About Us

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Ken Byers

Co-Founder / Brand Strategist

Ken leads the Confidant Nashville office and the agency’s brand strategy team. Prior to starting Confidant, Ken worked in house at Sony as a founding member of the brand experience team, where he led many award-winning campaigns, including multiple recognized at CANNES, the EFFIE’S and the ONE Show. Before that, he spearheaded dozens of integrated campaigns at Ogilvy & Mather New York for brands like Motorola, Ford, Miller, Morgan Stanley and DuPont.

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Garland Harwood

Co-Founder / Communications Strategist

Garland leads Confidant’s New York office and the agency’s PR team. He has spent most of the last two decades helping brands like Amazon, Sonos, Samsung, Shake Shack, BarkBox, ZocDoc, Getaway and others tell their stories through PR and integrated marketing campaigns. Previously, Garland was Senior Vice President at Weber Shandwick. He was named to PRWeek’s “40 Under 40” list in 2013 and PR News’ “Rising PR Stars” list in 2010.

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Richard W Kluver

Creative Director

Richard is a creative director that has developed campaigns for brands like Sony, MasterCard, adidas, Red Bull, GE, Infiniti, and Oakley. He joined Confidant after stints at BBDO NY, CP+B, Deutsch LA, and acclaimed boutique, Archrival. Richard began his career working with Volkswagen at Grabarz & Partner in Germany and later held roles at McCann New York where he created award winning campaigns for Sony and Mastercard.

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Marie-Sophie Lantin

EVP, Consumer Brands

Marie-Sophie is a seasoned brand marketer with over 20 years of U.S. and global experience building and protecting brands across sectors, with a deep focus in food & beverage, CPG, beauty & personal care, and lifestyle. She is passionate about developing creative communications programs that authentically engage consumers, reinforce differentiation and deliver business results. Previously, she was EVP, Brand Solutions at BCW, where she led the development of integrated communications strategies for some of the world’s biggest consumer brands including E. & J. Gallo Winery, Hellmann’s, Colgate, Tom’s of Maine, Walgreens, P&G @ Walgreens, and No7.

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Lydia J. Voles

Chief of Staff

Lydia brings more than 30 years’ experience of conceptualizing and implementing integrated marketing and communications programs for both the public and private sectors to the agency's client roster. She was previously a Senior Vice President at Widmeyer Communications, a Finn Partners Company. When not working, she can often be found with a good novel, preferably with a dirty martini close at hand.

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Suzy Sammons

Chief of Growth

Suzy leads Confidant Nashville client service team and helps to guide the strategic process for the agency. Prior to joining Confidant, she operated her own consultancy and spent a couple of decades with major agencies like TBWA\Chiat\Day and 180LA where she led top accounts across a range of categories. Suzy also has held senior positions in non-profit media organizations, and shares her passion for great storytelling as a board member of The Children's Literacy Project.

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Alan Keane

Senior Vice President, ESG

Alan is an integrated media strategist with experience leading and building corporate and consumer campaigns. He spearheads corporate and sustainability storytelling for clients including Amazon and Shake Shack. Prior to joining Confidant, Alan was a Vice President in Weber Shandwick’s Integrated Media group, guiding clients including Absolut Vodka, Chobani, Casper, Nespresso and Warner Bros.

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Christine Maher

Executive Producer

Christine is an experienced Executive Producer who has worked across a wide variety of top brands including Nike, Microsoft, LG, TicTac, Hennessy, Sephora, Under Armour and many more. She joins the team after time at J Walter Thompson, Laundry Service/Cycle and The Brooklyn Brothers.

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Katy Byers

Director of Finance

Katy leads financial management, client reporting and business operations within Confidant. Prior to joining she was a founding member of financial services company, Gatemore Capital Management. Over the course of 13 years she established the foundational financial and client reporting systems and maintained and scaled the operation across both the US and European markets.

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Renée McDonald

Vice President, CSR & DEI

Specializing in corporate comms and CSR, Renée has helped shape strategy, executive leadership storytelling and D+I campaigns for companies such as Amazon and L'Oréal. She has worked with both Fortune 500 companies and fast-growing startups, including Facebook, BMW, Cannon, PwC and Birchbox. She joined Confidant following roles at Golin and 5W PR. Born in Jamaica, Renee holds a bachelor’s degree from the UNC Chapel Hill and a master’s degree from Boston University.

