Writing, Marketing & Fundraising

"I was recruited by the Baltimore-based Chesapeake Shakespeare Company, Maryland’s leading classical theatre company, to be its new Director of Development, as the organization was emerging from the shadow of the COVID-19 pandemic and celebrating its twentieth anniversary. I am responsible for designing and implementing a comprehensive fundraising plan... incorporating annual giving, grant solicitation and management, special events, and capital initiatives. Ongoing duties include identifying, cultivating, soliciting and stewarding major gifts from individual donors, foundations, government agencies, and corporate partners."
Chesapeake Shakespeare Company Theatre
(Photo from Theatre Consultants Collaborative,  Alan Gilbert Photography)

"I was recruited by SeKON Enterprise in 2017 to become a Senior Communications Specialist for a project with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to work with the CIO and other IT leadership to establish common standards in communication, culture, procedures, and measurement within the CMS Office of Information Technology. I helped to create a communications strategy to better engage the 500-person division, managed their internal newsletter, and created a series of instructional videos with their Section 508 Program Team... In 2019, I began working with the Content Management Team  for the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), whose main campus is shown above... Established in 1996, SeKON is a privately held management and technology consultancy based in the Washington, DC Metropolitan Area, listed on Inc.’s annual guide to the 5,000 fastest-growing privately held companies in the U.S. (2017 and 2018) and on the Washington Business Journal’s list of the fastest growing regional companies (2017 and 2018). We have a successful history of providing support to government health and human resource agencies, like the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Defense Health Agency (DHA), and the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and others, in addition to CMS and NIH."
National Institutes of Health (NIH) campus in Bethesda, MD.
(Photo from NIH)

‏"I joined the Development team at Center Stage before the start of their $30 million capital campaign and subsequent renovation of the theater's historic downtown building. In charge of Annual Giving, I cultivated relationships with trustees and major donors through committee activities, direct solicitations and special events, and I directed efforts to increase smaller gifts through direct mail and online giving campaigns, in addition to assisting in coordinating and shepherding asks for the campaign. Recognized as the State Theater of Maryland, Baltimore Center Stage is the area's largest regional theater, with individual gifts totaling nearly $1 million each year during my tenure there."

‏"After years of providing multimedia assistance at the annual CityLit Festival, I joined the CityLit Board of Directors in 2013, and I served as Board Chair/President from 2017 to 2020. My experience in non-profit management was helpful in guiding the organization's transition from its founding executive director to a new director."

Author Kwame Alexander (seated with daughter) and volunteer Claudia Bismarck at CityLit Stage, 2015 Baltimore Book Festival.  Photo by Brian D. Lyles

‏"While working at People's Community Health Centers, a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC), I was asked by our regional association of health centers to produce promotional materials for all of our member organizations to use in marketing enrollment into the Affordable Care Act."

"For several years I have been webmaster for Payal Parekh, a unique, New York-based art consultant who combines her knowledge and connections in the art world with her talents as a yoga instructor.  Kula Connect is the name of her series of highly curated special events that incorporate the tenets of yoga with artwork made by a contemporary artist, where art fused with meditation creates a collective transcendent experience."

Photo from Payal Arts International website

‏"When Dr. Gail Keller, a Baltimore-based school psychologist, was asked to deliver her first presentation at a national conference, a mutual friend suggested my services. She had begun to use yoga to develop mindfulness in elementary school students as part of her counseling at Waverly Elementary School in North Baltimore (shown here). The conference was interested in hearing how her techniques could be applied to anti-bullying programs. I helped Dr. Keller to develop her script, created slides and handouts, and coached her in the weeks leading up to the presentation. Part of the project has also included developing branding (logo, website and business cards) to assist in promoting her services to other educators... At the time we began working together, Dr. Keller had joined the staff of West Baltimore's Frederick Douglas High School, which is located near the epicenter of the 2015 civil unrest following the death of Freddie Gray."

Photo from Dr. Gail Keller's website

‏"I was hired as Grants Manager for this 44-year-old non-profit, managing a portfolio of operational grants, including all of the organization's Ryan White HIV funding requests and reporting, plus other government, corporate and foundation funding specifically for its Baltimore City clinics. I later assumed the Director of Communications position at People's, but still managed grant writers... Begun as a free clinic with all volunteer physicians in 1970, PCHC was the first "look-alike" accepted into the government's Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) program and operated as a full FQHC for many years before closing in 2014."

