Experience + Talent = Irreplaceable Partnerships
Dayta is comprised of some of the smartest, hardest-working, creative and generally kick-a** marketing professionals around. When you partner with us, you’ll get to know these dedicated folks as members of your Pod, the team of experts assigned to defend and grow your brand with gusto.
Among the Dayta workforce, you’ll find the likes of published authors, unicyclists, former TV personalities, keen bakers and former bank executives, each with their own expertise in marketing sales, analytics, project management, content creation or all of the above! Meet the whole darn team:
client services
Tenacious. Motivated. Fun.
Is it too on the nose to call Afton “flexible?” This gymnastics coach-slash-Account-Developer-extraordinaire is Dayta’s own Simone Biles—she makes even the trickiest maneuvers look easy! Afton excels at creating and maintaining strong client relationships and loves being able to help a multitude of different companies across many unique industries tell their business story and be a part of their growth. True to her sports-centric roots, she loves Dayta’s team mindset, but make no mistake: Afton is a force to be reckoned with all on her own. She’s pretty flipping awesome!
Responsibility. Strategic. Learner.
Emily joins Dayta with a foundation in Advertising, Public Relations, Communications, and Psychology. Emily is eager to deepen her understanding of our clients, industries, and collaborate with our team to drive success for our clients.
Outside the office, Emily is a food enthusiast who loves cooking, exploring local eateries, traveling, and spending time with her loved ones and dogs. Her vibrant energy and commitment to excellence make her a fantastic addition to the Dayta family.
Positive. Detail-oriented. Determined.
Before joining the #DAYTALife full-time, Jessi interned with Dayta while finishing her degree at SCTCC. After her internship ended, the hands-on experience and knowledge she gained led to a position in digital marketing for real estate—but she missed us so much that she had to come back! Now, Jessi works with a variety of clients across many industries. The depth and breadth of her client base means she’s constantly learning and developing new, innovative ways to help her clients succeed. Jessi is passionate about Dayta’s positive workplace culture, and we think her sunny disposition shines through in all she does!
Relator. Maximizer. Strategic.
Lauren is a certified Project Management Professional (PMP) whose passion for developing and managing project process improvements began in college. Post-graduation, Lauren applied her skills at an exterior renovation company and was later promoted to Residential Division Manager. Lauren enjoys the creative elements of digital marketing, which allow her to connect with people and brands in new, dynamic ways. She is especially enthusiastic about working with Dayta clients who are eager to get big projects underway and start making positive changes for their businesses! She is excited to work with the Dayta team to take clients’ visions for growth and turn them into tangible reality.
Strategic. Articulate. Nerdy.
With 15+ years of experience working in tech, B2B and B2C businesses, Leah is a kick-a** Consultant with a passion for building business growth and helping clients navigate the ever-changing world of marketing. Leah is an expert at relationship management and working a room—she’s a charmer, people! As such, Leah loves cultivating genuine partnerships with her clients, and beams with pride to see them achieve their goals!
Analytical. Responsibility. Arranger.
Lexie is a dynamic Project Manager at Dayta, whose passion for marketing is matched only by her dedication to bringing projects to fruition. With a degree in marketing and a professional sales certificate from St. Cloud State University, Lexie combines creative vision with analytical prowess to drive success in our campaigns.
Lexie loves marketing for its unique blend of creativity and analytical challenges. The thrill of seeing her ideas not only take shape but also perform well is what motivates her every day. As a Project Manager, Lexie enjoys the diversity of her role, engaging with different aspects of each project and appreciating the variety that each day brings.
Upbeat. Driven. Personable.
Before starting at Dayta, Mackenzie worked at a local television station in Duluth as an Account Executive focused on selling traditional and digital advertising. After six years in that role, she was promoted to Local Sales Manager, where she oversaw a team of nine individuals. Mackenzie loves interacting with clients and helping them develop their marketing strategies, so she is looking forward to those opportunities within her role at Dayta!
Futuristic. Positivity. Relator.
Dayta is proud to have Maddie as our Senior Project Manager, a role in which she has continually demonstrated her dedication to bringing our clients' visions to life. Maddie's experience as an Account Coordinator at a graphic design company, combined with her time managing a student-run coffee shop, laid a strong foundation for her exceptional interpersonal and client service skills.
Maddie's passion for interacting with people and getting to know clients on a personal level has been a consistent theme throughout her career. She thrives on the challenges of problem-solving and organizing projects to ensure smooth execution and client satisfaction. Her role at Dayta allows her to be involved in every step of a project, from inception to completion, ensuring that each project not only meets but exceeds our clients' expectations.
Creative. Passionate. Honest.
Myles has been making waves locally as a social media specialist with his marketing background from the St. Cloud Technical and Community College. Myles demonstrates his creativity and problem-solving skills on the regular in his role as a senior project manager, impressing clients with his innovation and flexibility. Myles is our in-house TikTok expert, but he loves all social media platforms—don’t ask him to pick a favorite, it’s too difficult!