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Hannah Lovell

Art Director

Hannah is a creative strategist, designer and illustrator at Confidant working on a range of brands including Sony, Amazon, Birchbox and Shake Shack. Prior to Confidant she ran her own studio, Whoanelly creative, working with brands such as Halo Top ice cream, Smile Direct Club and Nusachi CBD.

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Kait Fund

Vice President

With a wealth of experience in strategic planning, thought leadership development, business storytelling and project management, Kait has counseled clients spanning a broad spectrum of sectors, including operations and logistics, direct-to-consumer brands and startups, tech and travel. Her work at Confidant spans campaign rollouts, issues management and ongoing media relations. Prior to Confidant, Kait developed and executed media relations and thought leadership campaigns at Weber Shandwick. When she’s not at work she runs marathons, speaks French, and collects (and drinks) bourbon.

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Matt Luzuriaga

Vice President

Matt’s career in public relations has spanned corporate communications, integrated marketing campaigns, executive visibility, thought leadership and trade show support for large global brands including Amazon, MINI USA, Sharp Electronics, BMW and ExxonMobil. Before joining Confidant, Matt managed top agency clients and spearheaded consumer and B2B client campaigns at Peppercomm. Prior to Peppercomm, Matt held roles at some of the world’s largest public relations agencies, including Edelman and Weber Shandwick.

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Jeanne Montone

Vice President

Jeanne has led campaigns for established companies like Amazon, InterContinental Hotels Group and The Weather Company, as well as rapidly growing startups like BARK, Rare Beauty, Getaway, Birchbox, Castle & Key, ZocDoc and OnePlus. Prior to joining Confidant, Jeanne was at Weber Shandwick where her work spanned media relations, consumer media events and global product launches. She began her career in entertainment PR and cable news, and holds a master’s degree from New York University.

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Nicole Farin

Vice President

Nicole’s corporate and consumer PR experience spanning retail, food and beverage, travel and lifestyle brands includes work with Shake Shack, BarkBox, Getaway, Tanger Outlets, Eataly, The Macallan, Campari, Beyond Meat, SOREL Footwear and Constellation Brands. Prior to joining Confidant, she held roles at HL Group, M Booth and R\West.

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Emma Maliszewski

Senior Director

Emma is a consumer media specialist with a track record of delivering valuable connections, strategy and insights for brands across CPG, e-commerce, entertainment, beauty, fashion, wellness and more. Well-versed in engaging with consumer media through creative storytelling and activations, she plays a pivotal role in building brand awareness, new product launches and event production. In addition, she has led executive visibility and thought leadership programs with a heavy focus on trends.

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Rachel Quinlan

Senior Director

Rachel’s sweet spot lies at the intersection of technology and consumer brands with deep experience building campaigns for brands like Amazon, Canon, Mastercard, American Express, Ancestry, SONOS, Getty Images, Squarespace, Samsung and Lenovo. Currently based in the UK, Rachel is a Texan who has lived and worked in NYC, Sydney and Los Angeles.

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Mimi Ryals

Senior Director

Mimi is a seasoned public relations professional with continued success in developing and executing engaging media campaigns across corporate communications and public affairs channels. Before joining Confidant, she led corporate communications for Starry, a technology developer and internet service provider. Prior to that, she honed her communications skills working in a blend of media and government relations at a consumer-facing trade association in Washington, D.C. While she now claims to be a New Yorker, Mimi is a native of Montgomery, Alabama and a die-hard Crimson Tide fan.

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Kathy Dalley

Senior Director

Kathy's award-winning work telling meaningful corporate stories includes campaigns for global tech companies like Amazon, IBM, SAP, Baidu; cybersecurity startups like White Ops; large consumer brands like HARMAN, Viacom, McGraw-Hill Education and Liberty Mutual;,and exciting new brands such as Rare Beauty by Selena Gomez. Prior to joining Confidant, she held roles at Ogilvy, Text100 and PAN Communications.

