Meet the 2026 class of Top Women in Communications

Agency Leaders

• Lisa Arledge Powell — CEO & Founder, MediaSource

• Jennifer Becerra — Partner, EVP/Chief Strategy + Creative Officer, H+M Communications

• Melissa Buch — CEO & Founder, Brandbuch

• Megan Driscoll — CEO & Founder, EvolveMKD

• Abbie Fink — President, HMA Public Relations

• Jacqueline Gogel — Managing Director, Vested

• Barbara Goldberg — CEO & Founding Partner, O’Connell & Goldberg

• Tatiana Guiloff — Chief Executive Officer, MGC Global Group

• Leah Katz — Managing Director, Zeno East, Zeno Group

• Lauren Kleinman — Founder / CEO, Dreamday

• Steph Lund — Chief Executive Officer, MSQ Sport + Entertainment

• Priscila Martinez — CEO and Founder, The Brand Agency

• Tanya Meck — President, Communications & Public Affairs, Global Strategy Group

• Kate Ryan — Managing Director, US, Diffusion PR

• Bonnie Taylor — Chief Communications & Strategy Officer / Partner at Talent Resources, Talent Resources

• Stephanie Wallace — Senior Vice President, Marketing, Nebo

Brand Storytellers

• Kimberly Allen — Senior Associate Vice President of Communications and Marketing, Tulane University

• Anne-Marie Avalon — Senior Director of Communications, Security Scorecard

• Tanya Bevington — Head of Communication, IKEA Canada, IKEA Canada

• Kristy Campbell — VP, Corporate Communications, Dynatrace

• Nicole Carriere — Managing Director of Consumer and International Public Relations, United Airlines

• Lauren Danis — Chief Brand & Communications Officer, Eventbrite

• Brittany Geldmacher — SVP, Head of Worldwide Corporate Brand & Communications, Scopely

• Lesley Gold — Co-Founder and CEO, SutherlandGold

• Danielle Grossman — Director of Strategic Communications, Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo

• Morgan Guthrie — Director, Editorial & Content Leader, Guidehouse

• Michelle King Savio — Senior Vice President, Head of Consumer Banking Communications, Citizens

• Angela Martin — Vice President, Customer Insights & Branding, Dollar General

• Sonia Portaluppi — AVP of Communications, Dreamday

• Lauren Salisbury — Vice President, Communications, Santa Monica Travel & Tourism

• Nandini Sankara — Vice President Marketing and Brand Strategy, Spokesperson, Suburban Propane

• Nicole (Nikki) Sloup — Senior Vice President – Brand, Communications & PR, Progress Residential

• Katie Townsend — Chief Communications Officer, Seattle Kraken and Climate Pledge Arena

• Courtney Widli — Communications Manager, Casella Waste Systems, Inc.

• Judy Woloshen — VP of Public Relations, IFC Entertainment Group, AMC Networks

Bridge Builders

• Leila Dillon — SVP, Corporate Marketing and Communications, Ameresco

• Cecilia Hughes — Executive Communications Director, Cisco

• Sally Schiff — Vice President of Internal, Owner and Executive Communications, Hilton

• Jordana Strosberg — VP, Global Communications, Adtalem Global Education

• Lindsay Treadway — Vice President, Public Affairs & Advocacy Relations, Exelixis

Change Agents

• Elizabeth Ardoin — Chief Communications Officer, First Horizon Corporation

• Tiffany Darmetko — Managing Director, Integrated Strategy & Services, Inkhouse, an Orchestra agency and Head of Innovation, Orchestra, Orchestra

• Zareen Fidlon — SVP, Head of AI Innovation and Integrated Marketing, PAN

• Hillary Goodman — Managing Director, Gagen MacDonald, an APCO Company

• Sarah McCarthy — Global Head of Communications, OneSchool Global

• Michelle Mucci — EY Americas Assurance Director of Brand, Marketing, and Communications, EY

• Caroline Payne — Senior Vice President and Client Relations Director, The Mach 1 Group

