FEAREY - Key Persons
When Aaron accepted a role as a Fearey senior account executive in 2005, he had little idea that he was stepping onto a path that would lead to ownership of one of the region's most iconic public relations firms.
Since taking over as Fearey's CEO and president in 2014, Aaron has led the firm through continuous double-digital annual growth, and solidified the firm's reputation as a creative communications pioneer. When the City of Seattle secured its first NHL team in decades, local leaders turned to Aaron to help steer the rollout. When a construction disaster brought despair to one of the city's most familiar streets, he was enlisted to help bring clarity to the confusion.
Named to the "40 under 40" list by the Puget Sound Business Journal and PR Week, Aaron is committed to making a lasting impact throughout the region and beyond. He is involved with The ArtsFund and Children's Hopechest, and served as the second-youngest president of the Public Relations Global Network, an organization with 54 offices on six continents.
Aaron is a firm believer in the "never eat alone" mentality, with one lonely exception: breakfast. If anyone would like to join him at 4:30am, they're more than welcome.
Job Titles:
- Account Supervisor, Public Affairs
Alex is an award-winning public affairs program manager who has worked with organizations across the country to build and leverage influence at the intersection of business and government.
He spent several years working with coalitions of businesses and community members in Texas to fight poverty through sensible housing and public assistance policies at the local and state level.
His extensive work to empower small businesses and communities across the country with tools and information to grow through trade with Korea after passage of the US-Korea Free Trade Agreement earned him a PRSA Silver Anvil Award.
Alex is passionate about building movements that empower and protect small businesses, promote sustainable development and strengthen equity for socio-economic minorities.
His work empowering small business through policy also includes helping trade associations secure passage of the 2013 Marketplace Fairness Act in the U.S. Senate, and a truth-in-labeling campaign to raise consumer awareness around damaging environmental practices and social inequity created by outdated regulations governing U.S. seafood production.
Always searching for new and different ways to see things, Alex is an avid traveler, writer and runner in his personal time.
Bailie's PR career has spanned the country, including the Midwest, the east coast, and the Pacific Northwest. After gaining both in-house and agency experience, she concluded that agency life best suited her style, as it offered the best opportunities for her creative side to flourish.
Bailie supports various clients with graphic design, copywriting, social media messaging, analytics, and traditional media relations.
When away from the office, Bailie can be found soaking in everything the Pacific Northwest has to offer, including reading, hiking, walking the city, and enjoying time with friends.
A Montana native, Becca comes to Fearey with experience in sponsorship and partnership cultivation, nonprofit program development, media relations, marketing and event planning. With a background in live music production and media coordination for academic programs, she appreciates an all-senses approach in creating content so audiences feel the intention behind each communication.
With degrees from the University of Montana in psychology, nonprofit administration and entertainment management, she enjoys finding the cross-section for alignment with all of the above, from start-ups to well-established brands.
When she isn't working, Becca loves road trips, attending concerts, endlessly screenshotting beautiful branding, buying plants, critiquing every iced americano in the land, and spending time with her rad nephew, Wade.
Job Titles:
- Senior Account Executive of Community Marketing
A Puget Sound native, Chelsea comes to Fearey after spending nearly 8 years in radio, where she developed her passion for fostering community connections and deepened her love of Seattle sports. She will be working with our region's largest employer to expand community relations between neighborhood stakeholders, residents and visitors and ensuring South Lake Union continues to be a vibrant destination for all to enjoy.
A proud Washington State University alumna, Chelsea enjoys spending time with her family, including being the "Cool Aunt" to her niece and three nephews, traveling with her friends, or taking in a Mariners or Seahawks game. She is continually in search of the best oat milk vanilla latte in the city, enjoys exploring Seattle's food scene and is anxiously awaiting the return of live music!
Chris's background in Washington D.C., both in political affairs and nonprofit communications, brings a unique perspective to the work we do every day.
A tireless creator and digital consumer, Chris acts as Fearey's resident expert on all things content. Chris can be found advising senior leaders across the West Coast on everything from media relations storytelling to social media campaigns. His ability to immerse himself in his clients' worlds routinely positions him as a subject-matter expert across multiple industries.
To say that Christine wears a lot of hats at Fearey is to say that Phil Knight wears a lot of shoes. Whether the day calls for a human resources specialist, an IT expert, or an operations strategist, hers is among the first phones to ring.
Christine has been the engine behind Fearey's smooth legal, financial, and personnel operations for more than 21 years.
When not saving the day at Fearey, Christine is likely creating magic in the kitchen, taking road trips to Colorado, or planning her next global adventure.