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Eric Walters

Art Director

Eric is a graphic designer working on a range of clients at Confidant including Sony, Amazon, Path and Solidago. He brings a broad range of experience, including campaign and content development, retail expertise, UX and social. Prior to joining Confidant, he worked in house on the Sony Electronics North American creative team leading and developing brand creative for a suite of products.

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Jessica Rosa

Director

Jessica is an award-winning public relations and communications professional telling brand stories through integrated campaigns, with expertise in experiential activations and event management. Her experience spans both B2B and B2C in the aerospace, legislative policy, philanthropic, lifestyle, beauty, sports, food and beverage, professional service, technology and entertainment industries. Prior to joining Confidant, Jessica led earned initiatives at Mintz + Hoke.

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Lizzy Allen

Director

Lizzy is an accomplished communications strategist with experience in thought leadership development, corporate storytelling, and earned media. Her expertise spans established and emerging tech in both the B2B and consumer sectors. Before joining Confidant, Lizzy worked in house at tech startup, Torii, managing corporate communications. Lizzy began her career in roles at SKDK and Hotwire Global Communications driving media campaigns for Amazon, Automation Anywhere, Commvault, eBay, and Zoom.

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Stephanie Landman

Director

Stephanie is an accomplished corporate communications strategist with a decade of experience driving thought leadership, corporate narrative development and executive visibility. A passionate storyteller with diverse experience both in-house and in-agency, Stephanie specializes in translating meaningful stories that drive impact across strategic stakeholder ecosystems. Prior to joining Confidant, Stephanie served as Communications Manager at Delos, an organization that designs programs and solutions to help make indoor spaces more conducive to human health and well-being. When she is away from her computer, you can find Stephanie practicing yoga, walking her Cockapoo (Gus), or sipping rose on the beaches of her hometown in Asbury Park.

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Rebecca Trevethan

Measurement & Analytics Manager

With 25 years of experience supporting supporting marketing and administrative teams across across a range industries ranging from non-profits to corporate law, Rebeccca works across Confidant teams to support research, measurement and analytics initiatives.

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Paige Teachey

Sr. Account Executive

Paige is an Account Executive working on a range of clients at Confidant, including Amazon and Sony. She specializes in client communication, project management and bringing integrated campaigns to life. Prior to joining Confidant, Paige worked at FINN Partners, helping lead initiatives for Jack Daniels, Bridgestone, and more.

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Abbey Kostyal

Graphic Designer

Abbey is a multi-disciplinary graphic designer passionate about animation, illustration and web. She works on a range of brands at Confidant, including Amazon, Sony, and MadeGood. Prior to Confidant, she worked at Nimble. Design Co., helping shape brand and web for a wide range of clients. In her free time, you'll find her thrifting, plant shopping, or brushing up on her sporter knowledge.

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Melissa Zapata

Senior Manager

Melissa is a seasoned consumer PR strategist who has led earned media and integrated campaigns for established brands including Meta, Lyft, American Express, Logitech and more. In addition to her consumer PR work, she is experienced in thought leadership and corporate storytelling. A California native, Melissa is based remotely in Los Angeles, working alongside her corgi, Wrigley. Melissa enjoys traveling across the U.S. to accomplish her goal of visiting all 30 MLB baseball stadiums. Prior to Confidant, Melissa led earned media relations programs at Day One Agency, Golin and Finn Partners. She holds a master’s degree in strategic public relations from the University of Southern California.

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Caitlin Healy

Senior Manager

Caitlin is an award-winning public relations strategist who has deep experience in building and executing consumer campaigns and thought leadership initiatives in the food and beverage, CPG and technology sectors. Prior to joining Confidant, Caitlin led earned media programs at M Booth and Boston-based MullenLowe U.S. for brands such as Behr Paint Company, Boston Beer Company (Dogfish Head, Angry Orchard and Twisted Tea), and Monster.com. She began her career in the communications department at TripAdvisor.

Big Agency Thinking.
Boutique Agency Agility.

We are Confidant, named for the role we play with brands. We’re an experienced team of big agency defectors paving the way for a new agile communications agency model. With a deep belief in holistic storytelling, we build, nurture and protect your brand in a world of rapid change.

  • Experienced
  • Creative
  • Impactful
  • Holistic
  • Transparent