Caroline Schultz is our Account Manager and fearless leader who prompts our teams’ energy into action. With her uplifting spirit, innovative ideas and tenacious drive, she’s made her mark in the world of public relations and strategic communication.

With over three years of professional agency experience under her belt, Caroline is the perfect person to lead our agency-structured team. Caroline completed her first summer internship at Wixted & Company, a public relations agency in Des Moines, where she served as the company’s first-ever extended intern. After almost two years with Wixted, Caroline packed her bags and headed to Brussels, Belgium, where she served as an integrated communications and reputation management intern at FleishmanHillard EU. Caroline thrived in the bustling hub of the European Union, working on dynamic communication strategies for global clients and gaining an international perspective on the industry. After traveling to 10 different countries, she brought her love for exploration back home to Catch Des Moines, a travel and tourism bureau, where she created content that extended across the state and beyond. 

On campus, Caroline has sharpened her skills further in numerous leadership and service-oriented roles. As the head of Public Relations for Matchbook Marketing Agency, a student-run agency at the University of Missouri, she helped spearhead a major rebranding project. As vice president of Risk Management for the Public Relations Student Society of America, she orchestrated the organization’s first company visit trip. Additionally, she is a loyal member of the Rocking Against Multiple Sclerosis Steering Committee, Alpha Chi Omega and the St. Thomas More Newman Center. Her favorite college experience so far? Serving as a Panhellenic counselor, in which she guided over 50 women through sorority recruitment.

When she isn’t scheduling meetings for our team, you can find Caroline booking her next trip or immersed in a book about a place far, far away. Despite her love for travel and adventure (real or fiction), Caroline is Midwest-minded and seeks to personify her home state’s slogan by being ‘Iowa Nice’ every day. 

Lilyann Hames is a creative force whose talent transfers to all aspects of team Kinetic. Outspoken, ingenious and compassionate, she provides artistic flair and impactful visuals as an Art Director for our team, pushing the envelope in everything she creates.

Lilyann has worn many hats in her professional work, all of which showcase her versatile talents in design and strategy. As a publishing assistant at Mizzou Publishing, she collaborated with professors to design, compile and produce educational materials for students across several campuses, ensuring each project is visually engaging (if you’re a student, you might just have a book designed by her!). As co-communications director for KCOU, Lilyann is at the helm of the station’s brand identity. She oversees the creation of promotional materials, ranging from T-shirts and concert posters to social media content. Her role doesn’t stop at design, either; she’s the first point of contact for musicians, students and venue owners, using her outgoing nature to strengthen relationships and promote the station. Lilyann additionally serves as the photography lab manager at the MU Photo Lab, where she empowers students to bring their creative visions to life. She expertly guides them through film development, darkroom techniques and digital editing using Adobe software.

When not watching video essays on fashion history, designing freelance logos for local businesses, missing three-pointers at the Rec, scouring Hitt Records for a new vinyl or breaking in her new shoes at CoMo Rocks, Lilyann is compiling new music and art to feature on her KCOU radio show, “The Gallery.” Not to mention her other favorite pastimes of drawing tattoo ideas for friends and dreaming about owning her own vintage resale business (just imagine the logo possibilities!). With Lilyann, creativity is always in full swing — just try to keep up!

Meet Lauren Graham! Hailing from Fort Worth, Texas, this creative, passionate and hardworking Art Director channels her creative momentum into every project she touches. Lauren developed her skills in graphic design and art direction across various positions, as well as on-campus involvement with the American Advertising Federation. She’s always been a design wiz; before she found her home in the MU Strat Comm program, Lauren dabbled in newspaper production at the school paper, The Maneater. During her sophomore year, she served as a production editor, leading a team of designers to craft monthly print editions of the paper. Fun fact: The Maneater must have saved the best for last because Lauren was actually the paper’s last production editor, as the paper shifted to exclusively online editions after her tenure. Lauren also showed off her dexterity as a graphic designer at Matchbook Marketing Agency on both the client team and their “Deconstruct” Instazine team. Last semester, she was promoted to creative lead for one of Matchbook’s local non-profit clients, Children’s Grove.

Lauren’s skills continued to develop with 417 Magazine, a regional lifestyle publication that highlights the people, places and things that make southwest Missouri unique. Her role as an editorial design intern involved planning and assisting with photoshoots, coordinating artwork collection from local businesses and designing magazine spreads, contributing to the magazine’s production and success. Once she moved back to campus to begin her senior year, she transitioned into a remote marketing design role, developing logos, social media and promotional content for the magazine’s extension projects.

When she’s not working on art and design, Lauren is an explorer. Lauren has voyaged to 13 countries and 22 states, where she’s developed a life-long passion for travel and the self-proclaimed title of “road trip expert.” She first caught the travel bug on family trips when she was young, but the passion has since evolved into impromptu trips with friends and big dreams of traveling in the future.

