Carley joined Ventura Growth in 2024 and quickly became a go-to resource for all things retail. As a Senior Account Executive,, she leads strategy and execution for several of Ventura’s largest ecommerce and CPG clients, helping brands connect with shoppers through smarter, full-funnel programmatic campaigns.
Known for her calm demeanor and thoughtful approach, Carley is the kind of teammate who keeps everything moving without ever making it feel rushed. And while she keeps things cool on the surface, she’s constantly working behind the scenes to ensure every detail is covered.
So where does that steady energy come from? According to Carley, it’s Pilates.
From Mat to Media: How Pilates Shapes Her Approach
Carley has been teaching Pilates for over three years, and it’s more than just a hobby, it’s a discipline that grounds her personally and professionally.
“In Pilates, your core is the center of everything,” she says. “When that’s strong, everything else moves more smoothly. I think about work the same way. You have to build strong fundamentals, then stay flexible when things shift.”
That mindset is central to how Carley operates. Whether she’s guiding a client through a mid-campaign optimization or planning a seasonal retail strategy, she brings a clear, balanced perspective to every interaction. “Making hard things look easy” is something she strives for both in the studio and at work.
Outside of Pilates, Carley is also known for her love of hosting celebrations, turning small moments into big memories. (This year’s summer soirée? Copacabana-themed.) It’s just another reflection of how she shows up with intention, creativity, and care.
Retail at the Core: How Kroger Shaped Her Perspective
Carley’s path to retail media wasn’t linear, but it was intentional. She got her start at an agency in New York, where she was first exposed to The Trade Desk and programmatic advertising. When the pandemic brought her back home to Cincinnati, a connection led her to Kroger Precision Marketing (KPM), just as retail media was starting to gain momentum.
“At the time, retail media wasn’t really being talked about in the industry. It was mostly onsite placements and targeted coupons,” she recalls. “But when KPM started selling their data directly into the DSP, everything changed.”
As a product specialist, Carley played a direct role in shaping that offering. She worked closely with Kroger’s product team to evolve capabilities and deepen advertiser value. Later, she transitioned to KPM’s emerging team, where she led health and beauty strategy for both endemic and non-endemic brands. That’s also where she discovered Ventura Growth.
“I saw this real need in the market, small and mid-size brands didn’t have the same access to programmatic tools or support that the big guys did,” she says. “Ventura Growth was filling that gap.”
Smarter Retail Strategies, Powered by Programmatic
Now at Ventura Growth, Carley helps brands make the most of off-site retail media, combining deterministic audience targeting with creative flexibility and real-time measurement.
“Retailers are putting the customer first in smarter ways—like personalized digital offers based on your past purchases. And while digital shopping is growing, most purchases still happen in-store. So we need to think creatively about how to influence that journey,” she explains.
For Carley, that might mean targeting households who already buy in a certain flavor profile when launching a new product—or tailoring CTV and audio creative to promote an in-store offer. The ability to layer in precise retail data and optimize across channels is what makes The Trade Desk such a powerful tool for clients.
“One misconception is that you have to run everything in silos—Kroger here, Walmart there. But that’s not the case,” she says. “With Ventura, you can manage all those segments in one place, control frequency, and take a true omnichannel approach.”
From the Inside Out: Leading by Doing
When asked what she loves most about Ventura Growth, Carley doesn’t hesitate:
“The ability to make a direct impact on someone’s business.”
She thrives on helping independent brands and agencies level up their retail media strategies, guiding them through new opportunities with empathy and precision. “Every dollar matters—and that comes with real responsibility. I want our clients to see us not just as traders or strategists, but as true partners.”
It’s that same sense of support she brings to the team, too. “Everyone at Ventura is genuinely invested in each other’s success. We share, we celebrate, we show up. That energy makes you want to keep learning and growing.”
And while her Pilates practice gives her structure, it’s the people she helps, both on the mat and in the media world, who fuel her purpose.
“Helping someone hold a plank longer than they thought they could… or guiding a brand to a breakthrough campaign. It’s all about showing up, lifting others, and celebrating progress. That’s what fills my cup.”
