MEET JEN.
Founder of The Press Retriever. A Dallas-based PR, brand, and integrated communications consultancy. But that’s the LinkedIn version.
What she actually does is figure it out — the calm in the chaos, the one who turns “this is a mess” into “this is magic.” Almost twenty years in, she’s pretty good at it.
You want vision? She’ll bring it. You want someone who’ll roll up her sleeves and ship the deck herself at midnight? Also her. (It’s a rare combo — maybe she’s been told that a time or two.) You want a solo principal who picks up the phone? That’s the model. You want a bench of long-time partners and collaborators when the work calls for it? They’re a call away.
When she’s embedded with a team — as an extension of brand, agency, or nonprofit staff — she runs differently. Connective tissue, not command-and-control. She makes people feel seen. Connects the right humans to the right resources. Drives operational efficiency without flattening anyone’s creativity. Communications that run like a newsroom, not a game of telephone. And somehow makes the work joyful — even when the mission is hard. And here’s the part most agencies forget: she has fun. Strategy meetings should produce laughter, not just slide decks. The work is serious. The energy doesn’t have to be. Life’s too short.
THE RECEIPTS
Twelve years as head of PR and events at Robinsons-May and Meier & Frank. She built the West Coast PR function and Studio Services business from the ground up. Negotiated sponsorship deals with the sports teams, including the Portland Trail Blazers, the LA Lakers, and the Utah Jazz. Produced parades. Lit up Santaland. Hosted Breakfast with Santa. Partnered with most zoos and museums on the West Coast plus the Revlon Run/Walk for Women, Race for the Cure, and a long list of causes beyond. Personal appearances for Beyoncé, Tommy Hilfiger, and Oscar de la Renta, to name a few.
Neiman Marcus came next — highly cultivated fashion moments and personal appearances with Christian Louboutin, Manolo Blahnik, and Stella McCartney.
Then The Richards Group, agency-side in Dallas — Zales, Michaels, and Texas Back Institute on The Today Show, in the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, and People.
Four years in Milwaukee at Cramer-Krasselt. Kohl’s anchored the portfolio — the J.Lo brand launch, consumer campaigns, and Kohl’s Cares for Kids philanthropic programming, including sponsorships with Susan G. Komen and the American Cancer Society’s More Birthdays campaign. Plus strategic counsel for Macy’s, Time Warner Cable, and rotating support across the agency’s deeper roster (glue, DIY tools, you name it). Dallas eventually won out.
Working as Chief Inspiration Officer at On-Air Media, Jen launched podcasts and vodcasts, coaching hosts and guests on on-camera presence. Plus nearly two decades as a TV spokesperson across markets nationwide, which means she knows what producers want — she’s been on the other side of the camera.
THE TPR YEARS
The Press Retriever has been home base through all of it. The roster reads like a mall directory: Macy’s. Kohl’s. James Avery. McDonald’s. Jamba Juice. Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen. Caliber Collision. Lucchese. Scout & Cellar. Springfree Trampoline. Make-A-Wish. The Family Place. The Dallas Cowboys partnership for Caliber Collision. Brand work that shaped consumer favorites later acquired by Darden (Cheddar’s) and Focus Brands (Jamba Juice). Multiple website rebuilds across nonprofit and consumer environments — Sitefinity-to-WordPress migrations on compressed timelines, analytics built in from the foundation, not bolted on after.
THE FAMILY PLACE CHAPTER (2023–2026)
Interim CMO. Then Managing Director of Brand and Strategy. A three-year brand and digital transformation — scrappy by design, with a lean team punching above its weight. She led creative and communications across The Family Place’s three signature programs — Partners Card, two record-breaking and award-winning years of ReuNight, and the final Texas Trailblazer Awards (which she conceived and named). Mood boards, concepts, collateral, sponsorship materials, donor communications across direct mail, email, SMS, and social. Plus events programming, CEO communications, and donor CRM management. In parallel: a full website redesign and rebuild, a brand refresh of the legacy mark and new brand guidelines, two AI agents in production (“Cardie” and “Emme”), and modernized PR, internal comms, and influencer engagement. More than 90 million earned media impressions across the portfolio — every win shared with the team that made it possible.
“She is the spark that keeps a team grounded, motivated, and even joyful. She has an extraordinary ability to uplift others and lighten the load simply through her presence. An empathetic leader who drives results while leaving everyone better for having worked alongside her.”
BOARD & COMMUNITY
More than a decade of board and nonprofit leadership across education, health, and community impact — including a district-wide 501(c)(3), school communications boards, and organizations supporting causes from breast cancer research to animal rescue. The through-line: trust, culture, and community engagement aren’t soft. They drive long-term impact, and they fund growth.
OFF THE CLOCK
George Fox University grad. Management and Business Information Systems. Dallas-based. Wife to one. Mom to twin sons Cole and Jaxon (Class of 2026). Chief of staff to the current Press Retrievers in residence, Duke and Shadow — successors to the OGs, Barley and Hops.
The home team. (Duke and Shadow not pictured — probably napping.)