Noah is our brilliant and insightful Qualitative Strategist from Dallas who asks the difficult questions to put our campaign in motion. His creative problem-solving skills and curiosity make him an indispensable asset to Team Kinetic.

Noah’s expertise extends beyond the interview, synthesis and analytical skills needed for the qualitative strategist role; he worked for four summers at Shedd Capital LLC, a buy-side mergers and acquisitions firm in the aerospace and defense industry, doing account management and market analysis. He ascertained the value of prospective acquisitions, developed communication strategies and performed company outreach.
His other internship experience includes a splashing success as a Warren Center intern where he facilitated a North Texas Giving Day campaign that resulted in more than $20,000 in donations. He designed flyers, posts and headers for multiple company social media accounts, expanding the organization’s outreach and fundraising results. Since then, his momentum has never stopped; Noah currently leads the largest single Greek organization fundraiser in the country. The Rock-A-Thon fundraiser has, over the course of its existence, raised over $1.5 million for the American Cancer Society. Noah’s fundraising goal this spring? A hefty $250,000 donation to fund cancer research.

Even outside of professional experiences, Noah is a leader. He served on the executive board of Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity for two years, one as risk manager and the other as president. He also directed the fraternity’s Mizzou Homecoming competitive efforts, leading the charge to a top-three placement in the service hours and blood donation competitions.

Something you may not know about Noah is that he lived in Mexico for a year as a small child. Because of his stint in his small town outside of Puerto Vallarta, Noah speaks proficient Spanish and has a “passionate love for tacos” to this day.

For Cole Lemasters, analytics are the name of the game and the key to set our campaign in motion. From his skills as a social media and SEO aficionado to his sports stat expertise, Cole is the perfect blend of numbers-minded and creative.

He’s honed his research and optimization skills as an SEO Intern at Veterans United, where he improves multiple websites through research, editing, content ideation and careful monitoring. Cole also composed content for websites and then applied search engine optimization best practices, exemplifying his blend of analytical and creative thinking.
Before he worked at Veterans United, Cole expanded his excellence in social media as a strategic communication intern for Mizzou Athletics, where he assisted in developing and maintaining the department’s social message through his savvy data collection and analysis, writing, content creation and statistical research.

Team Kinetic hit a home run when we snagged this Kansas City native for our team; in addition to his skills in social media and SEO, Cole is an advanced statistician. He used to be a data analyst for Mizzou’s baseball team, using advanced statistical techniques to develop models that help improve player development and understanding of collegiate baseball statistics. He also developed his expert knowledge of baseball during his eight-year-long tenure as an umpire.

When he’s not umping, he may be coaching. As an academic coach at Mizzou, Cole has assisted more than 200 students in improving their strategies for approaching exams and projects. These coaching sessions include lessons on time management skills, note taking methods, building effective study habits and exam preparation techniques. You can also find Cole on your radio, where he’s been broadcasting collegiate sporting events for three years on Mizzou’s student radio station, or at Veritas College Ministry, where he has led a weekly small group for years.

Sydney Telander, our fabulous Media Planner, thrives on collaboration and can create a movement through her social media prowess. She always sees the big picture while handling the finer details, bringing a dynamic energy to every project she tackles.

Working as a sales intern at Marsh McLennan Agency, Sydney took the lead on prospecting, market research and event planning. From fishing tournaments to golf outings, Sydney made networking and preparation an art form. Her efforts didn’t go unnoticed —Sydney played a key role in her team’s victory at the National Internship Competition, hosted by Marsh McLennan Agency. Interns from different branches across the country competed in teams, and Sydney’s group won the marketing and communications division. Her team, comprised of six interns working remotely from offices nationwide, developed innovative marketing strategies aimed at increasing awareness of the agency’s internship program among college students. She further honed her sales and account management skills at UnitedHealth Group, where she successfully managed client relationships, assisted in quoting and enrolling small business groups and collaborated with interns across the country on various projects.

At Mizzou, Sydney took on the role of internal PR and marketing chair for Delta Delta Delta, where she led communication efforts and created compelling promotional content. Her involvement with AAF Mizzou further allowed her to connect with industry professionals. Outside of her academic and professional commitments, Sydney’s passion for philanthropy is exemplified in her volunteer work. She has participated in multiple fundraising events for St. Jude, combining her skills in event planning and community engagement to help raise funds for pediatric cancer research and patient care support.

When she’s not occupied with her to-do list, Sydney is often found strolling around campus, earphones in, tuned into her favorite true crime or pop culture podcast. Whether it’s planning her next adventure or spending time with family and friends, Sydney embraces every moment and makes sure she is living life to the fullest.