Hannah is a national expert in nonprofit communications and a sought-after speaker and workshop presenter. At The Shoestring Agency, she is responsible for all facets of agency services, most importantly as senior strategist and chief creative director. Hannah is particularly well-known for her nonprofit branding expertise, creative energy and ability to produce attention-getting campaigns. She has dedicated her career to developing best practices in nonprofit marketing. As an expert in the field, she has written numerous articles and has been interviewed by Marketplace on NPR, NBC News and others. Hannah began her career working in the public relations departments of a university and a children’s hospital and cares deeply about doing work that matters. A trained and experienced journalist, she has a passion for helping nonprofits tell their stories and working with the news media to produce meaningful coverage. By combining her experience producing news and television segments with her an award-winning writing and graphic design talents, she is able to provide unparalleled expertise and services to clients. Hannah attended the William Allen White School of Journalism and Mass Communications at the University of Kansas. She began working in the field of communications and journalism at the age of 16 and her experience includes everything from voicing television pieces to working as a sports photojournalist and even producing (and hosting) segments for a travel cable channel. Every ounce of experience she has goes toward helping her clients further their missions. Her personal passions include raising her two sons (currently attending college) and anything that allows time to be spent in the great outdoors or on the water with her dogs.
Brooke Wood is a dynamic communications professional with more than 20 years of experience spanning four countries. Most recently as director of communications of Comic Relief US, she helped build the prestigious “Red Nose Day” brand and fundraising campaign. As part of this effort, she developed partnerships with leaders in both nonprofit and corporate sectors. Brooke also has a vast background in purpose-driven communications, including the development of a global online training program to encourage responsible drinking. She is comfortable wearing “many hats” with experience in strategic messaging, internal communications, events and public relations. A native of Australia, Brooke received her bachelor of arts degree in communication and media studies from The University of New South Wales (UNSW). She currently lives in New York City with her husband.
Stacy Jones has more than 20 years of experience in the nonprofit sector and as a freelance journalist. She has spent the majority of her career taking on capacity-building projects to start new nonprofit organizations and revitalize others. Having been both an executive director and board member, Stacy knows how to effectively blend marketing and public relations, fundraising, nonprofit leadership and strategic planning to develop strong nonprofits and build their capacity to better meet their missions. Stacy’s experience includes being sought-after board trainer and strategic planning facilitator. In her role with The Shoestring Agency, she helps lead projects that include strategic marketing planning, messaging strategy, copywriting and public relations. Stacy understands how powerful effective storytelling is for nonprofit organizations and how to tap into the most newsworthy angles for maximum exposure. Stacy is also highly-skilled in crisis communications. She has a master’s degree in journalism from Colombia University School of Journalism and her work has been published nationally in print and online in magazines including Redbook and Glamour, and in trade publications such as PI Magazine and the Philanthropy Journal. Stacy has been an integral part of our agency’s team for more than 10 years. When Stacy is not working on projects for The Shoestring Agency, she can be found doing research for her latest novel.
Ann has served local, national and international organizations in her 20 years of nonprofit experience. As an accomplished marketing communications professional, she is able to help nonprofits connect with a wide range of audiences in meaningful ways. In addition to her extensive nonprofit work experience, Ann holds a master’s degree in nonprofit management from Hamline University in St. Paul, Minn. and does communications-focused volunteer work. She has been with The Shoestring Agency for close to 10 years. During her free time, Ann enjoys traveling with her husband to places near and far from her home in Portland, Maine.
Laura Perillo is a seasoned writer and PR professional with 25 years of experience in communications. Her extensive PR experience has armed her with a broad understanding of what it takes to compose and tell a compelling story. Laura has successfully placed clients in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Financial Times, The Washington Post, USA Today, The Chronicle of Higher Education, Entrepreneur Magazine, Huffington Post Parents and abcnews.com, among many other outlets.
Kyle’s specialties are strategic marketing, market research, branding, digital marketing, media planning and project management. His career has spanned both nonprofit and progressive private sectors and includes extensive marketing and branding experience within the technology, airline and the food/beverage industries. From analyzing complicated technical data for marketing purposes, his high-level business experience is extremely valuable to Shoestring Agency clients. Kyle leads SHOESTRING DIGITAL – our full-service digital marketing division dedicated to nonprofit social media, SEO, paid ad campaigns and PPC. He is also responsible for all agency operations, including finance and lead generation. Kyle has a bachelor’s degree in communications from the University of Kansas and a master’s degree from Avila University. When he is not working, he can be found watching Kansas Jayhawk basketball or sailing off the coast of Maine (depending on the season).
Senior art director and graphic design guru, Eric Hoffsten, is able to put his talents to work for good causes—an important part of his decision to join The Shoestring Agency. Eric spent eight years as an art director and senior-level designer in New York City where he worked for Bill SMITH STUDIO on high-profile, international publishing projects. Eric attended Brown University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in modern culture and media studies. He has been putting his talents to work for good and making our clients happy for a decade. When he is not working, he can be found enjoying one of Maine’s award-winning craft beers or walking the trails at oceanfront state parks near his home with his two sons.
Bob is responsible for developing new media projects for our clients—from websites with full content management systems to highly creative internet banner campaigns. Bob is an experienced developer in addition to being a highly skilled illustrator and designer. One minute he may be creating flash banner ads for CNN.com and the next, creating illustrations for health education publications. Bob attended the University of Southern Maine where he concentrated on media studies, writing and video.
To contact a member of our team, please email heroes@shoestring.agency, and place the intended recipient’s name in the subject line. We will make sure it gets in the right in-box.