Who We Are

Thrive PR is a woman-owned, award-winning strategic
communications and creative agency.

We provide integrated communications, public relations, marketing and creative services to B2B, B2C, nonprofit and association clients. Founded in 2003 and based in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, our virtual team spans 4 U.S. time zones and a full breadth of experience to help regional, national and global clients get the word out and grow their businesses.

Our Brand = Our Culture

At Thrive, we are committed to our external brand and internal culture being congruent,
and we embrace these five words as the backbone of our company:

COMMITTED

to excellence in everything we plan, create and implement

CREATIVE

in our approaches, solutions, structure and work products

COLLABORATIVE

with clients and within our team

AGILE

mindset, remaining nimble, responsive, progressive and efficient

APPRECIATIVE

of our clients and each other

COMMITTED

to excellence in everything we plan, create and implement

CREATIVE

in our approaches, solutions, structure and work products

COLLABORATIVE

with clients and within our team

AGILE

mindset, remaining nimble, responsive, progressive and efficient

APPRECIATIVE

of our clients and each other

The Thrive Team

Thrive was founded in 2003 by Kelly Kirkendoll, an award-winning communications, public relations and marketing expert with 30 years of experience. Named the Executive PR Pro of the Year by PRSA Dallas in 2023 and to the 2025 #Propel100 list of the world’s most influential PR leaders, her career started in corporate marketing at Fortune 500 companies. Next, she spent 6 years as the head of PR/Marketing/Investor Relations for a management consulting firm, where she helped take the company public.

In these client-side roles, she worked with and managed agencies large and small. When she started Thrive, she used these experiences – both what she liked and what she did NOT like – to create a small but mighty client- and solution-focused agency she would want to work with!

Success, she knows, requires a stellar team. The Thrive team includes the rock star contractors listed here plus other veteran experts we bring in based on the project and client’s needs and goals.

Thrive PR agency team holding PRSA Dallas Pegasus Awards

Kelly

Founder & Principal

Meg

Senior Graphic & Web Designer

Tara

Web/Digital Director

Coleen

Exec. Business Administrator

Mackenzie

Graphic Designer & Copywriter

Laura

Sr. Branding & Print Design Specialist

Janine

SEO, Paid, Digital Strategy Specialist

Jessica

Senior PR Specialist

Other Team Members

We Add Other Specialists As Needed

The Thrive Team

Kelly

Founder & Principal

Meg

Senior Graphic & Web Designer

Tara

Web/Digital Director

Laura

Branding & Design Strategist

Jessica

Sr. PR & Content Specialist

Coleen

Exec. Business Administrator

Mackenzie

Graphic Designer & Copywriter

Other Team Members

We Add Other Specialists As Needed

Janine

Paid/Digital Strategy/SEO

Who We Work With – and Why

Thrive works across a broad range of industries, and while our clients are diverse, they share a common thread. Through their products, services and/or how they conduct business, they make a difference for those they serve and work with.

Our team’s experience is vast, serving public, private and nonprofit organizations across industries that include:

Healthcare
Transportation and Real Estate
Member-Based Associations
Nonprofit and Advocacy Organizations
Construction
Food and Restaurants
Arts and Culture
Management Consulting
Travel
Professional Services
Startups
Banking and Wealth Management
Community Design and Urban Planning

Awards, Associations and Certifications

Awards

Thrive has won awards for marketing communications, public relations, internal communications, integrated communication campaigns, social media, digital communications, newsletters and more.

Certifications

Kelly Kirkendoll, Founder & CEO

Kelly Kirkendoll, Founder and CEO of Thrive PR, is an award-winning communications, public relations and marketing expert with 30 years of experience. Named the Executive PR Pro of the Year by PRSA Dallas in 2023 and to the 2025 #Propel100 list of the world’s most influential PR leaders, her career started in corporate marketing at a Fortune 500 company, and then she spent 6 years as the Director of PR/Marketing/Investor Relations for a management consulting firm, where she was on the core IPO team that took the company public. In 2003, she founded Thrive PR, where she and her team work with business executives and nonprofit leaders across a broad range of industries.

Kelly specializes in crafting effective strategies and telling clients’ stories in ways that help them expand their reach, attract the right audiences and grow. During her career, she has worked with leaders from a variety of industries, including: healthcare, nonprofits, associations, the arts, restaurants, construction, travel, professional services, retail, beauty, sports, telecommunications, franchises and banking. Her experience spans virtually every facet of PR and marketing, including strategy, branding, media relations, marketing communications, social media, internal communications, influencer relations, digital marketing, websites, advertising, copywriting, design, video project management, product marketing, competitive analysis, pricing analysis and more. She and her team use this experience to provide integrated and strategic communications services that make a meaningful impact for each B2B, B2C, nonprofit or association client they serve.

One of Kelly’s specialties is media relations, and her PR credentials include gaining media coverage for her clients by CNN, ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, the Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Fortune magazine, Dallas Morning News, Good Morning Texas, BusinessWeek, Chicago Tribune and more. In the past, she has also worked as a regular contributing writer to two magazines, and earlier in her career, she was included in the National Directory of Editors and Writers, featuring America’s top editors and writers for hire. Today, Kelly is sought after for her trusted business advisory acumen, communications expertise and right-sized solution approach to delivering value for clients.

Kelly received her BBA in Marketing from Ohio University, summa cum laude, speaks to local and national organizations and is a founding board member for the nonprofit organization Cuisine for Healing. She has called Dallas/Fort Worth home for the past 25 years and enjoys food photography, writing for her food blog Kitchen Gone Rogue, dancing, being highly caffeinated and the daily escapades of Cocoa the office cat, who insists on attending most Zoom meetings.

Meg Draper, Senior Graphic & Web Designer

Meg Draper is a talented, versatile graphic and website design professional with 15 years of experience.

