Resume—Rachel DeSchepper

Professional Experience

Lead Content Strategist

Andrews McMeel Universal Kansas City, MO May 2020 – Present
  • Develop and execute unified content strategy and brand standards across digital portfolio including GoComics, Puzzle Society, UExpress, and Webby award-winning The Far Side® website, serving millions of users monthly.
  • Partner with Creative Director on information architecture, user journeys, and content-driven functionality; successfully influence product roadmap priorities for content-led initiatives.
  • Led Calvin and Hobbes 40th anniversary campaign generating 59 million reach, 104% engagement increase, 752,960 paid advertising impressions, and 14,200% increase in social mentions, with measurable sales impact.
  • Drive SEO performance across AI disruption and site relaunch: 21% increase in search CTR, 36% improvement in rankings, and 72.7% MoM traffic growth; previously achieved 209% organic search growth during Puzzle Society launch.
  • Spearhead GEO strategy and AI adoption as organizational subject matter expert; lead technical SEO and accessibility initiatives with developers including schema architecture and WCAG compliance.

Executive Editor, BHG.com

Meredith Corporation Remote Jan 2019 – May 2020
  • Transformed 14-person editorial team, increasing daily content production 75% to 20+ pieces per day while cultivating a culture where team members felt valued and empowered.
  • Aligned cross-functional teams across marketing, product, analytics, and technology to develop revenue-driving content strategies across owned platforms, social, audio, and video.
  • Established and managed editorial budgets up to $300,000 annually; optimized resource allocation and ROI across content verticals.
  • Executed CMS migration to Drupal and managed 32,000-page site audit; navigated complex stakeholder relationships under tight deadlines.
  • Developed strategic messaging for sponsored and paid editorial programs generating advertising revenue for multiple brand partners.

Senior Director, Marketing & Digital Strategy

Women Leaders in College Sports Kansas City, MO Oct 2016 – Jan 2019
  • Served on executive leadership team with CEO, managing $1.9M operating budget and setting organizational growth strategy.
  • Conceived and executed complete organizational rebrand and website relaunch generating 2M social impressions and strong positive member sentiment across 3,500+ members.
  • Launched and produced Women Leaders Podcast achieving 800+ unique downloads per episode; engineered integrated campaigns resulting in 23% YoY increase in National Convention registrations.

Senior Editorial Leadership Roles

NYC Media Companies New York, NY 2008 – 2016

Digital Director, Modern Farmer  ·  Director of Digital Content, All You (Time Inc)  ·  Senior Web Editor, Country Living (Hearst)  ·  Online Editor, Fresh Home and Every Day with Rachael Ray (RDA)

  • Built and led editorial teams across major NYC media brands including Time Inc and Hearst, scaling content production to 50+ articles weekly and driving record traffic milestones.
  • Delivered triple-digit growth across channels: 547% YoY increase in partnership referrals, 359% YoY social referral growth, and 129% YoY social traffic growth through strategic distribution and SEO.
  • Launched viral #iamamodernfarmer campaign generating 28.5M social impressions; created Samsung-sponsored "America's Smartest Shopper" and other revenue-generating digital products.
  • Spearheaded digital brand launch for Fresh Home from concept through site development, newsletter, social, and audience development strategy.

Community Leadership & Nonprofit

Director of Communications

Kelly Thompson for Jackson County Nov 2025 – Present

Founder

KC Content Collective Sep 2025 – Present

Board Member & Marketing Director

Project Homeless Connect Kansas City 2016 – Present

Board Member

The BrandLab 2019 – 2023

Committee Member

Girls on the Run of Greater Kansas City 2018 – 2021

Core Skills

Content Strategy Brand Development Editorial Leadership Team Building SEO / GEO AI Adoption Site Redesign CMS Migration Data & Analytics Budget Management Cross-Platform Distribution Stakeholder Partnership

Technical Tools

Education

Recognition, Press & Speaking