The Team

Lisa Bigazzi Tilt

Ask Lisa a question and she’ll give you the straight skinny. After 25 years in marketing communications, and more than a decade as the president of this marketing consultancy, she understands firsthand how successful organizations run. She brings that perspective, keen insight and honest counsel to the development of strategic platforms and programs that build the bottom line for clients of Full Tilt.

Lisa’s professional path has been paved with important moments created for big brands, famous people, and institutional icons. She’s been a part of changing the Atlanta skyline, launching industry disruptors; gaining national attention for breweries, bowl games and burritos; and convincing Southerners that Cirque du Soleil is entertaining even without elephants. She puts that same energy into counseling small- and medium-sized businesses who have vision and heart. For her work, Lisa has received more than 25 industry awards from leading professional organizations, including Best in Show honors.

Clients describe Lisa as a force of nature who brings clarity to business challenges and can access any audience in meaningful, relevant ways. As Full Tilt’s guidestar, her role is to uphold the highest standards for our work while building and preserving the culture of our firm. She propels businesses forward by shaping their strategies and stories and executing results-driven programs with nimble, highly-skilled teams.

Through extensive civic and nonprofit involvement and volunteerism, Lisa lends her time and talent to organizations and causes in which she is fully invested. She often speaks to executive groups and civic organizations on topics including executive branding, reputation building, marketing as a business strategy, email marketing and social media.

Favorite Marketing/Communications Challenge: Lisa loves discovering ways Full Tilt can contribute to a company as a revenue generator or cost-saving center. Whether helping a sales team increase qualified leads and close business, aiding HR to reduce employee turnover, or increasing company valuation through brand awareness, Lisa enjoys showing clients how smart marketing makes a difference.

Personal Brand: A serial problem-solver who cares deeply about the outcomes.

Can Often Be Found: At any number of coffee shops around Atlanta seeking collaboration, interesting conversation and lots of caffeine. Her heart and soul belong to both her family and Full Tilt, so she (almost) always makes it home for dinner and is often at the volleyball court or in the theatre cheering on her daughters.

Learn more about Lisa’s professional experience and nonprofit board involvement on LinkedIn

Nancy Broe, APR

As head of brand strategy, Nancy brings a deep and broad skillset in marketing communications built over decades. Her knowledge and experience bring context and perspective to the counsel she provides clients.

A child of Watergate era Washington who always had her nose in a book, Nancy first studied journalism and literature, grounding herself in respect for the role of a free press and a love of great storytelling. Decades later, these core passions continue to inspire– especially in her media relations and content creation work for clients.  

A self-taught advertising copywriter enamored of the Ogilvy approach to intelligent, benefits-focused content, she won writing roles in national corporate offices, agencies, and as head of her own consultancy. Her copy has sold everything from insurance policies to mausoleum burial plots to industrial IoT telecommunications networks.

Since 2008, Nancy has focused on helping B2B clients – from divisions of global corporations to the tiniest startups — particularly those in emerging or rapidly evolving markets including smart grid, internet of things and digital transformation.

An analytic thinker and strategist, Nancy developed a passion for brand positioning and messaging work – combined with fully integrated PR and marketing strategies – after seeing their impact for clients. Over the years, she has helped shape the language of whole new markets, framing the lens through which clients’ offerings are understood — and accelerating their adoption.

Before joining Full Tilt, Nancy rose to VP at the energy and utility industry’s leading marketing agency, serving vendors of electric utility infrastructure and software, industrial automation equipment, enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems, asset planning services, wireless communications hardware and software, microgrid systems, geospatial information systems (GIS), automated vehicle location (AVL) software, digital enterprise solutions, solar power systems, renewable energy and sustainability consulting, and more.

Favorite Marketing/Communications Challenge: She loves “the tough stuff” – complex industries, historic innovation, and emerging market work – and strives to serve clients with humility and humor.

Personal Brand: Spotting the opportunity for change and daring to build belief in it.