SPECIALISTS & Leadership
- Skilled strategic leader.
- Accomplished executive coach and mentor.
- Results-driven entrepreneur.
- Experienced in building a national brand serving 7.5 million customers and over $70 billion in deposits at ING Direct.
- Top finance executive at Capital One with extensive experience in Fortune 500 financial services companies.
- A community leader with extensive board experience in nonprofit and for-profit organizations.
- Developed world-class brand experience utilizing high tech, high touch strategies.
- Extensive experience in strategic planning and systems change.
- Extensive experience in scaling sales and service organizations.
Professional. Creative. Friendly.
Shortly after graduating from SCTCC, Cody jumped into his career. He has over five years of experience in the graphic design and marketing industry and has worked across publications, promotional products and digital marketing. Nothing ever satisfies Cody’s passion for creating, and he seeks every opportunity to do so. He believes that the most successful stories are told by people who truly care about and connect with the subject, and therefore strives to build genuine relationships with everyone with whom he works.
- Previous to Dayta, Daine led a 40+ member application development team at TransUnion within the Analytics Engineering organization responsible for building out the analytics platform supporting a diverse community of data scientists, statisticians, predictive modelers, product developers, and data strategists.
- Previous to TransUnion, Daine led a development team at eBureau (acquired by TransUnion) to build a robust analytics platform serving internal and external customers.
- Previous to eBureau, Daine developed web content and applications for marketing agencies and teams, as well as managed a large-scale server infrastructure and systems.
Organized. Friendly. Detail-Oriented.
Intrepid Office Administrator Emily was a daycare provider in her home for many years before joining the Dayta team in 2021. She looks forward to using her organization skills, love of routine, and ability to multi-task in her role managing the Daytabase — which can occasionally look like a daycare, given how often our team members bring their kiddos to work!
- Led development of new Dayta services accounting for 61% of net ARR.
- Developed and systemized scalable marketing strategy consulting framework (Dayta Loop).
- Responsible for ensuring that Dayta’s product offerings stay ahead of its peers, developing technical and tactical solutions in advance of major shifts in the martech landscape.
- Chair, St. Cloud Parks & Recreation Advisory Board (2018 - current).
- Board Member, Greater St. Cloud Public Safety Foundation (2018 - current)
- Co-Organizer, TEDxStCloud (2017 - current).
- Innovation Corps Committee, Greater St. Cloud Development Corporation (2016 - 2018).
- Previously Marketing Director for Cazarin Interactive, a Twin Cities-based web development agency (2014 - 2015).
- Founded and developed the following three risk management and marketing services companies over the past 25 years. Gordy’s career has been focused on platform technology development to streamline operations and client delivery.
- RiskWise - Risk management services business sold to LexisNexis in 2000
- eBureau - Risk management and marketing services business sold to TransUnion in 2017
- TruSignal - Marketing services business sold to TransUnion in 2018
- Gordy has been a Dayta Board member since 2013 where he is leading the strategy development, technology development, and capitalization strategy.
- Gordy led the development of Pinecone Central Park in Sartell, MN.
Resourceful. Creative. Quick-Witted.
A flexible and innovative designer, brand whisperer and lightning-fast stock photo retriever, Gwen is one of Dayta’s rockstar advertising specialists. She started with us in her junior year of college, and we couldn’t be happier that she decided to stay with us post-graduation! Gwen loves the built-in variety of her position, which affords her the opportunity to interact and work with all kinds of businesses across industries.
Analytical. Deliberative. "The Wise Owl".
Jason joined the #DAYTAlife fresh out of college, and he’s never looked back! Our Director of Advertising, Jason is a dedicated, detail-oriented leader with a knack for numbers and analytical thinking. Thanks to his encyclopedic knowledge of platforms like Facebook Ads and Google Ads (among many others,) Jason is an expert in running successful digital campaigns. When he’s not diligently managing and overseeing advertising campaigns, client budgets and reporting, you can often find Jason lending a helping hand to his teammates through coaching, mentoring, and generally being our go-to guy!
Restorative. Context. Belief.
Jordan is a Senior Software Engineer at Dayta, bringing a wealth of knowledge and experience to our tech team. A proud graduate of Saint Cloud State University, Jordan earned his degree in Computer Science in 2013 and quickly embarked on a career that would see him making significant contributions to the field.
What Jordan enjoys most about his role is the process of building a project from scratch and tackling the myriad challenges that come with it. He finds great satisfaction in creating solutions that not only solve problems but also enhance the user experience, making technology accessible and beneficial to all. For Jordan, the ultimate reward is knowing that his work is utilized and appreciated by others, making a tangible difference in their interaction with technology. Jordan's passion for problem-solving and his commitment to excellence make him a vital asset to the Dayta team.
