Career journey and growth

Rachel began her career in SEO as an Associate, but quickly recognized that expanding into paid media would open additional growth opportunities. Rather than waiting for someone to hand her the next step, she took initiative. She completed certifications, pursued self-study and proactively sought out colleagues to train and mentor her. Once she proved she was ready, she transitioned into paid search and continued building cross-channel expertise.

Her philosophy has always been simple: don’t just stay in your swim lane.

Over the years, Rachel has grown into the role of Group Director on the Media Investment team, leading a cross-channel team spanning paid search, programmatic, paid social and SEO. Today, she has five direct reports, with her broader team rolling up to roughly 45–50 team members across the U.S. and Mexico. For Rachel, advancement hasn’t come from doing only what’s asked. It came from raising her hand, finding mentors and never saying, “That’s not my job.”

Leading cross-channel media

As Group Director, a large portion of Rachel’s role centers on team leadership, something she considers one of the most rewarding parts of her job. She supports her team’s professional development, helps navigate workflow and client challenges and encourages collaboration across channels.

Her team works across paid search, programmatic, social and SEO, delivering integrated media strategies that support full-funnel marketing goals.

One of the projects she’s most excited about currently involves partnering with a client who embraces testing and innovation. From CTV expansion to annual roadmap planning and structured testing frameworks, Rachel and her team are empowered to bring bold ideas to the table. For her, the “cool work” is less about one flashy campaign and more about having clients who trust the team to think strategically and creatively.

Mentorship and initiative

Rachel credits much of her growth to informal mentorship throughout her career. Early leaders recognized her drive and invested time in her development. Even today, she maintains relationships with mentors across departments, often seeking their perspective and guidance. She believes mentorship is both earned and pursued and it starts with showing interest, doing the work and demonstrating initiative. When people step outside their comfort zones, leaders tend to notice.

Her advice to others looking to grow into new channels? Start with curiosity. Do the certifications. Shadow peers. Join trainings when new hires are onboarded. Prove you’re ready before expecting responsibility. Growth requires effort, but the opportunity is there.

Advice for new team members

Rachel encourages new hires to: ask thoughtful, curious questions, bring potential solutions — not just problems, challenge "the way we’ve always done it," seek opportunities beyond their immediate role and build relationships in person whenever possible.

She emphasizes that new employees are hired for their perspective. Respectful curiosity and collaboration can spark meaningful improvements.

She also believes strongly in the value of in-person connection, especially early in a career. Whether based in an office or near one, building face-to-face relationships accelerates development and makes collaboration more natural.

Why Rachel stays

In a competitive Chicago marketing landscape, Rachel’s skills are highly marketable, but she stays because she’s continually found new challenges internally.

In nine years, she’s never felt stagnant. She’s had multiple managers, evolving responsibilities and expanding scope. Rise — and now Quad — has provided continuous growth and opportunity.

She also stays because of the people. From her earliest days right out of college, Rise became more than a workplace; it became a professional community. The agency environment allowed her to build lasting friendships, meaningful mentorships and a career she never initially planned.

Looking back, she sees how those people-focused instincts serve her well today in leadership. For Rachel, the opportunity to grow, collaborate and help others develop is what makes Rise — and Quad — a place worth building a career.