Photo by Brian D. Lyles: Medical Director Lelin Chao, M.D. being interviewed at a National Health Center Week event. 

"I wrote a grant to assist the University of Maryland's midtown campus (then known as Maryland General Hospital) to develop a Point of Contact Breast Cancer Intervention program for women in the predominantly African-American neighborhoods surrounding the hospital in Downtown/West Baltimore. The proposal was successful in obtaining $84,935 from Susan G. Komen Maryland to provide free mammograms, breast exams and diagnostic tests, plus support programs, education and minority outreach."

Photo from Susan G. Komen Maryland newsletter

‏"I have worked closely with Trust for Museum Exhibitions founder Ann Van Devanter Townsend, assisting in writing, marketing and development strategies as she restructures her 22-year-old business. With a mission of fostering cultural exchange within and between nations to foster understanding, Ms. Townsend has established relationships with museums in 46 of the 50 United States and in 25 countries on five continents, developing 73 fine arts traveling exhibitions."

Photo of Ann Van Devanter Townsend by Brian D, Lyles

‏"When asked to be the videographer and editor for Mary Washington's first campaign video, I was honored to offer my talents. I had met Mary several years before through her work in my neighborhood and throughout Baltimore, and the video helped her 2010 campaign to reach more constituents on her way to winning a seat in the House of Delegates for Maryland's 43rd district. In 2018 she was elected State Senator."

Still from video by Brian D. Lyles: (l to r) 2010 State Senator Joan Carter Conway, Delegate Maggie Macintosh, Mary Washington and Delegate Curt Anderson.

‏"I was asked by Joan Clarke, a former colleague from Children's National Medical Center, to assist in fundraising for her clients in the Washington, DC area. I served as the interim Chief Operating Officer for her agency, 2Hearts Consulting LLC. Our clients included education and social service organizations. As a project manager and grant writer, one of my most rewarding projects was creating marketing materials and obtaining a $25,000 grant for the Path Forward Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, a non-profit that develops and delivers innovative programs and support to help women in business... Joan Clarke is an ongoing mentor in fundraising, specializing in "linking the heart of the donor with the heart of the institution, one relationship at a time." She helped to create United Way's Tocqueville Society before serving as Executive Director of the Giant Steps campaign at the Children's Hospital Foundation."

Graphics from 2Hearts website, designed by Brian D. Lyles

‏"Bharati Parekh was a neighbor and friend who also happened to be a very accomplished artist. I attended her first professional art show in 2005, where I was a photographer, and when she began to further cultivate her art career, I was asked to create a brand identity and a website for her... Ms. Parekh made many donations of art and sales proceeds to benefit charities, and I produced one of two sets of greeting cards featuring her art that benefited the GYN-Oncology Fund at Baltimore's Sinai Hospital... Sadly, in 2015, she lost her own multi-year struggle with ovarian cancer."

Photo of artwork by Bharati Parekh

‏"When my friend Shelley Birnbaum prepared to open Baltimore's first all organic, eco-friendly day spa, she asked for my help. I developed early public relations, graphic design and marketing efforts that led to her business receiving "best" awards from Baltimore Magazine and the Baltimore City Paper. I later managed other graphics and multimedia projects during the transitions of her business to an exclusive skin care studio, a full retail location and online sales. The video I produced for her expansion into retail incubator space helped to raise nearly $3,000 through a crowdfunding campaign."

Photo by Brian D. Lyles of ReNew products

‏"As a graduate of Gilman School with an interest and background in writing about architecture and historic preservation, I was pleased to volunteer time and talents to my alma mater's alumni magazine. Gilman's nearly century-old Carey Hall was undergoing an extensive renovation and expansion, and the two articles I authored documented the project. Over the years I have also contributed time to other alumni activities."

