Katy has spent her career helping organizations - large and small - that are taking bold steps to transform. She has successfully led teams through mergers and acquisitions, IPOs and spin-offs, reorganizations, executive transitions, crisis events, rebranding, and much more. She launched Audacia Strategies in 2015 to help organizations get more "bang for your buck" out of transformation - whether it is planned or unplanned. Having spent years as a client, she brings a practical, roll-up-her-sleeves approach to her engagements. She believes that relationships matter and credibility counts. When you work with Katy you can expect candor, collaboration, and laughter. Before launching Audacia Strategies, Katy served as Vice President of Investor Relations at Exelis, Inc., a leading global defense and aerospace company. Prior to Exelis, she held roles of increasing responsibility and leadership in Communications, Investor Relations and Business Development with technology, aerospace, and defense firms. Katy is an active member of the National Investor Relations Institute and was recently recognized as a member of NIRI's inaugural "40 Under 40" class. In her downtime, you may spot Katy enjoying time with her husband and twin daughters, running through the Nation's Capital, practicing yoga or Pilates, or planning her next travel adventure.

David is a U.S. Naval Academy graduate who spent 10 years as a Naval officer before transitioning to a 20+ year corporate career where he developed a strong reputation as an inspirational coach, trainer, and mentor. His career includes a variety of senior executive roles in Corporate Communications, but he later attained the position of President of a business division of a Fortune 25 company. He is the founder and CEO of Nineteen88 Strategies, which specializes in a wide range of management services, executive coaching, and leadership development for corporations, nonprofits, associations, small businesses, and highly motivated individuals and teams. David is married with three children and three grandchildren. He truly enjoys RV camping with his family, bass fishing, off-road Jeeping, mentoring young professionals, and meeting new people over many years during his travel to more than 50 countries.

Darlene is a marketing and communications content specialist with a talent (and love!) for internal communications and employee engagement. Before joining Audacia Strategies, she led Communications & Marketing for a private and corporate physical security firm. She leveraged her corporate communications expertise to increase employee engagement, reduce attrition, and successfully navigate multiple acquisitions for a diverse and geographically dispersed workforce. Previously, she served nearly 15-years at national and defense intelligence giants TASC and Northrop Grumman, where she held strategic communications, marketing communications, and brand management roles. She has developed numerous internal communications campaigns to support critical business events, including the spin-off of TASC as an independent company from Northrop Grumman, and Northrop Grumman IT’s OneSource ERP implementation– a complex business systems migration for 27,000 globally distributed employees. She also led the marketing program for The Falmouth Institute, a small consulting firm serving American Indian clients, where she developed and marketed training programs, conferences, and publications, and led seminars and conference panels. She studied business and marketing at Strayer University and became a certified parliamentarian to work closely with multiple tribal governments to implement effective meetings.

Nick Ciantra is a senior brand & communications professional with extensive global experience supporting internal and external communications and brand and marketing campaigns. He is skilled at managing complex multichannel/multi-language initiatives that inspire, excite and engage. His creative results-orientated approach has a proven track record of success, creating business value and ROI for his clients. Previously, he served as Vice President of Global Brand and Communications at Liberty Mutual Group, the 6th largest global property and causality insurer in the world, leading the company's 30+ person creative and brand teams. His responsibilities included managing Liberty's global brand/rebranding efforts and internal and external mar/com campaigns. His former roles include Director of Corporate Media at Ames Corporation and Associate Director of Marketing at MassMutual. He is presently a member of the Executive Board of Directors of Connecticut State College and University Foundation (CSCU). He earned his MBA in Marketing at Western New England University and a B.A. in Communications from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.

Sarah Deming is the Manager of Business Operations for Audacia Strategies, serving as the primary point of contact for all matters pertaining to the CEO, managing internal systems, and overseeing special projects. Sarah values creativity in all that she does and thrives on efficiency and organization. She strives to make every interaction- no matter how small- positive, friendly, and enjoyable. Sarah has honed her administrative skills over her career through roles such as Floral Specialist, Art Gallery Administrative Assistant, and Virtual Assistant. She is also a Visual Artist, actively showing and selling her mixed media artwork. Sarah holds a Bachelors of Fine Art from the Maryland Institute College of Art, and lives in Baltimore, MD with her husband and two young daughters. When she’s not working you will find her reading a good book, knitting, or outside working in the garden.

