TOM KEPHART
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Owner and Creative Director
Tom Kephart Communications LLC (Marine City, Michigan) – 1987 to present
- Copywriter and editor of marketing and technical content, including copy for online and print collateral pieces; radio, television, and print media advertising; technical literature; and corporate presentations.
- Graphic designer of marketing and advertising materials, including logos and product identity; online and print advertising; product brochures, catalogs, and other print collateral; and wearable items.
- Web and digital content developer experienced with HTML, CSS, PHP, JavaScript, and content management systems, including WordPress and Joomla. Familiar with backend server technologies, including SQL, Apache, Linux, and security best practices.
- Public speaking coach, training individuals and groups on effective presentation skills.
Director of Admissions, Enrollment Management, and Marketing
St. Clair County Community College (Port Huron, Michigan) – May 2016 to February 2022
- Responsible for developing and executing the college’s Admissions and Enrollment Management plan, including outreach to multiple types of potential students: dual enrollment, high school graduates, older adult students, and non-credit.
- Director of Marketing from April 2017 to Oct. 2018 and from Feb. 2020 to July 2021, aligned the college’s marketing efforts with our enrollment management goals, including expanding targeted digital advertising and strategic social media efforts.
- Designed the theme, provided custom front-end programming and back-end implementation for the college’s website, and served as Webmaster, using WordPress as the content management system.
- Also served as Director of Testing, establishing placement cut scores in cooperation with faculty, updating policy records in Ellucian Colleague, and supervising the operations of the college’s Testing Center.
- Completed ATIXA Title IX training for Civil Rights Investigator Level One.
Academic Advisor and Recruiter
St. Clair County Community College (Port Huron, Michigan) – July 2013 to May 2016
- Assisted community college students with scheduling, degree completion, transfer planning, and academic success. Provided information to local high school counselors and teachers.
Adjunct Instructor
St. Clair County Community College (Port Huron, Michigan) – 1997 to 2004 and 2008 to 2016
- Taught acting and public speaking courses. Served as director for the college’s student theater productions, selecting the plays to be performed and preparing budgets.
- Also taught Microsoft Office training courses and seminars for the college’s Workforce Training division.
Marketing Manager
H.B. Stubbs Companies (Warren, Michigan) – 2008
- Responsible for marketing communications for a trade show and museum display design and manufacturing company. Set goals for and implemented marketing and public relations strategies. Served as webmaster and editor of the corporate website and the internal employee intranet. Responsible for designing and creating formal proposal responses to RFPs and other brand identity standards.
Public Access & Government Affairs Coordinator
Comcast (New Haven, Michigan) – 2006 to 2007
- Managed a public access channel, including scheduling programs and producing and directing television coverage of local events. Also assisted with government affairs tasks, including interaction with local and state elected officials and their staff on franchising and other issues.
Documentation Department Supervisor
Cardell Corporation (Rochester Hills, Michigan) – 1996 to 1997
- Created the Documentation Department at a Tier 2 automotive supplier to Ford and Chrysler in preparation for the company’s QS9000/ISO9001 compliance inspection. Organized existing documentation and wrote a Documentation Control Manual that met QS9000 standards. Supervised a staff of two technical writers and managed the department’s budget. The department was also responsible for digitally storing and cataloging company documents.
Adjunct Instructor
Northwood University (Midland, Michigan) – 1994 to 1995
- Taught a course on using personal computers in commercial art and graphic design using PageMaker software. I developed course materials, assignments, and tests and managed student records.
Radio Host
WHGR-AM & WJGS-FM (Houghton Lake, Michigan) – 1984 to 1985
- Hosted the midday shift for an Adult Contemporary and Local News/Talk station (WHGR) and weekend shifts for a Top 40 station (WJGS). Responsibilities included newscasts, hosting a daily community affairs program, commercial copywriting and production, music playlist selection, football play-by-play, and developing and hosting promotional events.
Radio Host
WCFX-FM (Clare/Mount Pleasant, Michigan) – 1983 to 1984 and 1985 to 1989
- Hosted afternoon, evening, and overnight shifts for an Adult Contemporary station. Responsibilities included newscasts, commercial copywriting and production, promotions, and live remotes.
VOLUNTEER EXPERIENCE
President-Elect/President
Michigan Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (MACRAO) – January 2020 to December 2021
- Led one of Michigan’s leading organizations for student services professionals. Also chaired the MACRAO committee on enrollment management and was instrumental in organizing virtual and in-person statewide conferences during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.
President
Michigan Community College Admissions Directors (MCCAD) – June 2019 to November 2020
- Organized the annual MCCAD Conference at our college in 2018. Assisted with a move to more regular virtual meetings in 2020.
Advisory and Grants Committee Member
Blue Water Arts Committee of the Community Foundation of St. Clair County (Port Huron, Michigan) – 2007 to 2013
- Established guidelines and procedures for a new fine arts funding group, part of the Community Foundation of St. Clair County. I’ve also served on the grants subcommittee, responsible for determining funding for grant applications from local arts organizations.
Actor, Director, Designer, Technician, Board President
St. Clair Theatre Guild (Saint Clair, Michigan); Port Huron Civic Theatre (Port Huron, Michigan); Theatre Sarnia (Sarnia, Ontario); The Borderline Theatre Group (Marine City, Michigan) – 2001 to present
- Worked on 59 live theater productions to date, directing 39 of them. Genres have included comedy, drama, and musical theater. Includes set, lighting, sound design, and other technical theater tasks. Served as an adjudicator for high school theater competitions.
Producer, Director, Sports Commentator, Program Host
CTV – St. Clair Community Television (Saint Clair, Michigan) – 2001 to 2012
- Play-by-play announcer and color commentator for high school soccer and football for Marine City and St. Clair High Schools. Produced, directed, and hosted other public interest programs and served as a camera operator and graphic designer for a local public, educational, and government cable channel.
Regional Commissioner
American Youth Soccer Organization (AYSO) – Region 673 (East China, Michigan) – 2000 to 2003
- Responsible for a year-round youth soccer program (over 600 players aged 4 to 18), including budgeting, equipment purchases, team formation, scheduling, management of grants and donations for a major field construction project, and volunteer training and supervision.
TECHNICAL SKILLS
- Web & Print Graphics: Dreamweaver, Photoshop, Illustrator, Acrobat, InDesign
- Web Development/Database Technologies: HTML5, CSS, JavaScript, PHP, MySQL
- Content Management Systems: WordPress, Drupal, MemberClicks Oasis
- Customer Relationship Management: Insightly, MailChimp, Constant Contact
- Student Information Systems: Ellucian Colleague
- Collaboration and Meeting Platforms: Microsoft Teams, Zoom, GoToMeeting, Slack
- Microsoft Office: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access, Outlook
- Video & Audio: Adobe Premiere and Audition, Apple iMovie, and GarageBand; PreSonus Studio One
- Operating Systems: Windows, MacOS, Android, iOS
- Theatrical lighting and sound equipment, and power tools
EDUCATION
Bachelor of Science in Liberal Arts
Central Michigan University (Mount Pleasant, Michigan)
Double major in Geography and Earth Science, with a concentration in Cartography
Master of Arts in Liberal Studies
University of Michigan – Flint (Flint, Michigan) – completion date: May 2024, thesis in progress
Concentration in American Culture