Washington, D.C.

I Build the Campaigns.
The Numbers
Tell the Story.

Integrated marketing leader with nearly a decade of experience turning audience insights, brand strategy, and data into campaigns that drive measurable results.

Event Marketing GTM Strategy Brand Marketing Campaign Execution Team Leadership
Get in touch → View my work
Kayla McCloud
~65%
Year-over-year
attendance growth
250+
Events marketed
annually
200K
Views across livestream
& social content
About

Finding the story
inside the complexity.

I'm an integrated marketing leader with nearly ten years of experience building consumer-facing brands, multi-channel campaigns, and live experiences for high-visibility, fast-moving organizations.

My career has been built on translating complex subjects like policy, governance, national affairs, and cybersecurity into compelling narratives that reach the right audiences and drive measurable outcomes. I obsess over the data, partner closely with creative and sales teams, and build the systems that allow great strategy to execute at scale.

Currently serving as Director of Audience Engagement at POLITICO, I lead end-to-end marketing strategy for POLITICO Live, driving ~65% year-over-year attendance growth through integrated, data-driven campaign execution across global markets.

Currently
Director, Audience Engagement
POLITICO
Location
Washington, D.C.
Education
B.A. Communication
The George Washington University
Recognition
Collaboration of the Year, POLITICO (2024)
Rockstar Award, GovExec (2020)
Expertise

Core skills & capabilities.

Strategy & Planning
Integrated Marketing Strategy Go-to-Market Planning Brand Positioning Audience Segmentation Campaign Planning
Campaign Execution
Multi-Channel Campaigns Email Marketing Paid & Organic Social Digital Advertising Content Amplification
Analytics & Performance
KPI Development Campaign Optimization ROI Measurement Audience Insights Data-Driven Decision Making
Leadership & Collaboration
Team Leadership Agency Management Stakeholder Management Budget Management Cross-Functional Alignment
Platforms & Tools
Cvent Aventri Bizzabo Splash ON24 Sailthru Mailchimp Salesforce WordPress HTML
Experience

Where I've done the work.

July 2023 – Present
POLITICO
Director, Audience Engagement
  • Lead end-to-end event marketing strategy for global in-person and virtual POLITICO Live programs, driving qualified registrations, attendance growth, and measurable ROI across multiple markets
  • Execute multi-channel campaigns across email, paid/organic social, digital marketing, and post-event content amplification driving year-over-year attendance growth of ~65%
  • Define and track KPIs including registrations, attendance rate, audience quality, and engagement, using data insights to optimize campaign performance
  • Partner cross-functionally with Sales, Editorial, Product Marketing, and Client Management teams to align messaging, sponsorship deliverables, and audience strategy
Mar 2019 – July 2023
GovExec
Associate Director, Event Marketing & Strategy
July 2022 – July 2023
  • Designed overall marketing and audience acquisition strategy for GovExec's 250+ digital and in-person events
  • Managed and mentored a team of four event marketers, consistently earning top ratings in internal manager effectiveness surveys
  • Revamped marketing processes, reducing manual effort by 100+ hours annually and improving campaign tracking
Senior Marketing Manager
Dec 2021 – July 2022
  • Led a team of four event marketing associates responsible for audience acquisition for editorial and client events
  • Developed gate revenue strategies for paid events
  • Executed comprehensive marketing strategies including email, social media, and digital tactics for editorial tentpole events and large client summits
Audience Marketing Manager
July 2020 – Dec 2021
  • Led overall marketing strategy for editorial and custom client events ranging from 50–500 in-person and 125–1,600+ virtual attendees
  • Managed one event marketing associate
Audience Marketing Associate
Mar 2019 – July 2020
  • Developed email marketing campaigns through HTML design, audience cultivation, and performance analysis
  • Modified event pricing structure to optimize growth opportunities and increase gate revenue
Jan 2018 – Oct 2018
Hanley Wood
Marketing Coordinator
  • Designed and implemented marketing content for emails, websites, social media, and digital, print, and online ads for all client events
  • Managed marketing budgets ranging from $2,000 to $18,000
  • Secured promotional partnerships with American Institute of Architects chapters, U.S. Green Building Council chapters, city governments, and other relevant associations
Contact
Let's connect.

Open to new opportunities in integrated marketing, brand strategy, and campaign leadership. Based in Washington, D.C.

✉ Send me an email → in View my LinkedIn profile →