With a background in journalism and more recently nonprofit, social good and policy communications, David has honed thought leadership and communications campaigns for national organizations and associations in Washington, D.C., as well as for public affairs projects in the Puget Sound region.
An expert writer capable of distilling complex projects and policies into compelling copy, David frequently writes and pitches client stories and opinion pieces to the media and has been published in the Seattle Times, Washington Post and many other outlets.
Away from the keyboard, David enjoys exploring the parks of the Pacific Northwest with his family, from the shores of Lake Washington to the Olympic Peninsula and the Cascades.
Job Titles:
- Digital Marketing Senior Specialist
A former intern in travel and tourism, nonprofit PR, and book publicity, Erin brings a unique perspective to the Fearey team. Born and raised in upstate New York, Erin first brought her passion for PR to Fearey as a Production Assistant before advancing to her current Account Coordinator role.
Based in Minnesota, Hannah brings a passion for helping brands connect with consumers online through social media. Her experience includes over five years of content creation, strategic execution, and community management in a wide range of industries including manufacturing, cleaning, investing, mining, construction, healthcare, home design, and more.
When her Fearey hat comes off Hannah spends her time giving treats to her dogs, watching spooky movies & shows (year round), and trying not to kill her latest house plant.
Jacque's publicity career began in New York City where she worked with a variety of A-list nonprofit, health care, tech and consumer clients focused on everything from HIV/AIDS and breast cancer, to climate change and global health, to education, children and families.
At Fearey, Jacque oversees the agency's health care and nonprofit practice, and is well-known for her creative media storytelling and thought leadership efforts, helping clients get published nationally.
A native Oregonian, Jacque now calls Montana home and spends her free time working on her house, traversing the outdoors and testing out new recipes in her kitchen.
Jesse is a Seattle native who has spent the last 17 years living throughout the country. As Fearey's first in-house Creative Director, she is bringing extensive knowledge of creative design and brand strategy to each account. She has experience working on digital brand strategy, loyalty marketing, and building creative for clients like Dunkin', The Home Depot, Verizon and Alaska Airlines.
When the work day is done, Jesse spends time with her family outside as much as possible. Biking, skiing, camping - anything for some fresh air.
Job Titles:
- Director of Community Marketing
Jill leads the Community Marketing effort for Fearey, which supports our region's largest employer in their efforts to be a community partner, resource provider, and coalition builder across the company's South Lake Union headquarters in Seattle and beyond. It's a role that perfectly suits this senior leader who has worked to build relationships, reputation, and revenue across the fields of sports, events, and broadcast media throughout her career.
A Southern California native, Jill has called the Pacific Northwest home for more than 20 years. She left commuting on the 110 Freeway, spending time at SouthBay beaches, and going to USC football games for urban living in Greenlake, listening to live music, and wearing her USC gear at Husky football games.
Julie has 20 plus years in communications, working at agencies in Seattle and New York, as well as in-house for engineering and financial services firms. Her experience spans multiple industries and audiences, including tech, healthcare, and public affairs.
She completed a doctorate in 2019 and is endlessly energized by education, serving as an adjunct professor for digital marketing and business communications courses, as well as launching a STEM focused charter school.
Gluttonous polyglot, ocean ogler, and tireless traveler, Julie has spent time on every continent (including Antarctica, where she sat amongst penguins and gazed at a glacier). She's a published writer (fiction and fascinating facts), and she once got to grace the Seattle International Film Festival's silver screen, acting in a film short she co-wrote and produced.
Karin is Midwest born and raised, but after graduating in December 2020, she is ready to take on the Pacific Northwest. Originally from the Twin Cities, Karin found herself at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln where she studied advertising and public relations. (Go Big Red!)
During her time at school, Karin was able to have experiences doing public relations and advertising for both in-house teams and traditional agencies. She has a passion for writing, connecting with brands and for people, whether that be from working with social media, through client relations or building relationships with her coworkers.
Karin will be calling Seattle home in the next few months, where she is excited to explore the city, hiking, and enjoying new scenery. When Karin isn't working, you can find her running, reading, traveling or spending time with her friends and family.
Katie is an Account Coordinator at Fearey. After choosing an interdisciplinary major at Colorado State University, Katie spent her undergrad exploring a wide variety of perspectives and topics. She saw that the common thread running through her favorite subjects was public relations! With an ignited passion for writing, storytelling, and PR strategy, Katie spent the past two years diving into her career, doing in-house PR for CSU's Career Center, assisting in PR projects for a nonprofit and earning a place on the Public Relation Society of America's executive committee for the New Pro's national chapter.
