https://mailchi.mp/c1250efaee91/cooksey-taps-vice-president-mary-kate-jeffries-to-lead-agencys-distinguished-real-estate-and-development-practice
DALLAS – Oct. 31, 2022 –
North Texas-based strategic communications firm Cooksey Communications today promoted Mary Kate Jeffries, most recently a vice president and account manager at the agency, to lead its distinguished Real Estate & Development Practice. Jeffries will draw on over two decades of experience at top-tier PR agencies and well-known hospitality management companies to advise Cooksey’s commercial real estate, residential real estate and economic development clients on their PR and marketing programs and to guide the practice group’s overall operations.
“Mary Kate possesses an in-depth understanding of the brand positioning needs of leading real estate firms, and she has crafted prominent economic development groups’ high-impact PR and marketing campaigns since joining our firm two years ago,” said Colby Walton, chairman and CEO of Cooksey Communications. “Our clients trust her implicitly for clear, confident strategic communications guidance and support.”
“As do our Real Estate & Development clients, the Cooksey team benefits from and greatly appreciates her thoughtful leadership,” said Jason Meyer, agency president and co-owner. “In this new practice oversight role, Mary Kate will ensure Cooksey stays at the forefront of communications best practices and continues serving the industry leaders who are directly responsible for driving the region’s dynamic growth.”
At Cooksey, Jeffries currently leads or co-leads a number of key accounts including the agency’s award-winning work with the Anna Economic Development Corporation; City of Richardson and Richardson Economic Development Partnership; Credit Union of Texas; HistoryMaker Homes; Harrison, Walker & Harper, LLC (HWH 1887); Irving Economic Development Partnership and The Real Estate Council (TREC).
Jeffries is actively involved in the North Texas Community, serving on the East Dallas Boys & Girls Club Advisory Board and as a volunteer for the Dallas Arboretum & Botanical Garden PR & Advertising Committee. She is also a member of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA), a 2022-23 board candidate for PRSA’s Dallas chapter, a sustainer member of the Junior League of Dallas and a past board member of the Dallas Historical Society. She also recently graduated from the T. Boone Pickens Leadership Institute. Jeffries received her bachelor’s degree in public relations and her master’s degree in journalism from Boston University.
“I’m excited to assume my new role and help further Cooksey’s longtime expertise in serving the real estate and development industries, particularly at a time when our region is booming with activity and opportunity in both sectors,” said Jeffries. “I look forward to continuing to work alongside our growing team as we showcase our clients’ successes and support them as thought leaders in their industries.”
With today’s announcement, Cooksey has now named three distinguished, experienced North Texas communicators to head up its three primary, industry-focused practice groups:
• Kelly Morris, leading Cooksey’s Professional Services Practice,
• Tom Bryson, leading Cooksey’s Public Sector Practice, and
• Jeffries, leading the Real Estate & Development Practice.
For more information about Cooksey’s robust PR and marketing experience in these and other related industry sectors, please visit the Clients and Sectors pages of the Cooksey website.
About Cooksey Communications
Founded in 1994, Cooksey Communications is a Texas-based strategic communications firm specializing in three core focus areas: (1) Professional Services clients such as law firms, financial services firms, A/E/C (architecture/engineering/construction) firms, and other B2B and B2G service providers; (2) Public Sector clients including governmental entities and educational institutions, as well as planning and advocacy groups dealing with critical infrastructure issues such as transportation, water supply, flooding and energy; and (3) Real Estate & Development clients such as commercial and residential real estate firms and economic development agencies. Cooksey repeatedly has been named one of the top PR firms in North Texas by the Dallas Business Journal, and its team members are trusted counselors to senior executives in the industry sectors listed above. For more information, visit www.CookseyPR.com.
https://mailchi.mp/c80a21abef7d/cooksey-adds-promotes-team-members-to-support-client-needs-8683713
DALLAS – Oct. 11, 2022 –
North Texas-based strategic communications firm Cooksey Communications today added Kelly Morris to its team as Professional Services Practice leader. Morris will use nearly two decades of public relations, marketing and journalistic storytelling experience to advise Cooksey’s professional services clients on PR, marketing and community engagement programs and to guide the practice group’s overall, purposeful growth.
“Kelly’s deep knowledge of the North Texas civic and business community, coupled with her advanced communications skills, makes her the perfect fit to lead our distinguished Professional Services Practice,” said Colby Walton, chairman and CEO of Cooksey Communications. “After helping the Dallas Regional Chamber and well-known clients headquartered in DFW, she has the connections, savvy and client-service mindset to lead high-impact PR and marketing initiatives for the ‘best of the best’ in the regional professional services sector.”
Morris, a DFW native and Texas Christian University (TCU) journalism graduate, most recently served as vice president of communications at the Dallas Regional Chamber (DRC), where she oversaw multiple newsletters and developed editorial content around its four strategic pillars: economic development, education and workforce, inclusion and community engagement, and public policy.
Prior to joining the DRC, she was part of the communications team at Ursuline Academy of Dallas and then worked at another full-service PR agency in Dallas, where her clients included engineering giant AECOM and Capital One. Morris began her career as a sports reporter, with stints at the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Shreveport Times and Times-Picayune (New Orleans) covering numerous sports.
Morris is actively involved in the community. She is a longtime participant in Big Brothers Big Sisters’ Mentor 2.0 Program, a transformative one-to-one support system for low-income high school students and also volunteers for Rainbow Days, a Dallas-based nonprofit that helps youth in adversity build coping skills to create a positive future. She is a member of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) Dallas chapter.
“I join Cooksey Communications at the best time,” Morris said. “I’ll guide the growth of the Professional Services group while also collaborating closely with senior-level colleagues who are growing the agency’s two other core, industry focus areas: the Public Sector Practice and the Real Estate & Development Practice.”
Cooksey’s Professional Services Practice serves sophisticated financial and professional services firms that are leaders in their respective areas, including law firms, banks and credit unions, private equity firms, architecture/engineering/construction firms, and other prestigious B2B and B2G service providers.
Earlier this summer, Cooksey announced the addition of Tom Bryson, who draws on nearly four decades of journalism and municipal communications experience, to lead its dynamic Public Sector Practice. Cooksey plans to announce the leader of its Real Estate & Development Practice later this fall.
About Cooksey Communications
Founded in 1994, Cooksey Communications is a Texas-based strategic communications firm specializing in three core focus areas: (1) Professional Services clients such as law firms, financial services firms, A/E/C (architecture/engineering/construction) firms, and other B2B and B2G service providers; (2) Public Sector clients including governmental entities and educational institutions, as well as planning and advocacy groups dealing with critical infrastructure issues such as transportation, water supply, flooding and energy; and (3) Real Estate & Development clients such as commercial and residential real estate firms and economic development agencies. Cooksey repeatedly has been named one of the top PR firms in North Texas by the Dallas Business Journal, and its team members are trusted counselors to senior executives in the industry sectors listed above. For more information, visit www.CookseyPR.com.