San Francisco
Gardenia Willoughby
Partner, Experience Operations
Gardenia has a long history of taking innovation, experiences, and campaigns to market—in fact, you’re probably already familiar with her work, from the Weather Channel app to Jet.com and more.
Specializing in operational leadership, she helps create the teams, environments and processes that bring breakthrough ideas to life and transform businesses.
- In your own words, what do you do at Lippincott?
I’m here to make it easier for great people to do great work—creating processes and building tools to support our teams in making the best thinking so we can keep making our clients the best brands.
- Where do you find your inspiration / source of creativity?
I get creative when I want something a specific way that doesn’t exist. I sew, cook, and build things because I have a vision and I’ll figure out how to make it happen. Coincidentally, this is also how I built my career.
- What's your happy place?
I have been a social dancer for many years, and love salsa dancing especially. I’m at my happiest when I’m dancing with my friends—especially going Rueda, which is a group form of dance that originated in Cuba.
- Do you have a mantra or a favorite quote?
Be kind, do good things, feed people.
- Have you made any significant left turns, U-turns, or corkscrews in life?
Well, there was the time I left it all behind to move to a spa in Mexico! It was an absolutely incredible experience.
- What did school actually teach you?
In completing my master’s degree I learned just enough about all the components of creating digital products that I was able to really understand the full lifecycle of a project, which gave me the insight needed to do what I do!
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Education
B.S. Human Development and Family Science, Montana State University
M.Sc with Distinction, Multimedia, London Metropolitan UniversityWork Experience
Director, Marketing & Experience, Vivaldi
Partner, Client Engagement & Operations, Makeable
Director, Project Management, Poke New YorkConnect