Can Often Be Found: Walking her dog while listening to audio novels or binging on makeover TV shows and House Hunters International

Learn more about Nancy’s professional experience and interests on LinkedIn.

Steve Reeder

A self-described nerd, Steve is passionate about leveraging digital tools in meaningful and relevant ways to build brands that resonate with both customers and clients.  He strongly believes that today’s companies need to work harder at earning customers, providing relevant content when and where they want it. To deliver, companies need a robust martech stack and a broad understanding of the evolving digital playground.

Steve’s blend of agency and client-side experience includes development of digital roadmaps and traditional marcom strategies for diverse brands including Carestream Dental, Triatek, Maxxis Tires, USFilter, Wheelabrator Group and others.  While a holistic strategy encompasses the entire marketer toolkit, Steve is tremendously excited about the possibilities that digital offers, from tracking and reporting to lead gen to advocacy.  His drive to reach customers digitally in fresh ways that best leverage relevant data creates more compelling brand experiences that drive bottom-line results.

Favorite Marketing / Communications Challenge:  Steve finds tremendous satisfaction in achieving greater results for brands that have embraced digital marketing. He also gets especially excited about strategizing with brands at the beginning of their digital journey, ready to explore what’s next.

Personal Brand:  The solution finder, who investigates all aspects of a challenge, identifies the best way forward and fits all the pieces together. 

Can Often Be Found:  Doing homework with his children or enjoying cookouts with family on his back deck.

Learn more about Steve’s professional interests and experience on LinkedIn.

Jim Taylor

Jim Taylor is a senior strategic communications and public relations professional with more than 20 years of experience generating outstanding results for clients in a variety of industries. In both agency and corporate settings, he has successfully developed, managed and implemented communications strategies while measuring results across traditional, social and digital media.

Prior to his leadership roles with PR firms in Birmingham and Atlanta, Jim led media relations for Piedmont Healthcare community health system and served as public relations manager for Six Flags theme parks in Atlanta and Chicago.

Jim’s award-winning work has secured his clients placements in the New York Times, Chicago Tribune, Los Angeles Times, USA Today, the Times of London and hundreds of consumer and trade publications in the United States and beyond. As a spokesperson, he has appeared on the Today Show, MSNBC, Fox and Friends, and local market television shows and radio programs across the country.

Jim earned a B.A. in mass communications with a specialization in public relations and a minor in French from the University of Alabama at Birmingham. He is an active volunteer with the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) and serves on the board of BA Hero, an advocacy organization for families and communities affected by biliary atresia.

Favorite Marketing/Communications Challenge: Working with interesting people and new ideas to tell stories that make news.

Personal Brand: An investigator/advocate who believes that the right communication can solve almost any problem.

Can Often Be Found: Traveling and spending as much time as possible with his family. In his leisure time, he pursues his love of human languages, seeking every opportunity to practice French, Spanish, Hindi and Gujarati.

Learn more about Jim’s professional experience and interests on LinkedIn.

Kami Kotas

Barrie Cohn

It isn’t often that client and agency-side experience come together in one dynamic package, but that’s precisely what Barrie delivers. Her brand experience ranges from burgers to banking to basketball—with education, insurance and real estate rounding out her diverse client roster. Through her rebranding work to integrate marketing efforts and her keen eye for detail, Barrie helps clients understand how each communications element – big or small – can serve as a valuable marketing tool. She has revamped websites for mid-sized to large companies, served as ghost writer for company leaders and board presidents, and created vital crisis management playbooks and communications guidelines adopted by national and international organizations.

For more than 25 years, she’s adeptly built and managed successful client and team relationships, approaching them all with buoyancy, acuity and creative expertise. Barrie is skilled at versatility and is as comfortable partnering with local franchise owners as she is with C-suite executives.  Some might say that facilitating cross-stakeholder collaboration is her superpower. An intuitive listener and enthusiastic negotiator, Barrie believes that working together is where the magic happens.