Reliable. Calm. Organized.
Kari is a top-tier communicator, due in part to her background in journalism and decade of reporting for the St. Cloud Times. Kari’s approach to her position is all about growth: She loves seeing our clients grow their brand and see results from marketing just as much as she loves helping the Dayta team develop professionally! Kari is a born coach and manager who takes the initiative to find new ways of motivating her team and impressing our clients. So, yeah, if you see we’ve Photoshopped a crown onto her head, there’s a reason: She’s kind of a #queen.
Strategic. Creative. Honest.
With over 15 years of graphic design experience under his belt, Kelly is Dayta’s resident design maestro! Kelly loves using a blend of art and technology to help individuals, businesses and organizations achieve their goals and dreams. Funnily enough, the only social media platform Kelly uses with regularity is Facebook—but he’s familiar with many more, because he designs campaigns that run on every platform under the sun!
- Previous to Dayta, led developer relations team at NativeX (acquired by Mobvista). Responsible for client and new service growth, account retention, and process improvement.
- Previous to NativeX, leader and BA at Merrill Corporation, implemented new services, oversaw technical integrations, managed teams and vendor relationships.
- Restructured Dayta’s client services with the introduction of pods resulting in a 15% increase in client retention rate and a 23% increase in staff efficiency.
- Created the Account Development function within Dayta, introducing standards for the sales process and strategy development resulting in 20% YoY growth.
- Board Member, WACOSA (2019 - current).
- Founder of Dayta.
- Executive Forum (Anderson Center Professional Development) - class of 2020.
- Mentor for Students at the Donald McNeely Center for Entrepreneurship (2014 - present).
- Hill Capital Corporation Ambassador and Advisor.
- Business Central Mark of Excellence Emerging Entrepreneur of the Year (2015).
- Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Minnesota Board Member since 2015, Chair of the Marketing Committee.
- Greater St. Cloud Development Corporation - (Chair: JobSpot Talent Community).
- Falcon National Bank Advisory Board Member (2015 - 2018).
Harmony. Developer. Adaptability.
Michael, a dynamic PPC Specialist at Dayta, has a strong foundation in Business Entrepreneurship from Bemidji State University. His early career was characterized by diverse roles in marketing and inside sales, where he developed a keen understanding of the marketing landscape. Michael's transition into the world of paid advertising was driven by his work at a very small agency, a challenge that taught him the importance of adaptability and wearing many hats. At Dayta, Michael uses his knowledge and skills to help clients achieve their objectives, driving growth and success through strategic paid advertising campaigns.
Positive. Patient. Passionate.
Our intrepid Creative Director, Paige’s talent for design leaps off the screen and comes to life in everything she touches. A born collaborator, Paige enjoys brainstorming new ideas or working with team members to find the best approach to a new project or challenge—and she’s never met a challenge she couldn’t tackle! In the constantly changing digital marketplace, Paige loves being able to flex her considerable creative muscles, and her coworkers appreciate both her skill and her sunny personality.
Reliable. Adaptive. Inventive.
Shane came to Dayta at a unique time: His onboarding process happened just as the COVID-19 pandemic had the entire office transitioning to working from home. But Shane took it all in stride, and has since become a valued member of our creative team! As a Senior Design Specialist, Shane puts his more than 15 years of design experience into every project he takes on.
Relator. Empathy. Developer.
Taryn, a St. Paul, MN native, brings a wealth of experience and passion to Dayta's creative team. Her background spans multiple industries, allowing her to collaborate effectively with fellow designers and truly understand the business goals of her clients. At Dayta, Taryn enjoys the opportunity to work across diverse projects, ensuring each business's needs and preferences are met with tailored solutions.
In her spare time, you'll find Taryn diving into fantasy and sci-fi novels, experimenting with new recipes in the kitchen, or hiking through Minnesota's State Parks. After spending three summer seasons working in Yellowstone National Park, Taryn fostered her love for the great outdoors and adventure.
Context. Learner. Individualization.
Zoë, Dayta's Marketing Manager, has transformed her childhood knack for conversation into a thriving career in the dynamic field of marketing. With a degree from the University of Denver, Zoë has embraced her life mantra of living with intention and becoming an expert in her passions. This approach has led her to a versatile career, navigating marketing roles in fitness, corporate retail, and real estate before finding her place at Dayta. In her role, Zoë thrives on the complexity and challenges of modern marketing, leveraging her analytical mind and solution-oriented approach to navigate this chaotic space with strategic, logical, yet creative flair.
Outside of the office, Zoë and her husband enjoy the beauty of Colorado, embracing the sunshine and fresh mountain air as permanent residents after several cross-country moves. Zoë's journey reflects her commitment to growth, both professionally and personally, making her an invaluable asset to the Dayta team and a beacon of inspiration for living a life full of intention and connection.
