Inspiring the Next Generation: A Creative Leader’s Insights

As VP Head of Brand & Creative at Teladoc Health, Jeremy Kinder ’00 shares his journey from a Smith School graduate to a marketing leader, offering insights on the power of creative thinking, collaboration with students, and advice for building a successful career. Kinder graduated with an undergraduate degree in marketing from Smith.

Why did you join the Smith MS in Management Studies Advisory Council?

Twenty-plus years into my career, I am feeling gratitude for those who have given me the skills that made me successful—and the Smith School is at the top of that list.

What activities have you been involved in since joining the Council? 

Since joining the Council, I’ve spoken with the Master’s in Management classes and partnered with the students on a real-world assignment for my company, Teladoc Health. Their ideas were brilliant and completely unexpected. I only hope I’ve inspired the students as much as they inspire me. 

What is your favorite thing about being involved with Smith?

My favorite thing about being involved with the Smith School is the enthusiasm and ambition that the students bring to every conversation. They are not yet burdened with the rules and realities of a full-time role, and that gives them permission to question boundaries and rethink ideas that people like me may have come to accept long ago. 

Tell us about your path from graduation to your current job.  

Since graduating from Smith, I have been dedicated to exploring every part of the Marketing business from advertising to PR, consulting to strategy.  I have been lucky enough to work in some of the great ad agencies and on dream brands like Coca-Cola, United Airlines, Subway and Sony.  It’s been a wild ride.

Why did you decide to get a business degree and why did you choose the Smith School?

I decided at a young age that I wanted to be a creative director in advertising—surprisingly specific for an 18-year-old! Maybe because my father had a brain for business and my mother had artistic talent, a creative director was the natural combination of both their gifts. I looked to the Smith School to give me a foundation in business, which I combined with post-grad art and design programs. 

How has your Smith education helped you with your professional career? Were there specific classes, experiential projects, team projects, or internships that have been especially helpful to you?

My Smith education made me a rare creative director, one who understood economics, accounting, finance and even business law. I was able to show I understood the pressure to deliver results that my clients are under. In contrast to other creative directors, I presented every creative decision in terms of how they would help my clients achieve their business objectives. That helped me forge stronger relationships and gave me faster upward mobility. 

What about your personal journey has led to your success? 

I attribute my success to my father’s insistence that I always have a vision for my future, and a plan to achieve that success. I also owe just as much to the terrific partnership with my amazing wife, who I met at the University of Maryland. She is the opposite of me in the best ways and I learn from her every day. Lastly, my best friends, who also happen to be Terps, challenge and inspire me daily. We’ve supported each other as we all found success in very different industries. There’s something special about UMD people.

What advice would you give to current students?

Approach your career with urgency and never stop learning. If, at any moment, you feel you’re not growing somewhere, seek opportunity somewhere else.  Don’t wait and don’t get stuck! Try something new. Momentum in a career is real and it’s everything.