Favorite Marketing/Communications Challenge: Barrie loves cracking the code – getting to the heart of her client challenges while finding the most precise and productive solutions.

Personal Brand: A passionate team player who knows exactly when to infuse any situation with just the right amount of levity.

Can Often Be Found: Listening to Broadway or any ‘80s music or quoting a movie, “Friends” or “Seinfeld.” After work, she lives at the softball field or school theater with her daughter and discusses politics and current events with her law school-bound son.

Learn more about Barrie’s professional endeavors on LinkedIn.

Jason Fornicola

Jason Fornicola is a senior communications and marketing professional with 20 years of experience across multiple industries. He is director of communications in Full Tilt’s internal communications and employer branding practice, where he provides clients with strategic guidance to drive effective employee communications.

Prior to joining Full Tilt, he served as the director of communications for the City of Sandy Springs, Ga. where he led the city’s internal and external communications and marketing efforts. His communications experience also includes serving as the director of custom media for WTOP News and Federal News Network, both in Washington, D.C., where he managed the stations’ sponsored and custom content initiatives.

Jason’s innovative and strategic communications style maximizes opportunities for clients and solves their challenges through a thoughtfully curated multi-platform approach. His marketing expertise encompasses on-air, online, digital, video and social media, as well as in-person and virtual events. He has successfully executed communications and marketing campaigns for top brands including Microsoft, AT&T, PayPal, CVS, Amazon Web Services and many more. He is adept at program management and delivering high-quality communications and messaging that surpass client expectations.

Jason earned a B.A. in Broadcast Journalism from the Pennsylvania State University.

Favorite Marketing/Communications Challenge: Finding the right message, platform and frequency to connect clients with their intended audiences.

Personal Brand: A curious news consumer who is motivated to deliver results for clients.

Can Often Be Found: Spending time with family or running laps around the local high school track.

Learn more about Jason’s professional interests on LinkedIn.

Micki Velmer

Micki’s professional background in the world of sports and live entertainment ignited her passion for developing high-performing teams and pursuing operational excellence in small-to-midsized businesses and start-ups. She has a keen ability to see the big picture and understand how to operationalize the way forward to achieve vision and mission while addressing any challenges that arise with creativity and finesse.  Where there is a will, Micki will find the way.

Since 2003, she has focused on optimizing processes to deliver marketing programs quickly and effectively to better serve clients. She’s worked with A-listers of all sorts,  most notably Santa, himself! (Yes, she really does know him.) From debuting tech at national auto shows to launching brand experiences at premier sporting events across the U.S., her experience spans B2B and B2C brands across automotive, CPG, financial services, industrial supply and sports and entertainment industries, as well as D2C tech.

Behind the scenes, Micki keeps the Full Tilt team functioning effectively and efficiently. She has notable experience in performance management, strategic human resource planning, professional development, business operations, forecasting, P&L, resource optimization, event logistics, experience design, brand partnerships and contract negotiation.

She currently serves as Technology Chair for Women in Sports Events (WISE) Atlanta. She lives in Dunwoody with her husband, sons and dog.

Favorite Marketing/Communications Challenge: Spotting an opportunity for optimization and charting the course for successful implementation.

Personal Brand: The make-it-happen puzzle sleuth.

Can Often Be Found: Drinking coffee on a sunny porch, rearranging furniture for the umpteenth time, or kayaking with her family down one of North Georgia’s rivers.

Connect and keep up with Micki’s professional interests on LinkedIn.

Emily Arthur Armantrout

An information junkie, Emily dives deep into current events, keeping the complex industries and the Full Tilt accounts she supports in mind as she analyzes dozens of daily newsletters in her inbox. Emily synthesizes the data she gathers into easily digestible formats for clients and coworkers alike, identifying trends and best practices along the way.

