Nicole Garris brings a wide variety of expertise to the OPEN MINDS team, including an extensive background in marketing, creative direction, and brand development and management. She also has a variety of experience in digital, traditional, and social media marketing – with years of experience as a graphic designer. She currently serves as a Senior Associate for OPEN MINDS.

In her role at OPEN MINDS, Ms. Garris helped earn the 2017 Silver Healthcare Marketing Impact Award for PsychU’s 2016 Stigma Campaign. She also grew subscribers of PsychU.org from 2,500 to 36,000+ in 3.5 years through developing and executing comprehensive marketing plans.

Prior to joining OPEN MINDS, Ms. Garris served as the Director of Marketing, Culinary Services Group. In this role, she defined and oversaw the execution of strategy for corporate/business dining for all business lines including senior living, hospitals, behavioral health care and retail. Ms. Garris developed the editorial calendar as well as implemented the strategic content marketing plans. She increased LinkedIn followers by 59% in 12 month, from 2,668 to over 4,300. In addition, Ms. Garris utilized blog posts in email campaigns to convert leads to clients, generating an additional $630,000 in revenue for 2019.

Prior to joining Culinary Services Group, Ms. Garris developed and managed the formalwear and factory store brands of Jos. A. Bank Clothiers, a prominent men’s retailer composed of 600+ stores nationwide. In this role, she engineered and ensured the consistent look of all branding, promotions, in-store signage, and outward communications.

Ms. Garris has also worked as an independent marketing and design consultant for multiple organizations – specializing in social media integration, campaign design and execution, and multichannel marketing strategies.

Ms. Garris is a 2009 graduate of the Art Institute of York, Pennsylvania where she earned an Associate Degree in Specialized Technology with a Major in Graphic Design.