techniques and file preparation for high-end print production.
• Built strong foundational skills in typography, grid systems, and brand layout logic—skills that would become integral throughout career.
• Handled multiple concurrent projects with accuracy, speed, and a commitment to excellence.
Education
Pittsburgh, PA
Sep 1987 - Dec 1991
Bachelor of Science in Graphic Design and Visual Communications
The Art Institute of Pittsburgh
• Minored in Photography
• GPA: 3.8
Skills
Skills
Team Leadership & Mentorship • Creative Direction • Art Direction • Graphic Design • Project Management • Campaign Optimization • Visual Storytelling • Brand Storytelling • Content Creation • Omni-Channel Marketing • Consumer Marketing • 360º Campaigns • SEO Optimization • Analytics • Packaging • Video & Broadcast Production • Web Design • Social Media Strategy • UX/UI Collaboration • Cross-Functional Collaboration • Agency Operations • Budget Management

Awards 2003-2018
Industry Awards
Industry Recognition
 | Recipient of multiple industry awards for creative excellence and campaign effectiveness, including:
Awards 2003, 2005, 2006:

Marcom Awards | Gold |Micron Annual Report 2003

New England Press Club | First Place | Micron Annual Report 2005

American Design First Place| Micron Annual Report 2005

Gold Ink Gold | Micron Annual Report 2006

Awards 2016, 2017, 2018:

GDUSA (Graphic Design USA) American Inhouse Design Award | First Place| Highmark B2B Physican Partners Of Western Pa Ads

GDUSA (Graphic Design USA) American Inhouse Design Award | First Place | Highmark Community Ads, Being At Highmark Brochure, and Brand Advocate Card Deck

Telly Awards | Silver Winner | Regional Commercials General-Insurance

Clio Awards | Bronze Winner | Integrated Campaign Allegheny Health Network Campaign

Impact Awards | Gold Winner | Digital Marketing #livingproof Campaign

Obie Awards | Gold Winner | Experimental

E-Healthcare Leadership Awards | Gold Winner | HMO/PPO/Other Insurance - Doc Talk Checklist Campaign

DRMA Marketer Of The Year Awards | Finalist | Doc Talk Checklist & Blue Hen Campaign

North American Effie Award | #livingproof & Blue Hen Campaign
3 X Gold | Health Care Services
Bronze | Small Budget
Finalist | Small Budget Highmark Top Ten Marketers In North America

Awards 2019, 2020, 2021:

MUSE Creative Award | Gold Winner VivaLift!® Power Recliners | :30 second TV Commercial

MUSE Creative Award | Gold Winner VivaLift!® :30 second TV Commercial | It’s A Scooter Thing

HERMES Creative Award | Platinum Award Quantum Rehab Power Chair Brochure |Overall Design

HERMES Creative Award | Platinum Award Pride Mobility Product Brochure | Overall Design

HERMES Creative Award | Platinum Award Pride Mobility LivaLift!® | :30 second TV Ad Campaign | Get Your Own!

VIDDY AWARDS | Platinum Award TV Commercials | :30 second TV Commercial, Howard and Doris’ Journey with Pride Mobility Products

HERMES Creative Award | Platinum Award Pride Mobility Recliners Brochure | Overall Design

HERMES Creative Award | Gold Award Pride Mobility VivaLift!® Power Recliner Catalog | Overall Design / Photography

GDUSA (Graphic Design USA) American Inhouse Design Award | :30 Second TV Commerical, The Scooter Standoff, It’s a Scooter Thing!

GDUSA (Graphic Design USA) American Inhouse Design Award | Pride Mobility Product Catalog

GDUSA (Graphic Design USA) American Inhouse Design Award | Quantum Rehab|Revolutionizing The Power Chair Experience Brochure
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