Seasoned marketing expertise
Michael Mackenzie Communications provides marketing and public relations services to companies that don’t want or need to employ a full-time marketing director. We also support big firms who find themselves overloaded with corporate objectives but lack the senior staff to build the strategies and implement the tactics necessary to reach revenue goals.Unlike other consultants and coaching organizations that make suggestions on how to run your marketing then leave the legwork to you, Michael Mackenzie Communications develops and then manages your strategic marketing communications campaigns. In short, we plan all the way from initial project visioning through successful execution and to measurement of results.
Meet the Team
Jennifer Koon
Strategy & Content Development
As the founder and Principal Consultant of Michael Mackenzie Communications, Jennifer Koon is the chief strategist and business development officer and has served as a contributing copywriter and head bottle washer for the more than 100 businesses the firm has supported to date.
Prior to forming Michael Mackenzie Communications in 2001, Jennifer served as a PR and Field Marketing Manager for Microsoft Corporation, a role she landed because they liked the Direct Mail and Database Marketing experience she had gained working for smaller software companies and in an agency environment. In addition to developing direct marketing and sales support programs, Jennifer has produced and promoted hundreds of seminars, product launch events and trade shows as well as managed public relations and community affairs initiatives. Jennifer has an extensive copywriting repertoire – writing as many as 50,000 words per year for clients representing a broad range of high tech and technically complex services and products.
All total, Jennifer possesses more than 25 years of experience developing and deploying strategic marketing communications programs that drive image, enthusiasm and revenue. She has a bachelor’s degree in Creative Advertising from Southern Methodist University and a master’s in Marketing Communication and Information Technology from Florida State University.
She is a member of the American Marketing Association, the Public Relations Society of America, the Technology Association of Georgia and has served on the host committee for the High Tech Ministries Prayer Breakfast for 5+ years. She is also a member of the Greater North Fulton Chamber of Commerce, the Leadership North Fulton Class of 2011, a graduate of the City of Roswell Education Program (CORE 2019) and was the elected parent representative for the Local School Governance Councils for both Elkins Pointe Middle School and Roswell High School.
Jennifer and her husband live in Roswell, Georgia. She is an active member of Roswell United Methodist Church and she counts among her hobbies reading, swimming, photography, retail therapy, agritourism and watching minor league baseball and college football.
Laurie Cullen
Account Manager
Laurie brings more than 25 years of experience in organizational design, application development, business analysis, and product marketing. She was fortunate to join BellSouth, now AT&T, early in her career where she was able to grow and expand her level of expertise in a variety of roles across the organization; most recently leading market trials within the internet technology space.
Laurie moved to Georgia in 1992, primarily to leave behind the harsh winters of the Midwest, but also to experience the 1992 Atlanta Summer Olympic Games in person. Diving is Laurie’s favorite Olympic event and she was lucky to get tickets to attend – Check that off the bucket list!
Laurie holds a Bachelor of Business degree from Western Illinois University. She lives in Roswell and enjoys Reading, playing tennis, and dreaming real estate near the beach. She also believes that climate change is real and chooses to drive an electric vehicle and support local, sustainable businesses as much as possible.
Madi Edwards
Intern
Madi Edwards is a senior at Kennesaw State University majoring in Public Relations. Prior to joining Michael Mackenzie Communications, she was the social media marketing intern for Yancey Bros. Co., where she honed her skills in social media marketing, content creation, and implementing and executing marketing campaigns.
In her free time, Madi enjoys taking on different leadership roles within her sorority. She serves as the Director of Philanthropy and Community service for Kappa Delta. In this role, she directs all the organization’s philanthropic events and brings awareness to their philanthropies through social media and campus PR events. She also serves as the Primary Recruitment and Marketing Assistant, where she is responsible for managing membership during sorority recruitment as well as assisting with the organization’s social media accounts.
Melissa Holder
Account Manager
As a communications professional for more than two decades, Melissa Holder has worked in B2B, B2C, non-profit and public sectors. Melissa has experience with all facets of communications and marketing, with expertise in writing and editing. This well-rounded background allows her to provide customized strategies for clients that incorporate the most appropriate method to reach company goals.
Her previous opportunities, including as liaison for the Fulton County Chairman of the Board of Commissioners and director of marketing for the North Fulton Chamber of Commerce, allowed Melissa to build relationships with a diverse group of individuals, from community leaders to elected officials.
Melissa graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with a Bachelor of Science in broadcast journalism and a sociology minor. An avid sports fan, Melissa is passionate about college sports, especially Georgia football and Illinois basketball. She loves to read and visit the beach. A near native to the Atlanta area, Melissa is active in her church choir and supports several organizations. She and her husband have a college junior, high school junior, and a spoiled dog.
