Marketing & Digital Leadership

Steve Chalk

Three decades of building brands, teams, and digital operations, from Atlanta marketing and digital agencies to IBM to leading marketing and digital operations at one of the country's largest media ministries.

Atlanta Metropolitan Area, Georgia

Steve Chalk

My career has really been two chapters: more than a decade in agencies, where my job was managing client relationships. I was the person accountable for multiple accounts, keeping projects on track, and making sure clients felt heard and well served. I've spent the past fifteen years inside one of the largest ministries in the US, where I lived the other side of that equation, leading marketing and digital operations. Through it all, I've stayed close to the work itself, building online stores and editing copy even while leading teams that designed and built websites and apps reaching millions each year.

Along the way I've managed marketing budgets up to $2 million, overseen a $30 million broadcast airtime budget, and grown social channels from a few thousand followers to millions. I hold a bachelor's degree in Marketing, with a concentration in advertising, from Georgia State University.

Where I fit

I'm pursuing a few kinds of roles. Each page below explains how my experience translates.

Experience

2011–2026

In Touch Ministries

Director of Marketing · Digital Operations Leadership — Atlanta

Led marketing and digital operations for a global media ministry, managing teams across mobile app development, OTT/streaming, web, and AI infrastructure.

  • Created the ministry's Instagram and YouTube channels and built Facebook and Twitter nearly from inception — now 342K Instagram followers and 1.5M YouTube subscribers.
  • Managed marketing and digital budgets up to $2M, and, for a period, the broadcast airtime budget.
  • Partnered with donor development on sustaining the donor file and donor communications.
  • Worked with IT to automate content delivery into the video streaming service and podcast distribution platforms.
  • Directed all vendor and agency relationships — budgeting, forecasting, management, and analysis.
2009–2011

IBM

Digital Marketing Specialist & Social Media Manager - Full-time Contract - Remote

Social media work for one of the world's largest technology companies, including training mid-market sales teams to use social platforms and LinkedIn to build personal brand and credibility.

2007–2009

Synaxis

Account Executive — Atlanta

Boutique agency work spanning brand and social strategy, including a social media consulting engagements for Emory University and The Fund for Theological Education.

2002–2005

Merge Agency

Account Lead — Atlanta

Project management, copywriting and editing, print production direction, and marketing budget planning. Led the After Six formalwear brand overhaul and the launch of its Seven Unlimited youth brand — including a Hispanic-American tuxedo campaign that sold out in three weeks.

2000–2002

Engine 5 Design Co.

Founder & President — Atlanta

Founded a branding agency serving emerging technology companies, leading new business development and account management.

1993–2000

Early agency years

Account Manager roles — Atlanta

Direct Technologies (1997–2000): managed MCI/MCI-WorldCom customer-service mail programs and worked with programmers on a code-analysis process that cut paper use and postage. Corporate Reports (1996–1997): annual reports for Home Depot, Georgia-Pacific, BellSouth, and UPS. The Criterion Group (1993–1995): travel and tourism advertising for resort groups in the vacation ownership space.

Skills & platforms

Leadership & operations

  • Team leadership & management
  • Digital operations strategy
  • Budget planning & forecasting
  • Vendor & agency management
  • In-house capability building
  • UAT for sites, apps & e-commerce

Channels & disciplines

  • Brand & campaign strategy
  • Social media (organic & paid)
  • Email & SMS/MMS marketing
  • Donor & lifecycle communications
  • Mobile apps, podcast, web, & OTT/streaming
  • Copywriting & editing

Platforms & tools

  • HubSpot & Mailchimp
  • Google Ads & Meta Ads
  • Adobe Creative Suite
  • Bynder (DAM)
  • AI tools & workflow automation
  • Google UX Design Certificate (in progress, 2026)

Let's talk

I'm exploring marketing and digital leadership roles, Atlanta-based or remote, and I'm always glad to compare notes on digital strategy, team building, non-profit marketing, 80s music, or sourdough bread.