• Susan Song — Chief Marketing Officer, Keesler Federal Credit Union

• Molly Soto — Vice President, Ruder Finn

• Maureen St George — Senior Manager, Corporate Communications, USG Corporation

Crisis Navigators

• Kate Pulio-Deighton — Senior Director, FTI Consulting

• Julie Rosa — Vice President, Communications, Purdue University

Data Dynamos

• Heddy DeMaria — Chief Strategy Officer, HUNTER

• Lauren Melcher — Director Enterprise Reputation & Risk, Target

• Talan Tyminski — Senior Vice President and Client Service Director, The Mach 1 Group

• Daniela Villa — Global Head of Communications, Bitso

Dynamic Do-ers

• Adrienne Bentley — Sr. Brand Manager, PR, Aflac

• Kathryn Brenner — VP, Public Relations, AMC Networks

• Lauren Butka — Marketing Director, ECMSI

• Nikia Deveaux-Christie — Director of Marketing, Nassau & Paradise Island Promotion Board

• Julia Eshleman — Creative Director, Tri-State Generation and Transmission

• Amanda Ferrari — Vice President of Client Services, Hellerman Communications

• Chesleigh Fowler — Senior Director, Media Relations, Travelers Insurance

• Natasha Goodwin — Vice President of Marketing and Membership, Information Technology Industry Council

• Ashley Jacobson — Sr. Director, Corporate Marketing, PubMatic

• Alissa Koay — Senior Vice President, Lot Sixteen

• Zen Logsdon — Senior Manager, PR, City of Hope

• Vishakha Mathur — Vice President, SKDK

• Elizabeth Murphy — Director, FTI Consulting

• Lucy Neer — Vice President, Kaplow Communications

• Eloisa Orozco — Director, Corporate Communications & ESG, Encore Capital Group

• Heather Sheppard — Senior Vice President, Fahlgren Mortine

• Michele Tinson — Senior Manager, East Coast & Midwest Public Relations, Hyundai Motor America

Healthcare Communicators

• Erin McDonough — Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing and Communications Officer, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

• Tama McWhinney — Vice President, Internal Communications, Ascension

• Alexis Odesser — Managing Director, Head of Account Excellence, Business of Health Co-Lead, The Bliss Group

• Virginia Oliva — Sr. Director, Communications & Activations, Children’s Health

• Barbara Osborn — Deputy Chief Public Relations Officer, Northwell Health

• Riddhi St. Clair — Senior Director, Corporate Communications, RxBenefits

• Teresa Stepic — Managing Director, Strategic Communications, FTI Consulting

• Goldie Taylor — Chief Communications and Marketing Officer, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute

• Addy Toevs — Media Relations Manager, Children’s Hospital Association

• Kathy Winn — Senior Vice President, Chief Marketing and Communications Officer, Compassus

Internal Communications Leaders

• Sarah Andrews — System Director, Internal Communications, City of Hope

• Myriam Chikirou — Head of Global Internal Communications, Merck KGaA

• Mitali Chopra — Senior Manager, Colgate-Palmolive

• Cristi Goettel — Director of Strategic Communications, BOK Financial

• Debbie Greene — Vice President, Internal Communications, Dow Jones

• Alyssa Hagan — Director of Internal Communications, MGT

• Kristyn Kerr — Global Communications Director, JLL

• Hannah Kisling — Sr Manager, Internal Communications (U.S. Stores), The Home Depot

• Sarah Martin — Sr. Manager, Executive and Employee Communications, Intel

• Rachel Nelson — Director, National Communications, Trinity Health

• Gladys Roman — SVP Corporate Communications, Advantage Solutions

Leaders

• Sarah Alamshaw — Vice President of Public Relations, Seattle Storm

• Amy Brundage — Managing Director, SKDK

• Amanda Carl-Pratt — Director, Head of Communications, Google DeepMind

• Rebecca Casamayor — Senior Public Relations Lead, MyFitnessPal

• Jennifer Davidson — Chief Marketing and Communications Officer, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

• Elena Harrington — Senior Marketing Manager, Albertsons

• Jennifer Hendricks Sullivan — Chief Corporate Communications Officer, Fifth Third Bank

• Catherine Higgins Whiteside — Senior Vice President, Marketing/Communications, Sunrise Banks

• Stephanie Holland — SVP, Communications & Marketing, American Chemical Society (ACS)

• Vanessa Hsia — Senior Director, The TASC Group

• Jennifer Kaplan — President & CEO, Evolve PR & Marketing

• Melissa Layton — Vice President, Head of Global Communications, Crocs Inc.