When she's not catching media placements and pondering blog posts, Katie enjoys spending time with her friends, discussing her favorite coffee brewing methods and crafting the perfect playlist to accompany a drive in the mountains.
A veteran of the New York City publicity and communications circuit, Kyle comes to Fearey following 7 years of music- and technology-focused PR in the city that never sleeps. His career has included a variety of eclectic brands including Mixcloud, Bandsintown, 7digital, and Music & Memory, as well as artists including Kenny Chesney, Chicago, Dr. John, and The Polyphonic Spree.
At Fearey, Kyle leads a variety of accounts with a passion for uncovering new narratives that can cut through the noise and novel ways to position clients through unique campaigns.
A native of Dunder Mifflin's Scranton, Pennsylvania, he spends his spare time writing, recording, producing and releasing his own music as Wharfer. Kyle is a diehard Green Bay Packers fan - and a reluctant supporter of the New York Knicks.
Lucia Gruber is a Senior Account Executive at Fearey. She is a brand storyteller who is dedicated to innovation and creativity. Raised in Washington, she is a graduate of Western Washington University with a B.A. in Communication Studies.
Prior to joining Fearey, Lucia spent time in Washington, D.C. at Ketchum where she specialized in the consumer-packaged goods industry. Clients have included Fortune 500 companies such as Clorox, IKEA, Maytag and Ulta Beauty. Her experiences have built a strong skillset in solutions-oriented thinking and team coordination.
In her spare time, Lucia loves to be running or hiking around the Pacific Northwest, developing new vegan recipes or daydreaming about adopting a dog.
Mary began her design career designing flower arrangements at fifteen in Dallas, Texas. In the decade since, she's worked with non-profits, start-ups and fortune 500 companies around the world bringing big and small brands to life across print and digital channels.
An enthusiastic learner and strategic designer, Mary is an integral part of the Fearey team, supporting our wide range of clients.
When she's not admiring beautiful branding, Mary can be found teaching herself how to watercolor, exploring neighborhood farmer's markets across Seattle and utilizing her National Park pass.
Coming to us all the way from the Twin Cities, Mitch Leland brings his digital and social media design savvy to Fearey. Mitch has over 3 years of working on an in-house creative team prior to joining Fearey and is excited for the variety of work the agency life has to offer.
Mitch is passionate about seeing a project from all angles and ensuring a cohesive brand message through design.
When he's not busy pushing pixels, you can find him scouring vintage stores for his next piece of bizarre art, roaming around a plant store to find something to add to his ever-growing (50+) houseplant collection, or picking up yet another crafty hobby.
Nikki's passion for communication is rooted in the performing arts. A survivor of the New York City audition grind, her experience in various musicals and commercials led to a role in marketing Broadway and Off-Broadway shows. Prior to joining Fearey, Nikki led PR efforts for mission-driven clients in the clean energy tech space, the highlight of which was helping to lead the launch of a global climate coalition alongside a former U.S. Vice President.
Rochelle's analytical and technical mind has served executives in both the legal and business realms for years.
Since joining the Fearey team, her wide-ranging knowledge and expertise have empowered and multiplied the capacity of the team on a daily basis.
A Coloradan through and through, Rochelle is rarely indoors. Most weekends find her absorbing the sights and sounds of the Red Rock Amphitheatre, cruising down alpine slides in the Rocky Mountains, or hiking one of the state's 17,099 majestic trails. Those in possession of tips about the latest donut haunts are encouraged to get in touch.
Stephanie has been bringing her energy, critical thinking and innovative ideas to crisis, corporate and executive communications for 30 years. The Seattle native has extensive experience working with Fortune 50 brands, C-suite executives, technology companies and venture capitalists.
A majority of her career was spent in communications at The Boeing Company, and she remains an aviation enthusiast to this day. A storyteller and writer at heart, she brings to our Fearey team her skills in media relations, strategic messaging, reputation management and government affairs.
Stephanie enjoys cooking, gardening, paddle boarding, hiking with Rainier her Bernese Mountain Dog, and family time on Orcas Island in the San Juans.
Theresa is widely respected for her imaginative pairing of business goals with creative strategy and expression. She has successfully led brand design and marketing engagements for clients including Rachael Ray's Yum-o! brand, Microsoft, the University of Washington, Stanford University, Global Partnerships, WithinReach, Qualcomm Life, John Legend's Show Me Campaign and ParentMap.
At Fearey, Theresa's robust experience enables her to help clients develop deeper relationships with their customers through thoughtful design.
When not working, Theresa enjoys spending time with her three kids and rooting for the Seahawks.