Cortina Caldwell
The Brand Evangelist© | Fractional CMO & SME Consulting: Social Enterprise, Nonprofits, B Corps, Eco Dev, the Arts & Hospitality 🚀
Founder @ Brand Evangelist · Morgantown, WV, USA
Open to advisory
Customer acquisition · Product · Design & Brand · Leadership & Strategy
Makes warm intros to
5
Hours / month
About Cortina
🚀 I'm known as The Brand Evangelist©, a Founder on a mission to prove that authenticity isn't just a trendy term - it's good business strategy. For 10+ years, I've helped ethos-driven brands across the US + abroad (built several of my own to get first-party data, too!) - social enterprises, B Corps, nonprofits, and purposeful startups - to build beautiful things that support local economies or solve local problems.
My work is based on one core belief: Authentic brands don't just sell - they change lives, and they deserve to win.
🚀 What I Built
⇢ Brand Evangelist™ – Brand Evangelist helps startups, nonprofits, solopreneurs, and CEOs who are on a mission to make an impact by pivoting online presence, sales systems, brand deals, and AI/tech integrations.
⇢ Beautiful Good © – An AI-native workflow that offers CMO-level strategic marketing in one user-based platform. Human designed, future-ready. Currently in R&D and beta round, patent-pending.
⇢ The Talents™ Community – A roster of in-person and virtual offerings, inspired by the teachings of Matthew 25:14-29 - a podcast, a community, a membership, networking and trainings.
⇢ Better Futures Pledge © – Built a robust B2B network of deals and resources to redistribute to my clients & network, one connection at a time, incl: SoFi, PayPal, FoundersCard, Elegant Themes, D&B, Thimble + more.
⇢ Honorable mention: House of SOLEIL, adé PROJECT, Visit & Venture.
🎯 What Drives Me
⇢ Using technology to bring people in, not leave people behind
⇢ Teaching the “how” with actions, not just talking about the “why” with words
⇢ Turning complex systems into sustainable, data-backed plans
⇢ Helping people own their brand, grow their business, and build better futures
🗣️ How People Describe Me
✨“The underdog who learned to build at every level”
✨ “A brand strategist on a double mission as a founder-CEO”
✨ “Proof you don’t need schemes to do effective marketing”
🏆 Recognition & Impact
11x award-winning brand strategist and entrepreneur, including:
⇢ Who's Who in America Inductee (2025)
⇢ Vantage Ventures Accelerator & AscendWV (2025)
⇢ 40 Under Forty (2013)
⇢ Emerging Entrepreneur of the Year (2012)
1,400+ designs published in Canva. 100+ brands and projects served. 10K hours and counting!
Company
Brand Evangelist™
brandevangelist.io
Brand Evangelist partners with ethos-driven brands, founders and CEOs to clarify vision, shape elevated branding, and design AI-forward business systems that scale sustainably — so growth is strategic, future-ready, and crowd-worthy.
Funding Stage
Pre-Seed
Funding Raised
$0 to $100k
Team Size
Just Me/Co-Founders
Annual Revenue
Undisclosed
Founded
2024
Industry
Technology
Skills
Content Marketing
Published 1,400+ designs in Canva, coined "Brand Guardian" by Canva + peer community of designers/developers.
Eco Dev
Generating profitable ideas for events, sponsors, grants, and landing deals/partnerships from main street to influencers.
Entrepreneurship
Founded trusted brands/successful businesses - Brand Evangelist™, Cortina Jenelle Branding Agency, House of SOLEIL, adé PROJECT, Visit & Venture.
Consulting
Verticals: Social Enterprise, Nonprofits, B Corps, Economic Development, the Arts & Hospitality for 10+ years. MA in Business Management & Leadership. Hands-on startup/entrepreneurial experience for 20 years.
Education
Advising and coaching student entrepreneurs, college dropouts and young inventors - mindset, tech, systems + design.
AI Integrations
Integrating AI into business systems or using AI to build prototypes - GPTs, workflows, automations, etc using Claude, Lovable, Replit, Zapier, Vercel, Perpelexity, Base44 and others.
Leadership
Leadership development with people, culture and systems for 10+ years. MA in Business Management & Leadership.
Founder
Founded trusted brands/successful businesses - Brand Evangelist™, Cortina Jenelle Branding Agency, House of SOLEIL, adé PROJECT, Visit & Venture.
Social Enterprise
Working with B Corps, entrepreneurs, impact-driven brands, social enterprise, ethos-driven leaders for 10+ years.
Technology
Advising and coaching technology adoptions and integrations to turn complex friction into sustainable processes.
UX Design
Website audits, traditional web builds, vibecoding, graphics/visual, graphics/print, app interfaces, exhibit design.
Brand Strategy
Developing brand identity, brand kits, and marketing strategy for organizations and for-profit businesses.
Branding
10+ years of experience launching and expanding impact-driven brands across the US + abroad.