Symphony Dixon is an internal communications specialist, employee engagement expert, and brand-storytelling strategist with an impressive balance of in-house and agency experience. She has implemented successful campaigns for nonprofit, private, and federal clients. Before joining Audacia Strategies, Symphony led communications planning resulting in her previous company’s certification as a “Great Place to Work” and ranking as No. 14 on Forbes' 2023 “Best Workplaces in Retail” list. Her corporate reputation and rebranding expertise were evident in her pivotal role in reviving the Hair Cuttery Family of Brands' legacy post-bankruptcy, which helped the company earn a 2021 PRWeek Award for Employee Engagement. Previously, at FTI Consulting Inc., Symphony advised Fortune 500 clients, including Honda, DuPont, and 3M, facing complex public affairs challenges and mastered tailoring corporate messaging for key stakeholders. Symphony holds a bachelor's degree in Communication from the University of Maryland and a master's degree in Public Relations & Corporate Communications from Georgetown University.

Sarah Gershman is an executive speech coach and CEO of Green Room Speakers, a communications firm based in Washington, DC. Sarah is an adjunct professor of communications at the McDonough School of Business at Georgetown University and the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies, where she lectures regularly to students from around the world. She specializes in helping leaders deliver high-stakes and complex messages with clarity, authenticity, and conviction. Sarah coaches executives at organizations including Microsoft, General Dynamics, GDIT, Booz Allen, Lockheed Martin, Eli Lilly, Hertz, Brunswick, the Robin Hood Foundation, the Office of the Secretary of Defense, the US Department of Commerce, the US Department of Justice, and the US Department of Labor. Sarah combines more than 20 years of classroom teaching with a strong background in theater and the performing arts. Sarah has a Masters in Social Work from Columbia University and a Masters in Judaic Studies from the Jewish Theological Seminary. Sarah received the Wexner Graduate Fellowship and graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the Johns Hopkins University.

Natalie Homme is an accomplished professional services and operations executive with over twenty-five years of corporate and federal government contracting experience. As Chief Operating Officer, Natalie keeps the Audacia Strategies trains running on time and at peak performance. She leads operations for key client engagements, including managing our workflow processes, communications, tools, and best practices to ensure delivery against client objectives and monitoring performance to facilitate long-term success. Natalie has a proven track record of managing P&Ls, leading complex projects and diverse teams, and helping firms improve their business strategy and operations across all business functions. She has led 41 domestic and international M&A transactions, six start-ups, and multiple IPOsand corporate turnarounds. Natalie completed the Advanced Management Program (AMP) at Harvard Business School and earned a Certificate in Professional Development (CPD) in Leadership, Strategy, and Finance from the Wharton School of Business. She also graduated from the University of Paris IV, where she received her DEUG. Natalie is multi-lingual, speaking English, Spanish, and French, has served on the boards of numerous non-profit organizations, and is a recognized leader in the Hispanic community.

Paige is the founder and lead strategist of Kylee Social, where she focuses on social media content strategy and management, as well as influencer marketing campaign development for organizations and content creators. Paige is passionate about helping her clients develop and harness data-driven, integrated digital presences that drive organizational goals. Prior to founding Kylee Social, Paige worked with clients across a wide range of industry verticals at a Philadelphia-based PR agency. In 2018, she was recognized as a national PR Rising Star Under 30 by PR News. Paige is a proud graduate of Temple University in Philadelphia, PA where she studied Strategic Communications with a concentration in Public Relations. Outside of the office, Paige enjoys perfecting her favorite recipes and regularly attending concerts both big and small. Originally from South Central Pennsylvania but an explorer at heart, you can likely find her planning her next trip abroad.

