Gerald Hawthorne
Gerald brings 20 years of experience to the team. He currently serves as Vice President of Account and Media Services, where he oversees the daily activities of strategic brand stewardship. At FUSE, he has also held positions as Account Manager, Manager of Special Projects and Special Assistant to the President. Gerald’s expertise in non-traditional marketing tactics has proved successful in his consistent growth of management brands. He has managed brand-building campaigns for the following brands: Obama for America, McCormack Baron, and Associates, State Farm, National Education Association, Jamba Juice, Anheuser Busch, Missouri Division of Tourism, St. Louis Cardinals, Sprite, Gillette and IBM. As an account planner for Barkley Evergreen and Partners prior to joining FUSE, Gerald proved his capabilities in the area of strategic thinking and planning.
He quickly established himself by providing stellar strategic plans to such clients as Pearle Vision, Payless ShoeSource, Sonic Drive-In, and Tops Friendly Markets. His ability to tap into the DNA of the brands has proved helpful on new business pitches where he has managed the coordination of research and consumer insights and lead new business holistic efforts in pitches for Sprint PCS (Northwest Region, Payless ShoeSource, Tops Friendly Markets, Missouri Division of Tourism, the Eddie Robinson Foundation and Farmland Foods.
Gerald holds an MBA from Webster University and a Journalism degree in Advertising from the University of Kansas. He is also a proud Life member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity.