More about desaraev

Sleep is overrated

When not at work, Desarae's many interests include traveling, rock climbing, mountain biking, snowboarding, hiking, skiing, volunteering and mentoring (for Grip Mentoring, the Ad Fed Communications Committee and Tri Delta's for St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital.) She also enjoys dance, flying, painting, decorating, reading and school.

Education

Bachelors Degree in Art and Design with a minor in Military Science, and an Associate's Degree in Science with emphasis on aviation technology. Desarae also recently started working towards a Masters Degree in Advertising and someday hopes to pursue a Ph.D.

Before Risdall

Before joining the Risdall team, Desarae was a Creative Director/Search Engine Marketing Specialist and Affiliate Manager for a nationwide Internet-based lead generation company. Prior to that, she was an intern at Gage Marketing.

Ich liebe schokolade

Desarae's favorite candy at Risdall is Lindt German Chocolate. (In fact, while traveling in Europe, Desarae did her best to buy out the entire Lindt factory in Aachen Germany.)

You'd never know it to look at me, but…

"I was in the Army Reserves (MOS 96B which is Military Intelligence.) From there, I transferred to Air Force ROTC to become a fighter pilot and took part in Civil Air Patrol Flights, as well as the non-military Top Gun program (no sign of Tom Cruise.) I'm just 20 hours short of my private pilot's license and need an internship to get my Air Frame and Power plant Mechanics license. Oh yeah, I've also participated in pageants, cheerleading, competitive dance competitions, extreme sports and am a proud alumnus of Delta, Delta, Delta."

Fast Tracker

Desarae graduated with her Associates Degree in Science three weeks before her high school graduation. She then completed a six-year bachelor's degree at one of the nation's top 10 design schools in just three years.

Self-starter

Desarae started a freelance business at the age of just 17 doing demonstration sales, graphic design and modeling for companies like Procter & Gamble, Pepsi, and Bacardi. She was picked up by two promotional agencies almost immediately and soon became one of Us Marketing and Promotion's top 10 promotional sales representatives – meaning her store's inventory sold out nine times out of 10.

Corporate Climber

After just a week as an account executive at MyFreeEstimates.com, an Internet-based company that connects homeowners to contractors, Desarae was offered a design position and then advanced to Creative Director. As such, she was responsible for managing over 110 affiliate campaigns, along with coding development, search engine marketing, print design, identity packaging and more. She also built over 500 Web pages and started the first internship program for MFE, as well as set up their first print/audio campaigns.