She is highly creative, easy to work with and possesses a wide range of skills in both traditional and digital graphic design. From branding typography and illustrations to creative strategy to website layout, design and development, Meg is an incredible asset to the Thrive team.

Meg stays on top of industry trends and collaborates well with our team to develop innovative ideas and fresh perspectives. She has a real flair for branding and discerning the precise look and feel that resonates with the client’s needs and its target audiences.

During her career, she has designed and built websites for a wide variety of nonprofits, member-based associations, B2B and B2C companies, in industries that span the arts, animal rescue, women's health, consumer goods, consultancies and wealth management firms.

Meg graduated from The Art Institute of Vancouver, lives in Canada and has served for over 3 years on the Board of Directors as the communications lead for the Southern Alberta Women's Hockey Association (SAWHA). When she’s not working or playing ice hockey, you can find her adventuring with her family in their camper, Rooroo, or exploring hidden dining gems on a foodie adventure.

Tara Geissenger, Web/Digital Director

Tara brings over 25 years of marketing experience to the team. She started her career in advertising and PR, but has spent the bulk of the past 2 decades focused on digital marketing and SEO. She excels at creating comprehensive online marketing campaigns that include all aspects of visibility: web design, social media, content creation and paid campaign management. She believes that there is no “one size fits all” when it comes to online marketing – every client has unique needs and wants.

Tara earned a BA in Journalism and English Literature from the University of Central Florida. She lives in sunny southwest Florida and is involved in her community, particularly as Co-Founder and Vice President of Blankets & Blessings, a homeless outreach charity. Now that her children (triplets!) are in college, she and her husband of 25 years are enjoying all that life has to offer as empty nesters — good food, travel and adventures with their basset hound, Lucy.

Coleen Spalding, Exec. Business Administrator

Coleen brings 35 years of business experience to her role at Thrive PR. After spending the first 20 years of her career in the corporate world, Coleen struck out on her own in 2002 and joined the Thrive PR team not long after. Her background includes everything from marketing support to project management, public relations, human resources and payroll management.

With her broad experience, entrepreneurial spirit, creative problem-solving skills, big heart and gifted knack for organization, Coleen is an invaluable member of the Thrive PR team. She manages Thrive’s accounting, the author/speaker booking process for our clients and assists with other PR and marketing projects. Coleen lives in Fort Worth and enjoys spending time with her family and friendly office cat.

Mackenzie Lynch, Graphic Designer & Copywriter

Mackenzie is a creative professional and strategic storyteller with a background in graphic design, communications planning and strategy, copywriting and project management. She’s partnered with nonprofits, brands, businesses, educational institutions and more to engage diverse audiences, catalyze action and optimize internal workflows for sustainable growth and measurable success.

Mackenzie received her BA in Writing and International Relations from Knox College, and when she isn’t creating designs or word-smithing for clients, you can find her doodling on her iPad or taking road trips through all the national parks in the US. She was born and raised in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, and currently resides in Brooklyn, New York with her cat, Philly.

Laura Kayata, Branding & Design Strategist

Laura is an award-winning graphic designer and an experienced marketing and communications expert. Early in her career, Laura worked in advertising – on the other side of the camera – as a model with the prestigious Manhattan-based Eileen Ford Agency. For 10 years, she traveled the world, working on a team with the world’s top advertising agencies, cosmetic companies, clothing designers, magazines, layout artists and photographers to get the best shots for ad campaigns or editorial features. Later in her career, she served as the Marketing Director for a municipal Convention and Visitor’s Bureau and as VP of Communications, PR and Government Relations for the fastest growing city in the U.S. (McKinney, Texas) and as Vice-President of Marketing and Communications for DFW Spa Importers. In her various roles, she has managed everything from graphic design to branding, advertising, marketing communications, social media marketing and public relations. She has also served as Art Director for numerous magazines in the health/beauty/spa industry.

Laura holds a degree from George Washington University, grew up around the world as part of a military family and currently lives in North Texas. Outside of work, she enjoys creating fine art and spending time with her husband and fur babies.

Janine Brandt, SEO/Paid/Digital Strategy Specialist

Janine Brandt is an experienced digital marketing leader with heavy experience in email, operations, CRM, paid media, digital media and user experience strategy. She excels at developing and implementing strategies for automation, testing, applying best practices and reporting analytics. As a digital marketing specialist, she has managed holistic digital experience campaigns for a broad array of organizations, from small businesses to large corporations. She consistently looks at everything from a data-driven lens and strives for the best possible customer experience.

Janine is Google Adwords certified, Meta Ads certified, Datorama certified, Salesforce Marketing Cloud certified, Hubspot certified and holds a Google Analytics advanced certification. She earned dual Bachelor's Degrees and her MBA in Business Analytics from the University of South Florida. Janine lives in Celebration, Florida, where she is involved in her community, serving on her local HOA committee and on the town’s Technology and Communications committee. She enjoys spending time with her husband, daughter and schnauzer, Tramp, going to theme parks, traveling and watching scary movies.

Jessica Gallagher, PR Specialist & Copywriter

Jessica Gallagher is a marketing and public relations professional with more than 20 years of experience. She spent the first half of her career working for large public relations firms, including Edelman Public Relations (in both New York and Chicago) and Golin/Harris Chicago. She managed product launches and coordinated media relations for associations and for medical/health, food and consumer lifestyle brands. During the second half of her career, she has worked as a contractor for a wide range of industries and clients, continuing to focus on media relations but also on influencer relations and social media campaigns. Jessica brings valuable media and influencer relations expertise to Thrive PR.

A graduate of Ohio University, she received a B.S. degree in Journalism and currently resides in McKinney, Texas with her husband and two children.