Cover of Gilman's Alumni Bulletin, Spring 2008

"As a Director of Communications for Genesis HealthCare, my duties included internal communications efforts that reached 36,000 employees in over 200 locations in 13 states, mostly in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast. The company provides short-term post-acute, rehabilitation, skilled nursing and long-term care services. Our department focused on internal communications, and I assisted in managing the bi-weekly 'Big Blue' publication and developing a new intranet news page, which involved writing, editing, working with a freelance designer, and coordination with designated employees at each site. During the summer of 2007 I was chosen to accompany the company's Vice President for Government Relations on a regional tour to several states, encouraging support for (and fighting proposed cuts to) Medicare and Medicaid funding. My daily reports for the intranet were combined into a booklet that was delivered to members of Congress... Genesis has since grown into the largest skilled nursing company in the country, with approximately 500 skilled nursing centers and assisted/senior living residences in 34 states across the United States."

Photo by Brian D. Lyles of healthcare rally at the New Jersey State House in Trenton

‏"I provided freelance grant writing and marketing services for the United States division of S.O.S. Children's Villages, an international charity that is the largest nonprofit in the world dedicated to the care of orphaned, abandoned and other vulnerable children. A memorable project was the editing, redesign and print coordination of a large format brochure."

Cover of brochure produced by Brian D. Lyles

‏"I was asked by Denise Resnik, the head of a local PR agency, to fill in for one of her employees who needed to take a leave of absence due to a family emergency. The project was to manage a new campaign that brought together a local office design and furniture company, Goodmans Interior Structures, with the Phoenix Business Journal to promote and assist Phoenix-area non-profit organizations... Years later, Goodmans Eye for the Good Guys campaign is still going strong."

Image from printed campaign material

"Recruited by former co-workers from Children’s National Health System in Washington, DC, I moved to Phoenix, Arizona to join the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen). The non-profit was conceived as part of a business development effort for Phoenix. As Manager of Corporate & Foundation Relations for the Neurogenomics Division, I secured funding and strengthened relationships that helped the organization move from its start-up phase and into its newly constructed headquarters with state-of-the-art labs and offices for scientists."

Photo by Brian D. Lyles of TGen headquarters on the day of its dedication

‏"When Children’s National Medical Center (now known as Children’s National Health System) embarked on a $200 million fundraising campaign, I was recruited from Baltimore to join in the effort. As Grants Manager, my first success was the acquisition of a new $1 million capital grant to fund the build-out of a new neurological research lab for the Children's Research Institute, affiliated with the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences. I also managed a $3-4 million annual portfolio of new and existing operating grants, including establishing and managing corporate and foundation relationships that helped the Giant Steps campaign exceed its goal."

Photo of Children's Hospital lobby from website

‏"While at the Museum of Industry, the Baltimore effort for Operation Sail 2000 asked me to join their marketing committee. It was a thrill to become a part of the international event, which celebrated the millennium by welcoming 30 tall ships and more than 1.5 million visitors to Baltimore, with an estimated economic impact of more than $100 million."

Photo by Brian D. Lyles of tall ship entering the Inner Harbor for OpSail 2000

"I was working at the Baltimore Museum of Industry when the American Association of Museums held its Annual Meeting and MuseumExpo in Baltimore in 2000. I was one of several managers and directors from local museums who participated in marketing the conference."

"When asked by a friend to become a freelance copywriter for the East Baltimore Bulletin, I welcomed the opportunity to assist in the revitalization and community-building effort begun by Johns Hopkins University. The area was part of an empowerment zone, and I wrote articles about some of the people, businesses and groups making a difference in the community."

Brian D. Lyles photo of the historic Billings Administrations Building at the John Hopkins Medical Campus

"I was asked by the Museum of Industry's Founding Director Dennis Zembala to become the institution's Development Officer. During my two years there, I oversaw the corporate membership program, developed a new annual report, supervised a brick campaign, assisted in presentations to the Maryland Legislature for bond bill funding, managed a new gala, hired a staff, and was promoted to Director of Marketing & Development."

From web, Baltimore Museum of Industry exterior

"My first board experience was the term I served as a trustee for Chase Brexton Health Services. Beginning as a free clinic in Baltimore's gay community center, the organization had evolved into a Federally Qualified Health Center, serving the entire community with multiple locations, but still maintaining its heritage of specialized care to LGBT patients. I was proud to provide the graphic design for Chase Brexton's 20th anniversary program... Prior to serving on the Chase Brexton board, I had served on a mayor's task force for gay and lesbian issues, was a founding member of a African American group in support of gay and lesbian equality, became communications chair for the first openly gay candidate to Maryland's legislature, and served on the funds distribution committee for Baltimore's AIDSWALK."