Malinda Lackey
Media Relations Manager
Malinda Lackey brings more than 20 years of experience in public relations and communications to her role at Michael Mackenzie. She began her career working in Georgia politics for both the state legislature and Governor Zell Miller’s successful gubernatorial campaign. Subsequently, Malinda served as the Public Awareness Director and spokesperson for a state-wide child advocacy organization.
Over the course of her career, Malinda has directed media campaigns for numerous business to consumer clients and business to business clients, garnering national and local placements in print and broadcast media. Spending the last decade working in the commercial real estate arena, Malinda oversaw communications for a company that has expanded into 16 U.S. cities.
Away from work, Malinda is an active member of Roswell Presbyterian Church where she serves as a Stephen Minister and is active in several community outreach initiatives. A Milton resident, she and her husband are very involved with the University of Georgia, where they particularly enjoy attending football games. Most importantly, they enjoy spending time with their family.
Beth Lane
Business Analytics and Account Manager
Beth has more than 20 years of corporate accounting experience in the retail, technology, and commercial real estate industries as well as experience as a small business owner with her own bookkeeping firm. A native Georgian, she earned her Bachelor of Business Administration degree, with a concentration in accounting, from Georgia State University. She is a licensed CPA in the state of Georgia.
Beth lives in Roswell with her husband of 29 years, Scott. She stays busy with three almost grown and flown children and her good dog, Maisie. An advocate for fine arts education, Beth was a founding board member of the Roswell High School Choral Booster Association. An avid Broadway fan, she enjoys attending choral and theatrical performances at the community, collegiate and professional levels. She is an Elder at Roswell Presbyterian Church where she enjoys volunteering in various capacities. Beth enjoys traveling and can often be found escaping into a good book.
Debra Madak
Graphic Designer
Debra Madak, graphic designer extraordinaire, brings a flair for design (especially print) that can only be developed through traditional training and years of experience.
Debbie has been transforming well-crafted messages into design masterpieces for Michael Mackenzie Communications clients since 2006. Prior to joining our team, Debbie was a senior designer for Graphic Solutions Group in Kennesaw where she oversaw a team of two and was responsible for all graphic design from concept to print production. Debbie first started her design career in Chicago but relocated to the south many years ago.
Debbie attended Bradley University in Peoria, IL and The American Academy of Art in Chicago, IL. Debbie boasts extensive experience in state-of-the-art computer technologies, Conceptual Design, Layout/production, Illustration, 4-color printing, Fine Art, Color Correction and Print Buying.
Debbie is married and has 4 sons and 3 grandchildren.
Cecilia Roach
Content Manager
A nationally recognized writer, Cecilia Roach specializes in creating compelling content for email marketing campaigns, websites that differentiate and provocative thought leadership. Her content speaks to prospects and customers about the issues that matter to them, positioning clients’ offerings as viable solutions.
She is a graduate of the Henry W. Grady School of Mass Communications, University of Georgia.
Allison Stephanouk
Account Manager
Allison Stephanouk is an Account Manager for Michael Mackenzie Communications where she is responsible for managing all facets of marketing communications for B2B technology and professional service clients.
Allison brings 23 years of experience across multiple industries in the private, public, and nonprofit sectors. She was formerly a Senior Consultant in Deloitte & Touche’s Audit and Enterprise Risk Services division, where she was responsible for leading data quality and integrity engagements for numerous Fortune 500 clients.
Allison serves on the Board of Directors for Parents and Researchers Interested in Smith-Magenis Syndrome (PRISMS) and was previously PRISMS Regional Representative for the state of Georgia. She has been a featured speaker during multiple PRISMS International Conferences, both virtual and in-person. Allison also designed and produced PRISMS first webinar program, with the goal of sharing critical information about this rare disorder with the Smith-Magenis Syndrome community, in an easily accessible format.
Allison holds a Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communication from Louisiana State University and a Masters of Science in Computer Information Systems from Georgia State University. In her free time, Allison enjoys spending time with her husband and three children, playing tennis, and water sports.
Kerry Wolfe
Digital Media Manager
As Digital Media Manager, Kerry works with clients from initial concepts to design, production and implementation on digital media projects.
Kerry has been developing websites since the inception of the Internet, over 27 years ago, and managed digital production for his family-owned printing business for nearly a decade. He attended Emory University.
He has hosted a monthly Elementor page builder training webinar for over three years where he enjoys mentoring new and experienced users on the latest Elementor technologies. He is an Elementor Community Leader and is listed by Elementor as an “Elementor Expert.”
Kerry is very involved in the WordPress community and has been a guest speaker at the annual Atlanta WordPress convention.
Kerry has a passion for travel and research. His adventures have taken him from the great libraries and museums of Europe to the jungles and ruins of Ancient Java and beyond. Kerry and his wife Nan live with their 4-legged children in Lawrenceville.