I'm Josh.

I am an operationally minded Creative Director and former COO with 20+ years leading brand development, marketing campaigns, and the systems that ship them. I work at the intersection of strategic clarity, practical execution, and applied AI, and my products focus on turning vision into action, building creative systems that scale, and guiding teams to measurable outcomes.

Director of Special Projects
I lead AI innovation and integration in day to day operations, building self sustaining initiatives such as USECMO.ai that compound value over time.

Operator and Builder
For the last 20 years I helped grow Deksia into a thriving national marketing agency. We completed three agency acquisitions in four years, integrated teams and systems, and maintained creative quality while improving margins. I continue to serve on the Board of Directors.

Academic roots
Seven years teaching as full time faculty member in Visual Communications at the university level, where I attained full tenure, as an Associate Professor and lead the rebuilding of the department curriculumn. I also earned the Innovation in Teaching Award. Clear thinking, clear briefs, and clear critique are the through line.

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What shaped me
Before the creative world, I worked blue collar as a heavy equipment operator, high rise rebar fabricator, welder, and head of production for a steel building manufacturer. That experience taught me production flow, safety, and pride in quality, and it still informs how I design creative systems.

How I lead
High standards and low drama. I prefer visible boards, short feedback loops, and scorecards that drive action. I jump in with teams to debug both the work and the workflow, and I apply AI where it genuinely helps.

Credentials
MFA in Painting with a Graphic Design emphasis from Kansas State University. EOS practitioner for 9 years. Multi disciplinary creative direction across identity, web, video, and campaign. AI systems design and enablement for creative and marketing teams.