‏"Created in 1926, the Baltimore Engineer magazine was once the digest of record for engineering projects in the area. By the time I joined The Engineering Society the magazine was beginning to refocus to reflect the growing non-engineer / general business membership of the organization. Later I helped to fully redesign the magazine into a new publication, Quick's Professional Journal, named after Alfred E. Quick, the city water engineer who was instrumental in founding the club in 1905. The new publication covered its costs, and throughout my tenure as editor we maintained a series of monthly articles on local construction, engineering or renovation projects, in addition to club news and member profiles. Today, however, the publication has transitioned into a simple club newsletter."

Baltimore Engineer magazine cover designed by Brian Davis Lyles

‏"The Engineering Society of Baltimore is the association of engineers and other professionals that operates The Engineers Club. Located in the historic Garrett-Jacobs Mansion, the club is one of Baltimore’s leading catering and special event facilities. As Publications Manager, I edited a monthly publication and produced flyers and other promotions, and I assisted in the logistics of a new 501(c)(3) organization created for the preservation of the building, in addition to managing public relations, event planning and marketing efforts. I also served as liaison to several board committees. By the time I left, I had been named Marketing Director... The organization's annual Fire Ball and quarterly Networking Happy Hours were created during my time there, and movies like Major League II, 12 Monkeys, Species II and TV shows like Homicide: Life on the Streets filmed scenes."

‏Photo of Garrett-Jacobs Mansion staircase, designed by architect Stanford White (McKim, Mead & White, New York).

‏"I worked for Baltimore Magazine when it was part of Capital-Gazette Communications and a sister publication to the Washingtonian Magazine. I worked closely with the Circulation Manager to oversee all subscription and newsstand distribution and sales. Projects included managing 200,000-piece direct mail campaigns and trade advertising, and co-producing radio spots."

Web image of Baltimore Magazine covers

"For my first-ever retail job, I worked at this busy card and gift shop located in the city's historic financial district, a few blocks from the Inner Harbor waterfront. Based on a New York store, this shop was a popular place for local business workers to find very unique cards, gifts, stationery, and custom gift wrapping services. After working part-time, I briefly worked there full-time for a period, and later assisted in opening and closing the store on Saturdays. (A few years later, my second retail experience was a part-time job at Kitchen Bazaar in Harborplace)... Great Impressions was later sold and eventually closed. Today the building, constructed in 1904, has returned to its original function as a tavern."

‏Photo from Maryland Historic Trust building survey

‏"My first job immediately after college was in the business side of publishing. Media Materials specialized in elementary and remedial education materials, and I was hired as the Sales Representative for the newly-acquired College Skills Center from New York, developers of the Sack-Yourman Developmental Speed Reading Course and other publications. Later I coordinated customer service for the entire company, including a unique line of hard cover remedial education textbooks, as well as a division of products acquired from Milton Bradley... The business and its publications have since changed ownership."

Brian D. Lyles photo of titles published by Media Materials

"During college I worked at Baltimore Federal, an historic local savings and loan. It was the perfect job for a student, as I worked the front desk of the headquarters on Saturdays when the bank was closed to the public, but my job was to assist overtime employees who needed access to the building. The company celebrated its 100th anniversary during my time there. All employees received a $100 bill and a commemorative plate, and a modern tower headquarters was opened, but the older building remained an active operations center... Once known as the Colonial Corner, the structure is of Federalist-style architecture, but built in the 1950s. An operations person opened the building before I arrived at 9 am, but I had keys and was the sole person who secured and closed the bank building at 5 pm. Sadly, the institution did not survive the savings and loan crisis, and the marble-floored banking space of the former headquarters is now a Walgreens."

‏Historic photo of the Baltimore Federal Savings and Loan building, downtown Baltimore

‏"I once considered teaching as a career, and every summer during my college years I was a counselor to elementary school students at one of the city-sponsored reading camps. The camp at Margaret Brent Elementary School (now Margaret Elementary/Middle School) in Charles Village was the city's only ESL (English as a Second Language) summer program, welcoming children from Southeast Asia, the Middle East and beyond... It was here where I fell in love with the Charles Village neighborhood and later lived across the street from the school for 10 years."

Photo by Brian D. Lyles of Margaret Brent Elementary/Middle School