MOONLIGHT CREATIVE GROUP - Key Persons

Dawn Newsome

Job Titles:
  • Commander - in - Chief & Creative Director
Dawn is Moonlight's Commander-in-Chief (i.e. Owner). Dawn graduated magna cum laude from James Madison University with a BFA and a concentration in graphic design. She later earned her MBA with a concentration in marketing from the McColl School at Queens University of Charlotte. With roots in graphic design, Dawn has been plugged into Charlotte's creative scene since 1994. Combining her experience as a designer and business owner, she prioritizes impactful solutions that meet the client's immediate goals. As Moonlight's master and commander, she leads with a client-first philosophy, believing that Moonlight's job is to be the creative partner clients turn to for trusted guidance, ah-ha ideas, and award-winning work.

Kelli Manuel

Job Titles:
  • Graphic Designer & Web Specialist
  • Moonlight 's Graphic Design and Web Specialist
Kelli is Moonlight's Graphic Design and Web Specialist. She's a graduate of Mississippi State University, where she received a BFA with a concentration in Graphic Design. She has 6 years of experience designing for a wide range of clients and applications, including websites, emails, ad campaigns, animated videos, reports, branding, and more. She loves using data to make strategic design decisions, and inform a smarter end result. Her creative approach-no matter the medium-is to understand what the design needs to communicate, and reflect that message effectively and in a captivating way.

Leslie Temple

Job Titles:
  • Senior Graphic Designer
  • Moonlight 's Senior Graphic Designer
Leslie is Moonlight's Senior Graphic Designer. She is a North Carolina native and a graduate of University of Georgia, where she received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. She began her design career at USA TODAY, and from there, has worked in a wide variety of design environments-including Washington, DC based agencies, in-house creative departments, higher education institutions as well as freelance design-working with a breadth of brands and clients. Specializing in graphic design and branding, Leslie aims to help clients transform their ideas into beautiful experiences that effectively solve their design problems in innovative ways.