Despite a deluge of information and an evolving social media landscape, Emily balances traditional tactics with up-to-the-minute experimentation for clients and for the team, including operationalizing Full Tilt’s internship program.  With experience in nonprofit and retail management, she brings a diverse outside perspective to marketing, communications and public relations as she pursues additional professional certifications in addition to her current Sprout Agency Partner and Hootsuite Social Media Marketing credentials.

Emily cares deeply about her community, from her own backyard to nationwide causes, supporting To Write Love on Her Arms, WABE Atlanta, NPR, and the Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society. Because Full Tilt’s culture focuses on integrity, empowering others and caring deeply in all things, it’s an ideal fit for Emily’s commitment to excellence in both her professional and personal life.

Favorite Marketing/Communications Challenge: Emily enjoys immersing herself in a project, becoming a temporary subject matter expert for a given task. She’s most adept at behind-the-scenes support work to help her teammates shine.

Personal Brand: An intuitive and curious collaborator who takes the trivial out of trivia.

Can Often Be Found: Recharging her battery with a beloved book and oversized mug of tea—Twining’s Irish Breakfast Blend, please.

Learn more about Emily’s professional experience on LinkedIn.

Maggie Benway

Will Popiel

With a passion for both analog and digital art forms, William Popiel contributes a creative perspective to Full Tilt’s Social and PR teams. Brainstorming outside-the-box solutions to everyday problems is just part of what Will does best, as his broad skill set and knowledge of today’s platforms materialize these solutions into practice, with excellent results.

In just a year of agency experience, Will has secured media placements for nationally and internationally-known clients such as Mizuno, RaceTrac and Tire Rack. In addition, he has successfully helped manage and grow the online presence for brands such as BorgWarner, Penguin Dry Ice, SolMicroGrid and SkillPointe.

Prior to joining Full Tilt, Will earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Cincinnati. There, he also honed his skills in graphic design, audio engineering and video production while participating in Cincinnati’s local music scene performing in multiple bands.

Favorite Marketing/Communications Challenge: Crafting visual content to ensure a brand’s story captures the imagination.

Personal Brand: A perpetual optimist who approaches even the toughest of obstacles with positivity.

Can Often Be Found: Playing guitar at a local club, recording music in his home studio or out-and-about town shooting a roll of film.

Learn more about Will’s professional experience and interests on LinkedIn.

Taylor Patterson

Berry Brady

After more than 25 years of working in media relations, Berry understands what makes a story worth telling. While working with editors and producers on a daily basis may not be everyone’s cup of tea, Berry enjoys picking up the phone to talk with all manner of professional in media. And because she understands how they work and what they need, they’re happy to take her call. Whether it’s national, international or local outlets, Berry balances client message with journalist need, facilitating stories that result in on-target placements.

Berry’s career started in Washington D.C. working at both the CBS and NBC affiliates. There she earned her advanced degree in creating news stories and learned the nuts and bolts of what is considered news. One of her favorite projects was working on the 20^th Anniversary of the AIDS Quilt. This two-week project enabled her to work with reporters from all over the world, helping them put their stories together in a once-in-a-lifetime package that was a true labor of love.

In addition to Berry’s pitching perseverance, Full Tilt clients appreciate her calm demeanor under deadline pressure and ability to rapidly synthesize facts into a cohesive story. She is proficient at finding the right reporter or producer to fit the story, as this is not a “one size fits all” business.

Favorite Marketing/Communications Challenge: Finding the right message that will fulfill both the client’s need and that of the media. Berry enjoys drilling down to find the news “nugget” that turns a story into news.

Personal Brand: The media insider who knows which story, where it goes and when it has most impact.

Can Often Be Found: At the gym! Berry loves working up a sweat whether lifting weights, walking or doing a downward dog in yoga. Berry is the mother of two young adults, and being their mom is her favorite role in life.

Learn more about Berry’s professional experience on LinkedIn.

Dalia Baseman Faupel

No matter the business challenge or opportunity, Dalia’s focus is the message.