• Claudia Linh Sakamoto — Executive Director, Brand and Social Content, City of Hope

• Carolina Mata — Senior Vice President, Employee Communications, Integral

• Megan McCarl — Sr. Director of PR, Wolverine Worldwide

• Laura Rawson — Vice President – Marketing and Communications, Cambridge Investment Research, Inc.

• Keri Toomey — Executive Vice President, Professional Services Leader and Head of Employee Experience, The Bliss Group

• Sarah Vellozzi — Managing Director, U.S. Corporate Affairs, Golin

• Katie Vroom — Senior Vice President, Gregory

• Janet Zaldua — CEO, Marina del Rey Tourism Board

Mentors & Coaches

• Susan Brake — Partner, Development Counsellors International

• Camila Clark — Senior Vice President Marketing & Communications, Visit Lauderdale

• Julie Cochran — Senior Director, Global Social Media, Merz Aesthetics

• Maggie Jenkins — Director, FTI Consulting

Social Impact Leaders

• Joanne Engelhardt Risko — Vice President, Strategic Marketing, The Dairy Alliance

• Sharon Gordon — Senior Vice President, Social Impact, Syneos Health

• Chryste Hall — Director, Advocacy Outreach and Communications, AARP

• Alina Hauptman — Associate Public Relations Director, Best Friends Animal Society

• Haiwen Lu Langworth — Vice President, Global Communications & Marketing, Tent Partnership for Refugees

• Dena Martini Toms — Chief People Officer, HUNTER

• Emily Schwartz — Partner, Strategic Communications, Bryson Gillette

• Jessica Simington — Senior Social Impact and Communications Specialist, Diversity & Sustainability Office Lead, Sony Electronics Inc.

• Lisa Travatello — Chief Marketing Officer, GENYOUth

Tech Leaders

• Lauren Beckley — Senior Manager, Internal Communications, BrightSpring Health Services

• Megan Shroy — Founder and President, Approach

Visionaries & Trailblazers

• Monica Caponigro (Khattar) — Managing Director, Bobbie

• Katie Conover — Executive Vice President, Corporate Affairs, Syneos Health

• Kelsey Grady — Chief Global Communications Officer, Nextdoor

• Kristina Helb — Vice President of Global Communications, Sotheby’s International Realty

• Winna Ironkwe — Director of Communication & Engagement, City of Greeley, Colorado

• Shannon Litton — CEO, 3LS Professional Services

• Karla MacDonald — Chief Corporate Affairs Officer, Entrada Therapeutics

• Kirsten Salmanowicz — Senior Manager, Global Media Tech and Governance, 3M

• Whitney Swistock — Senior Director of Corporate Communications, Inovalon

Rising Stars

• Molly Eisner — Director, TLG Communications

• Sonny Franks Miller — Global Corporate Communications Manager, Clarios

• Madeleine Goff — Associate Director of Communications and Public Relations, Mark-Taylor Residential

• Lauren Helms — Associate Product Marketing Manager, Customer Lifecycle, GFiber

• Meredith Janeiro — Account Manager, Growth and Media Operations, Theorem

• Katie Landmesser — Account Director, Dreamday

• Emily Lange — Manager – Merchandising Communications, The Home Depot

• Kayla Martin — Manager, Visual Communications, Disney Entertainment Television

• Rachel Pikovsky — Associate Director of Marketing and Communication Operations, Muscular Dystrophy Association

• Katie Reimel — Senior Vice President, C Street Advisory Group

• Alexis Santiago — Senior Manager, Communications & Special Projects, Disney Entertainment

• Caroline Senter — Public Relations Manager, Performing Arts Houston

• Victoria Smith — Senior Marketing Manager, TRC Talent Solutions

• Alexa Stegeman — Senior Account Executive, The Fletcher Group

• Gioia Chiara Uva — Manager, U.S. Strategic Projects, Philip Morris International U.S.

• Camila Velayos — Associate Account Executive, H+M Communications

• Devin Walsh — Account Director and Chief of Staff, Haymaker Group

• Lindsay Waters — Account Manager, Porter Novelli