Alex Priest
Profile
I’m an operations, strategy, and marketing leader with 12+ years of experience building and growing disruptive companies.
In my career, I’ve been fortunate to witness firsthand what it’s like to grow a brand from an idea to a verb.
I’ve developed teams across strategy, operations, communications, policy, brand, and marketing to drive massive growth and impact. I’ve learned from and worked with extraordinary leaders from all industries and backgrounds. And I’ve found breakthrough, scalable solutions to tackle thousands of unique challenges along the way.
Experience
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I serve as a part-time advisor and investor to several early-stage startups across mobility, retail, and travel. I support work across marketing, communications, operations, policy, product, and overall business strategy.
I joined Wheel during a period of explosive growth, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
- As Chief of Staff and Head of Strategy & Planning, was a key strategic partner to the CEO, supporting fundraising (Series B and Series C), organizational growth (+400% to >200 employees in one year), executive recruiting (CMO, CCO, CTO, CPO, and VPs), and led corporate strategy and planning.
- As Interim CMO, led all marketing and communications (internal and external) efforts. Grew GMV, bookings, and consults by more than 410%, boosted clinician NPS by 200%, and doubled the size of the team.
As the first marketing and communications executive, I was tasked with developing and executing strategies for three core pillars of growth: brand, policy, and communications.
- Managed and directed external brand consultancy (Koto) to develop first strategy for corporate brand identity and full brand redesign.
- Led partnership with external policy/communications consultants (Tusk Strategies) to represent Nurx in expansion and policy discussions with state governments.
- Led communications efforts, including external PR partners, through Series B funding, multi-state expansion, PReP product launch, and first internal communications strategy for company culture.
As one of the first 40 employees, I helped Uber grow from five cities to thousands. Over six years, I served in five different roles and worked directly with the C-suite nearly every day.
- As Chief of Staff, managed strategy, planning, operations, recruiting, internal communications, organizational development, change management, and crisis response for Uber’s 200+ employee global marketing team (2016–2018).
- As Marketing Specialist and Digital Operations Lead, recruited and managed 15-person team to execute first global social media, content marketing, and CRM strategy (2013–2016).
- As Community Manager and Senior Community Manager, launched Washington, DC and managed all marketing, support, grassroots policy efforts, and events (2011–2013).
Volunteering
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Working to advance Dell Medical School’s research and practice in areas such as early life adversity, depression, addiction, and other stress-related disorders, with a special focus on supporting the Center for Psychedelic Research & Therapy.
Worked with staff and other volunteers to build and manage two websites for Marfa ISD during the COVID-19 crisis: Camp Summer Shake Up, an online home base for summer programs forced online due to COVID, and Tech the Halls, a donation page for their annual winter technology fundraiser. Marfa ISD has 289 students and 61 faculty/staff. It is the second largest school district in Texas by landmass, spanning more than 3,000 square miles of Presidio County and stretching south to the banks of the Rio Grande. 84% of the student body is economically disadvantaged.
Education
BSBA Marketing, BA Public Communications, Minor in Statistics
Accepted and participated in the fourth cohort of the On Deck Fellowship: a 10-week virtual program for ideating and creating with startup founders across the globe.