Over a decades-spanning career in public relations, internal communications, journalism and content development, she has leveraged her love of words and their usage to achieve powerful results on behalf of numerous brands and organizations.

For international public relations firms, Fortune 500s and small businesses, she has crafted external and internal content in the form of web copy, articles, presentations and digital and print publications. Dalia’s background informs a strategic, audience-focused approach to message development that creates compelling, engaging interactions.

She has won awards for outstanding work, including industry recognition for press kit development, editorial magazine content and direct marketing materials. Clients and partners appreciate Dalia’s ability to clarify complex concepts as well as her attention to detail and expertise in channeling a brand’s personality and voice. As an editor, she makes the best better, elevating and polishing material to ensure it resonates with intended audiences.

Favorite Marketing/Communications Challenge: Dalia enjoys the challenge of helping organizations tell the story that seems too complicated for anyone to “get.” She also thrives on building editorial infrastructure, thoughtfully piecing together the communications puzzle to reach desired audiences when and how they’ll be most receptive.

Personal Brand: The imaginative wordsmith behind messages that matter.

Can often be found: Exploring hiking trails around metro Atlanta with her adventurous rescue dog, traveling to new cities and photographing favorite places and people, especially her family. She loves to be in the audience at her children’s respective rock band, school band, and choral performances. Usually, she’s singing along.

Learn more about Dalia’s professional experience on LinkedIn.

Kelly Puckett Frommer

Kelly’s brand stories move audiences to action. For more than 20 years, she has crafted compelling communication strategy and content that engages internal audiences and customers to drive business results. Through her work with international companies headquartered in Atlanta and mid- and large-sized hometown favorites, Kelly has helped employees understand their benefits without boring them, led a food press tour of New Orleans to celebrate a restaurant company’s anniversary and counseled senior management teams to successfully communicate acquisitions and divestitures.

Kelly enjoys learning new industries and working with clients to make a complex business issue understandable to the workforce and client base, and to reporters when appropriate. Colleagues note that she is comfortable collaborating with both C-suite leaders and front-line team members to achieve corporate goals and foster communication both up and down the organizational ladder.

She frequently partners with HR leaders to build programs to improve employee engagement and address union issues. At Full Tilt, she guides communication strategy and content development for a variety of clients and industries.

Sharing her time and marketing skills with nonprofit organizations and industry associations is important to Kelly, and she serves on the social media and comms committees for local organizations. She also co-leads a Girl Scout troop, which requires many different types of engagement and conversing!

Favorite Marketing/Communications Challenge: She loves understanding business needs and helping leaders create and tell a good story to build brands, attract customers, inspire employees and manage change.

 Personal Brand: A cheerful diplomat who helps all corporate citizens communicate better.

Can Often Be Found: Enjoying baseball, basketball and volleyball games at a North Fulton park or playing with her Goldendoodle. She’s a pro at working wherever makes sense, whether that’s a coffee shop, parking lot or library while family members practice their particular sport.

 Learn more about Kelly’s professional experience and interests on LinkedIn.

Amber Center

Sydney Horwitz

With a passion for problem solving and a host of creative talents, Sydney Horwitz is a valuable collaborator on the marketing teams of Full Tilt Consulting.

Sydney earned her bachelor’s degree in political science and communication studies from the University of Georgia and is excited to apply her knowledge to solving client marketing challenges. Her previous experience includes serving as a communications intern for the ACLU of Georgia, and as a finance intern for the Warnock for Georgia campaign.

In these roles, she developed content to further each organization’s messages, created outreach communications to garner support, and met strict deadlines while juggling numerous tasks.

Favorite Marketing/Communications Challenge: Creating a messaging platforms that will resonate along with bettering the lives of others

Personal Brand: An outside-the-box creative and writer who tackles each problem from all angles.

Can Often be Found: Completing a NY Times crossword puzzle or discovering new alternative music, makeup, or clothing.

You can read more about Sydney’s professional journey on LinkedIn.