A Minneapolis-based partnership and marketing leader with 10+ years building partner and membership ecosystems, driving retention, and leading teams to measurable revenue goals — equally at home with a boutique local restaurant and a Fortune 500 sponsor.
I build the kind of long-term relationships that translate into retention, revenue, and real community impact — and I've been invested in Minneapolis long before it was professionally relevant.
I've spent my career building partner ecosystems, growing membership programs, and cultivating relationships that keep members invested and engaged. My ties to Minneapolis's arts and hospitality community aren't incidental — they're the foundation of my story. I started in membership development at the Southern Theater, supported donor engagement at the Ordway Center, and co-founded Button Poetry, which grew from a local arts collective into the world's most-watched poetry channel on YouTube.
The past decade in the technology sector added operational scale: I built partner marketing and membership engagement programs from scratch at both Calabrio and OpenSesame, each contributing to million-dollar partner referral pipelines. I've led teams across 400+ global partners, launched a 22-city member community that drove a 7× improvement in renewal rates, and consistently delivered against revenue targets and stakeholder KPIs.
What's rarer than the operational track record is knowing instinctively how to serve a boutique Minneapolis restaurant and a Fortune 500 sponsor in the same room. That blend of community relationships and partnership rigor is exactly what I bring.
The heart of the work: designing onboarding, activation, enablement, and retention frameworks that keep partners and members engaged — and grow the network. Spanning OpenSesame, 6sense, Calabrio, and Minneapolis arts.
Built the company's first partner marketing function and inaugural partner membership model — onboarding, activation, enablement, and retention frameworks from scratch, plus toolkits and microsites tailored to partners of every size.
Launched the company's inaugural member community program across 22 cities and redesigned the full lifecycle — community, adoption, partner programs, and services — so members got consistent, high-value touchpoints at every stage.
Built global partner membership strategy — onboarding, enablement, incentives, and co-branded "Marketing-in-a-Box" kits — across 400+ partners, realigning the program around technology partners like Cisco, Twilio, and Amazon.
Where it started: built out the Member Benefits Program and managed the membership database for a beloved Minneapolis arts institution — researching ways to expand member value and retention.
Developed partner-facing toolkits, co-branded materials, and microsites to maximize engagement and retention — including the AWS co-sell motion and ecosystem campaigns produced for ATD.
Established executive KPI dashboards tracking partner performance, pipeline attribution, and retention health — plus a repeatable partner-marketing sprint process for the team.
Sustained involvement in community and industry events is how partnerships grow and retain. I've built user-group communities, led conference activations, and created the in-person moments that keep members connected.
Built the Twin Cities 6sense user group and scaled the model into a 22-city member community — driving engagement, networking, and retention through consistently great in-person events.
Led partner activations at Workday Rising, UKG Aspire, Cornerstone Spark, ATD, and partner SKOs — building community presence across a global ecosystem on a tight Q2 calendar of 11 events across 9 cities and 4 countries.
Coordinated poetry events with local and national venue, media, and sponsor partners — building a robust Minneapolis arts community network and securing invitations to the White House and SXSW.
When Twin Cities neighborhoods were hit by crisis, I organized a company-wide food & supply drive — mobilizing local and international Calabrians to gather, sort, and distribute essentials to families facing food and resource shortages.
Donations were routed through three trusted local partners — North Minneapolis Pet Resource, Zion Lutheran, and Bethlehem Lutheran in the Midway — to reach the community members with the most urgent needs. It's exactly the kind of community-first mobilizing that great partnership work runs on.
Building sponsorship programs partners ask to join — articulating value, negotiating funding, managing budgets, and turning co-marketing into a waitlist of partners who want in.
Founded the partner co-sponsorship program for OpenSesame's annual ATD VIP party — this year's "Workforce Remix" at the GRAMMY Museum in Los Angeles. I built the prospectus and tiered packages (Exhibition, Cocktail, Spin Art, Airbrush; $3K–$6K). It was such a success in year one that year two sold itself: I didn't advertise a single opportunity — partners came to us, asking to be included, and I worked from a waitlist.
Secured $50K+ in quarterly co-marketing funding — including a first-time Intel investment — by articulating sponsor value across AWS, Microsoft, Google, Intel, AMD, and NVIDIA, and led a featured Microsoft expert panel at a leading HPC conference.
