TILLER - Key Persons
Allison manages all aspects of Tiller operations as well as contributing to special projects like the national, multi-media advocacy campaign Leaders of the Lung Cancer Free World.
With a M.B.A. from New York University's Stern School of Business and a career in finance, Allison also brings her financial knowledge and experience to many of our client engagements including branding, distribution and media audits and media relations efforts.
What keeps you busy besides Tiller?
My family and our ever-changing commitments, friends, and community involvement where I can make a difference with my limited free time. Currently, I'm on the board of a local organization dedicated to raising funds and hands-on participation to support performing arts programs in our public schools.
What is it about Tiller that makes you proud to do what you do?
Everything. First, Tiller's mission is a win-win and I feel good at the end of every day that I'm not just helping to grow a company's "bottom line" but to elevate a social purpose as well. Second, the bar is high here. Every Tiller associate is dedicated to providing an end product of the best quality. Last, but not least, I couldn't ask for nicer people to work with.
What is your favorite book or quote?
To Kill a Mockingbird. My middle school English teacher pulled me out of the hallway, put it in my hands and said, "Read this - you will love it." To this day it sticks out in my mind for two reasons: the wonderful teacher who took an interest in me, and the heroine who discovered an unlikely hero.
Prior to Tiller, have you ever had a job that had a profound impact on you? How?
My first job was serving customers at McDonald's while in high school. I learned two important business lessons there: first, that there is always something you can do to better serve your customer - so keep moving, and second, the customer is usually right - particularly when he or she is hungry.
Where do you see the business environment going in the next five years?
In the last few years events in the markets and the world in general have heightened our awareness of the fragility of peace and "good times." I'm hoping that the focus on enhancing corporate profits and economic stability will coincide with a focus on sustainability and individual well-being.
Elisa, who joined Tiller in 2012, brings to client engagements a wide range of writing and editorial experience.
She also brings to bear research and analytic experience from extensive graduate level coursework, most recently as a Ph.D. student at Yale University. Elisa has worked in both publishing and journalism, including at New York magazine. She also gained valuable exposure to the financial sector as an analyst in Merrill Lynch's summer investment banking program. She holds an M.Div. from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary and a B.A. from Dartmouth College.
What keeps you busy besides Tiller?
Outside of Tiller I love spending time with family/friends and spending time outside - hiking, playing tennis, and cross-country skiing, depending on the season. Lately you can also find me volunteering with the city's historical society and experimenting with photography.
What is it about Tiller that makes you proud to do what you do?
I share Tiller's conviction that it is in a company's best interest to leverage its core strengths in ways that benefit both its customers and the broader public good - and I'm proud to play a part in actualizing that conviction together with such a terrific group of co-workers.
What is your favorite book or quote?
It's hard to pick just one, but Wallace Stegner's Crossing to Safety is a recent favorite.
Prior to Tiller, have you ever had a job that had a profound impact on you? How?
After Hurricane Katrina ravaged the Gulf Coast, I took a semester off college to work with a disaster relief nonprofit in New Orleans - an experience that fueled my passion for humanitarian work and offered a sustained firsthand look at the distinctive challenges and opportunities facing the nonprofit sector.
Where do you see the business environment going in the next five years?
I'm convinced that corporate attention to social responsibility is on the upswing, and I'm optimistic that this space will continue to become more robust, creative, and wide-reaching over the next five years.
Heather brings 15 years of marketing communications experience to a number of our clients including iShares, BlackRock, Alliance Global Investors, and Envestnet.
While at Tiller, she also worked closely with AARP Financial on the development of the award-winning Financial Jargon and Inflection Points campaigns, and with the ING Foundation to build their Partners in Empowerment platform and ING-Girls Inc. Investment Challenge.
Heather joined Tiller from Wechsler Ross & Partners, a leading marketing and design firm specializing in the investment management industry, where she oversaw complex, strategic marketing communications programs for clients such as Bank of America Private Bank, Merrill Lynch Investment Managers, Principal Financial Group, and Ariel Capital Management. Prior to Wechsler, Heather was a member of the retirement plans marketing team at John Hancock Financial Services (previously John Hancock Funds) where she was responsible for the implementation of education-focused communications programs for 401(k) plan participants and development of the first personalized enrollment kit in the industry.
She is a graduate of University of Rochester, Rochester, NY.
Jim serves as president of Tiller, bringing over 30 years of corporate communications experience and expertise to clients such as BlackRock, iShares and Envestnet.
An accomplished financial writer, Jim's special practice areas include corporate positioning and strategic message development, crisis communications, and the creation and execution of research-based PR programs.
Prior to joining the firm, Jim was a managing director with Powell Tate New York, a unit of the Washington, D.C.-based communications firm. He also spent 11 years at Ogilvy Adams & Rinehart (now Ogilvy Public Relations) where he designed and executed corporate positioning, media relations, investor relations, research, and marketing communications programs for a broad range of clients including the Chubb Corporation, Standard & Poor's Corp., and T. Rowe Price Associates.
Jim holds a B.A. in English from LeMoyne College in Syracuse, NY and a M.A. in journalism from Stanford University.
What keeps you busy besides Tiller?
First and foremost, family (one spouse, two sons, one daughter, one dog, two cats). Various outdoor pursuits at home - running, biking, kayaking, trying to keep the lawn alive. I also keep busy with volunteer work on behalf of my alma mater, Le Moyne College, where it's taught that social awareness is a sacred obligation.
What is it about Tiller that makes you proud to do what you do?
We genuinely care, and care deeply, about what we do - every aspect of it, large and small. In return, we're fortunate to have outstanding clients who give us the opportunity to do really great work and who appreciate what we do. Most of all, our focus on advocacy gets us engaged with issues that really matter - for individuals, communities, the world at large - every day. For a communications professional, it doesn't get any better.
What is your favorite book or quote?
"It's no trick to make a lot of money - if all you want is to make a lot of money." - Citizen Kane
Prior to Tiller, have you ever had a job that had a profound impact on you? How?
When I first started writing professionally and full time, I had a terrific editor who gave me a lasting appreciation for clarity, economy and precision in writing. She showed me, simply put, the power of making every word count. It's great guidance for strong writing and effective communication - and a pretty good principle for impactful advocacy too.
Where do you see the business environment going in the next five years?
I wish I knew. One thing I really believe, however, is that business by necessity will be playing an even bigger role in confronting all the big issues bedeviling us today. And I bet Tiller will be in the thick of it.