Robin helps companies and organizations compete for new opportunities, develop effective marketing and business development strategies, and build strong and resilient customer relationships. Robin brings to the table over 20 years of experience in proposal strategy, market and competitive analysis, and business development operations. She has led Voice of the Customer and Voice of the Employee studies in classified and unclassified environments for a wide range of clients from large aerospace firms to small businesses and nonprofits. In her downtime you may spot Robin biking through town, watching her sons’ many basketball games, or volunteering as a master gardener for Montgomery County and a food runner for Manna. Robin earned her bachelor’s degree in English and Economics at the University of Virginia, and she is a candidate for a Masters in Sustainable Urban Planning at George Washington University.

Rocky has nearly two decades of experience in the communications profession. Having written for CEOs of publicly traded companies, Army Generals, executives at trade associations, college administrators, and even a former President of the United States, Rocky understands how to work with a variety of leaders to deliver impactful communications products that meet the needs of his clients and their respective stakeholders. Most recently, Rocky was the chief communications officer for a publicly-traded consumer products company specializing in outdoor recreation gear. Prior to that, Rocky worked as a corporate communications and public relations professional for a Fortune 500 Aerospace and Defense company. He was also the chief speechwriter for the president of the country's leading property insurance association, a member of the strategic communications team for a joint military organization, and was honored to serve as the director of Presidential Writers in the Correspondence Office at The White House. Prior to moving to the Washington, D.C. area, Rocky was a reporter for his hometown newspaper. Rocky is originally from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and holds a Master's degree in Corporate Communications and a Bachelor's degree in Journalism, both from Duquesne University. He currently lives in Arlington, Virginia with his wife and son.

Sharon Menzies is a senior, global Marketing & Communications professional with extensive international experience. Sharon works with clients from around the world, leading a broad range of marketing, brand and communications initiatives. She has led multi-market communications strategy development, large-scale change management and transformation communications projects, and has a passion for building new communications functions to support employee retention, business growth and industry profile objectives. Previously Sharon served with American Express in London, New York and Sydney where she held senior positions in internal and external communications strategy and execution. She has led national, regional and global teams across every major market. Sharon has been recognized for communications strategy design by the Corporate Executive Board (now Gartner), Washington, D.C., and received multiple awards for outstanding communications programs by American Express Company leadership. Sharon is a Member of the Chartered Institute of Marketing, United Kingdom.

Aleks is an Associate Consultant with Audacia Strategies, focusing on ensuring our clients receive top-notch work. He has a history of both internally and externally advising companies on M&A activity, product development, voice of customer, and market landscape research. He is driven by using research to find unique solutions to life's problems, big and small. He says his most significant achievements are bringing data and insights together to disprove long-held misconceptions. He strongly believes in constantly improving in his personal and professional life, getting hands-on experience, and focusing on the details in everything he does. His past areas of focus include the ongoing energy transition, automotive and capital equipment markets, and building materials. Outside the office, you’ll find him with a spatula next to the grill, working on his ever-growing list of projects, or outdoors on another adventure.

B.J. Talley is a strategic partner at Audacia Strategies, and Founder and President of Gladius, a strategic communications consultancy specializing in stakeholder engagement, change management, and coaching/team development. Before founding Gladius, he was the Head of Global Communications for TE Connectivity, a $14 billion industrial technology company with 80,000 employees, and customers in more than 140 countries, where he led TE’s worldwide internal and external communications functions. Prior to TE, he served as Director of Corporate Communications for Exelis, a leading publicly traded aerospace company, and guided the company’s communications during its spinoff from ITT Corporation and its ultimate merger with Harris Corporation. He was also previously the General Manager of Marketing and Communications for Maersk Line, Limited; a subsidiary of the A.P. Moller-Maersk Group, spent time as a strategic communications consultant with Booz Allen Hamilton, and served as a civilian public affairs officer with the U.S. Navy’s Military Sealift Command. B.J. is passionate about empowering the next generation of communications leaders and served as a visiting professor at American University in Washington, D.C. He holds an undergraduate degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a graduate degree from George Mason University.