Aligned value and co-marketing programs with enterprise partners — Workday, UKG, Cornerstone, AWS, 360Learning, Axonify, and Bridge — including conference co-marketing activations and the AWS Marketplace fast-track motion to streamline sponsor and customer procurement.
Strong written and oral communication is the connective tissue of partnership work — from web experiences and authored thought leadership to member newsletters and co-branded guides.
Authored partner-facing thought leadership on AI and learning — translating live partner conversations and panels into practical, shareable reads under my own byline.
Produced partner program, community, recruitment, and competitive-displacement pages — including the redesigned Twilio + Calabrio partner experience and the "Why Calabrio" value story.
Created the monthly customer newsletter plus practical member resources — like a fillable IT learning-path worksheet — to drive engagement, adoption, and retention.
My investment in this city isn't a talking point — it's the through-line of my career, and it once led directly to Meet Minneapolis's door.
While serving as US Director of Brand Relationships at Goodpin, a Minneapolis collaborative-giving platform, I built a partnership with Target's Corporate Social Responsibility team. When Goodpin was declined for the inaugural Target–TechStars Innovation Accelerator, I knew the right person at Target through years of Minneapolis community networking, made the case directly, and got the decision reversed.
Together we designed a $20,000 in-store giving pilot letting customers direct Target's charitable dollars to their chosen nonprofit. Target later built that model into Target Circle's giving program — still running today. The Target giving leader dedicated a full chapter to our collaboration in her book, Sparkle On, Changemaker.
During that same period, I brought a partnership proposal to Meet Minneapolis about incorporating community giving into visitor programming — celebrating the city's diverse nonprofit community. The timing wasn't right for a startup-stage platform, but the connection was a natural one, and I've thought about those possibilities ever since.
That community foundation runs deep: membership development at the Southern Theater, donor engagement at the Ordway Center, volunteering at The Soap Factory, co-founding Button Poetry, and driving B2B relationships for Apple Business at Mall of America with clients like Target, GE, and Mayo Clinic.
A full chapter is dedicated to my work with Target's Corporate Social Responsibility team on the in-store giving pilot that became Target Circle's giving program.
Produced on behalf of the artists featured at Button Poetry, where I served as Communications Director and a founding member.
I had the pleasure of working with Heidi for roughly 5 years as the VP of Partnerships where Heidi led the partner marketing team. She is one of the hardest working individuals I know with a get-it-done attitude. Her creativity in problem solving is second to none. She was also a fantastic leader and mentor to her team. I would highly recommend Heidi to any company looking for a Partner Marketing leader.
Heidi's leadership has been instrumental in growing the Twin Cities 6sense user group, and she's established herself as a key voice in the industry. We even competed against each other for 6sense's 2023 ABM Program of the Year, and I can confidently say she made for great competition! Her innovative approach and drive to push boundaries were inspiring to see. Beyond her technical strengths, Heidi is a thoughtful, inclusive leader who truly cares about others' success.
Heidi has played an important role as a leader of the 6sense user groups, cultivating a strong sense of community in the Twin Cities. She has a remarkable ability to foster strong connections, ensuring every member feels valued and empowered. Her commitment to the community has made it a great resource for users to grow and thrive. I recommend Heidi for any role that requires strong leadership, community building, and a deep understanding of marketing and technology platforms.
Working with Heidi was an incredible experience. Her leadership and vision were pivotal in building our 6sense community from the ground up. Heidi's expertise in marketing and community engagement helped us foster meaningful connections, and her collaborative approach made every project more impactful. She's a true leader and someone you can rely on to drive success.
I've worked with many marketing leaders, and Heidi is one of the best. She goes above and beyond in her role, always open to sharing additional information to ensure her customer's success. She was very organized and detail-oriented. Even when she wasn't in person for an event, she helped pull off a user group meetup, and it went flawless.
Heidi always brings a positive and collaborative attitude to everything she does. She is incredibly creative, always thinking outside the box with ideas on how to engage customers and drive awareness & adoption. She works very well with her cross-functional teammates, is always looking for feedback, and is always willing to help others. She will bring positive vibes and hard work to any team.
Heidi is next-level. She's energetic, full of fresh ideas, and knows how to get them done. If you're looking for a fun, data-driven, leading-edge marketer, you found her!
Ready to bring partnership rigor and genuine community roots to Meet Minneapolis's network of 500+ partners.