Management
Managing people, data, property/assets, product, projects and programs, cross-sector for 10+ years. MA in Business Management & Leadership.
Marketing
Helping startups, nonprofits, solopreneurs, and CEOs pivot online presence, sales systems, and positioning for brand deals.
Nonprofits
Working with Nonprofits to build beautiful things.
B Corps
Working with B Corps to build beautiful things.
Experience
award
Emerging Entrepreneur of the Year, 2012
WNC Minority Enterprise Development
Recognition for innovative business model (first Founder/startup experience)
Award winner
milestone
Participant & Principal Investigator, 2025
Vantage Ventures Accelerator
Participated in the Vantage Ventures Accelerator, WVU John Chambers College of Business & Economics
• Developed Beautiful Good AI-powered strategic marketing platform through rigorous customer validation, market analysis, and technical development in WVU's premier business accelerator program • Filed provisional patent for AI-native platform targeting $20.8B national TAM across 1.9M impact businesses with innovative five-phase workflow design • Conducted comprehensive market research, customer validation surveys, and community presentations demonstrating product-market fit • Built Chat2Site custom GPT lead generation tool integrated with Lovable.dev, demonstrating technical execution capability and AI integration expertise • Prepared grant applications and funding strategies for platform development and market entry, positioning for venture scale
award
Honored Listee, 2025
Who's Who in America
Business & Media
Invited to join Who's Who directory
award
Impact Awardee, 2019 & 2020
Tzedek
Community awards for social impact brands
Award winner
award
Awardee, 2013
40 Under Forty
Biltmore Beacon / Asheville, NC
Award winner
education
MA in Business Management & Leadership
Liberty University
Coursework in: Strategic Marketing, Business Management, Servant Leadership, Global Policies & International Business, Human Resources, Accounting & Finance, Organizational Change & Design, Business Research, Legal Issues & Ethics, Nonprofit Management
Graduated May 2015
education
BS in Business, Social Sci & Education
Liberty University
Coursework in: Social Work, Training & Instruction, Classroom Management, Curriculum Design, Communication Skills, History of Education, Human Development, Business Studies & Marketing
Graduated May 2013
milestone
ICAgile Certified Professional
ICAgile
Agile, kanban, scrum, , scrum, lean startups
Certified
milestone
ICAgile Certified Professional, 2023
ICAgile
Agile, kanban, scrum, , scrum, lean startups
Certified
education
Full Stack Web Developer, 2023
Savvy Coders
HTML5, CSS3, node.js, Javascript, MongoDB, Git, Github
Certified
job
Community Relations Director
LEAF
North Carolina 501(c)3
• Led rebranding initiative gaining Kennedy Center Partners in Education program recognition • Facilitated collaboration among students, educators, artists, and community members to deliver high-quality creative experiences • Managed multi-stakeholder communications serving donors, sponsors, members, volunteers, staff, and families
education
MA in Business Management & Leadership
Liberty University
Graduated May 2015
Coursework in: Strategic Marketing, Business Management, Servant Leadership, Global Policies & International Business, Human Resources, Accounting & Finance, Organizational Change & Design, Business Research, Legal Issues & Ethics, Nonprofit Management
job
BS in Business, Social Sci & Education
Liberty University
Graduated May 2013
Coursework in: Social Work, Training & Instruction, Classroom Management, Curriculum Design, Communication Skills, History of Education, Human Development, Business Studies & Marketing
job
Communications Director
LEAF
North Carolina 501(c)3
• Devised strategic communication and marketing campaigns leading to measurable increase in community engagement • Promoted coordinated communication and development efforts within leadership team • Created press releases, promotional materials, and digital content strengthening nonprofit brand voice
education
Full Stack Web Developer, 2023
Savvy Coders
Certified
HTML5, CSS3, node.js, Javascript, MongoDB, Git, Github
education
ICAgile Certified Professional, 2023
ICAgile
Certified
Agile, kanban, scrum, , scrum, lean startups
job
Founder & CEO
Brand Evangelist
West Virginia LLC
• Built consultancy serving impact brands, nonprofits, social enterprises, B Corps, cooperatives, and member associations with revenue generated through white-glove services • Delivered comprehensive marketing strategies and brand development for 100+ organizations over 15 years, establishing 57 unique brand identities • Created 1,400+ published Canva designs and designed 30+ websites using WordPress, Squarespace, Shopify, and custom development • Expanded lead generation across UpWork, Bark.com, and Skip.com platforms while managing organic SEO optimization and website improvements • Developed membership programs, tested and validated ROI of various platforms, including Meetup, Mighty Networks, Whop, Circle, Minnect, LinkedIN, Patreon & Discord • Established affiliation network and industry partnerships including SoFi, PayPal, and FoundersCard
job
Branding, Marketing & Tech Consultant
Cortina Jenelle Branding Agency
North Carolina LLC
See Brand Evangelist (continuity of work, rebranded in 2024)