What I Do
The Customer Journey
More than a decade in Customer Experience has allowed me to master every touchpoint of the customer journey, from how customers first discover the brand to strategizing on how to best collect and implement their feedback on their purchase. I create unforgettable experiences every step of the way, utilizing the brand tone while ensuring the messaging is clear and informative.
Process Creation and Development
I love sinking my teeth into new ideas and problems that need to be solved: if you have an initiative that needs to be jump-started, I’m your girl. Keeping both short and long term objectives in mind, I explore multiple strategies to achieve goals of all sizes, and am at my best when creating action-oriented solutions through precise decision making and the development of new systems.
Brand Building
With the foundation of strong processes and teams, I believe that a company’s lasting impact—and integrity as a brand—is built through the power of content and storytelling. I’m as creatively motivated as I am driven by logistical operations: I can take on special projects of all kinds, offering content development, project management, and visual design. I have a strong pulse on cultural and contemporary trends founded on a personal passion for the worlds of design, food, and art.
People Management
Teamwork is essential for a company’s long-standing success, which is why people are the core of all I do. I develop team structures, define individual trajectories, and lead others from a mentorship position with the belief that each member of any team should feel ownership over their roles and responsibilities. I can manage teams both near and from afar, and prioritize clear communication and high collaboration to keep teams happy and in sync.
Experience
Houseplant | Customer Experience Manager
2021-2023 | Los Angeles, CA
Built entire in-house customer experience program, from establishing processes and KPIs to hiring and training. Owned consumer research that provided key strategic insights across the organization.
Year & Day | Customer Experience Manager
2020—2021 | Los Angeles, CA
Designed customer response strategy and oversaw operations and CX transition under company rebrand. Managed vendor relations including shipping logistics, quality control checks and adherence to SOPs.
Everlane | Customer Experience Training Lead
2012–2020 | New York, NY
Built and scaled training program for Customer Experience, managed the training team and onboarded 70 part-time CX associates virtually. Executed key data reports on consumer insights and KPIs for teams across the company, conducting frequent customer feedback audits and analysis.
The MP Shift | Project Manager
2015–2016 | New York, NY
Liaised between agency co-founders and clients as key project manager for range of hospitality, interiors, and branding projects. Produced small and large scale events developing run of shows and budgets, maintaining communication across vendors and clients, and ensuring timely delivery of creative assets.
Brutal Magazine | Co-Founder and Editorial Director
2014–2015 | New York, NY
Launched and funded the first two issues of a bi-annual food, art, and fashion niche magazine, establishing look, feel, and voice of the brand. Defined editorial and content direction and led the recruitment of writers/contributors. Conducted and edited all interviews, copy, and contributions. Produced brand events for magazine including pop-up dinners, a month-long collaboration with Morgenstern’s Ice Cream, and launch parties.
Education
Honors B.A. International Relations; French Minor
New York University
Fall 2008 - Spring 2012
Skills
People & Operations: Management, Processes Improvement
Creative: Adobe, Event Planning, Architecture and Design
Languages: English (native), French (fluent), German (beginner)
Data: Excel, SQL, Looker, Chartio
Volunteer Experience
Peer Counselor
The Trevor Project
Program Coordinator
The Toklas Society
Special Projects
WINE TIME
If there’s anything 2020 has taught us, it’s that time is valuable. Launched in October 2020 but 5 years in the making, WINE TIME was a 5pm ritual turned anytime mantra between two faraway friends, closing the distance between hours, cities, and life.
Building brand identity with my dear friend Stephanie Tam was a dream. Leaning into the lo-fi, crafty, and resourceful atmosphere the pandemic has birthed, we launched WINE TIME exclusively on Instagram, selling our first piece: a simple white cap you can wear anywhere. We were honored to have our passion project go toward a bigger purpose, with all proceeds from the caps going to Open Wine Forum—an organization focused on education, training, and mentorship for BIPOC and LGBTQ folks in the hospitality and beverage industry.
Brutal Magazine
In 2014, a friend and I set out to produce something we thought the world was severely lacking: a magazine that played with the fine line between the beautiful and the weird, that could bring together talents from numerous creative industries. In Brutal Magazine, we created a world for these folks to produce visceral, tongue-in-cheek food and style stories, pushing up against the idea that food as well as fashion has to be precious or perfect.
No task was too big or too small for me to tackle as co-founder: from coordinating with all vendors for our pop-up dinner events to poring over every page of an issue with the printer confirming color saturation, I did it all. In addition to recruiting our art director, I managed logistics of interviews and photoshoots, ensuring things always kept moving.
Let’s get stuff done together.
WINE TIME photos by Stephanie Tam and Gheanna Emelia | Brutal Magazine photos by Red Gaskell
© 2023 Gheanna Emelia