Rafiat Animashaun
Account Executive
Rafi is interested in meaningful diversity and inclusion in the PR industry and beyond. Outside of the office, you can either find her in the gym or making the stories in her head come to life in her TV scripts.
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Jo Ann Antoine
Art Director
Jo Ann uses her creativity to develop powerful visuals for social and behavioral health. In her spare time, she loves to travel and tell stories of her adventures through photography.
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Crystal Borde
Vice President
When she is not taking too many photos or feeding her brain’s pop culture encyclopedia, Crystal brings more than 12 years of strategic communications expertise to organizations engaging diverse communities.
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Catie Carreras
Editorial Manager
With a background in journalism, Catie is passionate about using the power of storytelling to educate and inform the public about important social issues. When she’s not taking photos, you can find her watching videos of penguins or immersed in The Washington Post.
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LeAnne DeFrancesco
Vice President
LeAnne is a wiz with words and loves putting them together with thoughtful designs as part of her work leading Vanguard’s Design + Editorial team. Her passions lie in lifting up communities through the arts, literacy and education, and helping children and youth see and pursue their potential.
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Carolyn Fearing
Director
Carolyn has been working in social marketing and communications for 18 years. She is passionate about healthy living and health equity. After hours, she likes gardening, interior design, and long family walks with the dog.
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Brenda Foster
Senior Vice President
Brenda has devoted her career to supporting nonprofit organizations as they work to call our attention to society’s needs, social injustices and opportunities for inclusive communities. This multifaceted strategist thrives at the intersection of awareness, advocacy and action, and has applied her expertise to change how people think and feel about issues that affect us.
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Tomás J. Harmon
Account Manager
Tomas is a self-described “video evangelist,” and helps clients incorporate more visual storytelling in their work by embracing the power of video. A former multimedia journalist, in his free time Tomas can still be found capturing videos and pictures on his iPhone (mostly of his dog, Mason).
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Faith James
Account Manager
Faith is a member of the digital media team with a passion for storytelling as a vessel for social change. She enjoys spending time with loved ones and finding the humor in life.
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Hannah Rothman
Account Executive
Hannah is passionate about public health and social equity. In her free time, she enjoys listening to podcasts and going to theater productions.
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Irene Serrano
Account Executive
Irene is a recent graduate from American University slowly but surely diving into the PR world. With a strong passion for story-telling, she enjoys writing about personalities that make her Latin culture proud.
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Lisa Swanberg
Senior Vice President
Creating and improving information dissemination to the public has been the core of Lisa’s health communications work for nearly 30 years. She is passionate about getting the right information into the hands of people when they need it most.
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Brittany Vanderpool, MPS
Account Supervisor
Brittany is Vanguard’s events guru and a member of the digital team. When she’s not frolicking at sporting events in DC, she can be found out exploring local trails throughout Maryland with her beagle, traveling with friends or binge watching Disney+.
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Anna Verhanovitz
Communications Associate
With a background in engineering, Anna uses her systematic mind to connect the dots within the public health and PR industry and is currently pursuing a Master’s in Public Health. In her free time, you can find her on the soccer field with friends or cheering on the Washington Capitals.
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Shannon Walsh, MBA
Account Supervisor
Shannon is a relationship connector who bridges the gap between different sectors to maximize social impact and influence behaviors.  She loves spending time in nature and reading historical biographies.
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