ACCOUNT MANAGER

Meet Kaleigh Dunahee, our ever-optimistic, endlessly resourceful Account Manager and an O’Fallon, Illinois, native. With a background as a Public Relations Account Manager of Content for Team Viridis in the fall of 2025, Kaleigh brings life to Team Mirage through her ability to communicate with purpose and lead with heart.

As a social media assistant for Team Godoyo, she works alongside best-selling author Cynthia Thurlow, managing audience engagement across multiple platforms and addressing customer inquiries to promote satisfaction and trust. At McClure Davison Pools, she contributed to freelance projects by sharpening visual content and streamlining website copy to create a more inviting and user-friendly digital presence.

Giving back has always been central to Kaleigh’s journey. She empowers her community by volunteering for Midwest Children’s Burn Camp, a place close to her heart. As a burn survivor and former camper, Kaleigh dedicates her summers to uplifting children who have experienced burn or smoke inhalation injuries and supporting important fundraising efforts that keep the camp thriving.

Before finding her home in the MU Strategic Communication program, Kaleigh applied her skills as a production assistant at KOMU 8. She is also a member of Mizzou’s American Advertising Federation chapter and the Mizzou Wellness Society. Kaleigh leads a balanced, well-rounded life, prioritizing wellness alongside excellence. Outside work, Kaleigh’s creativity flows through music, having taught herself the ukulele and tongue drum.

Kaleigh uplifts every project and person she encounters, adding depth, heart and harmony to Team Mirage.

Qualitative Strategist

Meet Joey Yancey, our Qualitative Strategist and a Chesterfield, Missouri, native who digs deep to uncover what motivates an audience, turning those insights into seamless strategies. In the fall of 2025, Joey served as the Qualitative Strategist for Team Viridis. On Team Mirage, he is ready to make our work resonate.

From local to global, Joey’s experiences have shaped the strategist he is today. At Mizzou Marketing and Communications, he serves as one of two creatives managing content for the university’s official Instagram, TikTok and Facebook accounts, reaching more than 130,000 followers. His videos range from influencer-style clips to “man on the street” interviews, engaging students, families and alumni alike.

Internationally, Joey represented Fundación Universitaria Iberoamericana in Barcelona, Spain, at EU-sponsored meetings, gathering key insights on policy and strategic partnerships. He contributed to the launch of the RISE UP initiative, a multi-partner project focused on climate-conscious education, developing digital assets to build awareness and engagement.

At Mizzou, Joey has partnered with the Office of Undergraduate Studies to craft student success stories, conduct content audits and strategize communications to connect stakeholders with students, always keeping the student experience front and center.

Joey isn’t just a strategy powerhouse… he’s everywhere, doing everything, all at once. He’s a resident advisor, vice president of public relations for the Alumni Association Student Board, a recruitment coordinator and tour guide with the Mizzou Tour Team and a proud two-year section leader with Marching Mizzou.

Fun fact: Joey is the fourth generation to carry his name, a legacy stretching from his great-grandfather to his father. It’s a small reminder that, even as he analyzes trends and crafts strategies, he stays grounded in family, community and connection.

quantitative strategist

Meet Heidi Vial, our Quantitative Strategist and a Scottsdale, Arizona, native who proves that numbers have heart and stories to tell. Heidi is detail-oriented, driven and empathetic and thrives at uncovering insights hidden in the data and translating them into strategies that connect with people on a deep level.

Her professional journey blends communications, marketing and media. As vice president of Public Relations for the Panhellenic Association at the University of Missouri, Heidi managed social platforms and promoted events that elevated the voice of the community while honing her leadership and organizational skills. She expanded her perspective globally as a marketing intern at an AI-forward agency in London, where she learned how emerging technology and human creativity work together to shape the future of strategy. At KOMU 8 News, Heidi worked behind the scenes as a floor director, keeping broadcasts running smoothly and thriving in a fast-paced environment.

Her dedication extends beyond work. Heidi has logged over 300 volunteer hours, giving back to her community through high school and college. She’s organized a cold plunge fundraiser with Panhellenic and Interfraternity Council to benefit Special Olympics, donates blood with the Red Cross twice a year and stays actively involved on campus as homecoming liaison for Pi Beta Phi. 

Heidi’s love of strategy didn’t start with analytics, it started in retail. While working at Free People, she became so fascinated by the brand that she memorized nearly every clothing item they sold. That curiosity grew into a passion for brand research and ultimately pointed her toward a career in strategy.

CopyWriter

Meet Sophia Martin, our Copywriter and a Tarkio, Missouri, native who brings creativity, organization and drive to every project she touches. With a pen that’s as sharp as her wit, Sophia crafts copy that not only informs but entertains. She turns messages into stories people actually want to read.

Her path into communications is as versatile as her writing. As a recent marketing assistant at Senior Benefit Services, Sophia generated ideas for Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and LinkedIn campaigns, supporting the marketing team while also handling daily administrative tasks. She has also worked in healthcare communications. As a PR Intern at a local hospital, she planned and executed a live-action emergency management drill, managed social media accounts, produced a digitized new-employee orientation video and assisted with medical record processing. From marketing brainstorms to hospital operations, Sophia has shown she can write and deliver in any environment.

She has also given her time to service, donating blood through the Red Cross, volunteering at the Mizzou Homecoming Blood Drive and Mizzou Journalism School as well as a local back-to-school fair. On campus, Sophia stays connected through her sorority, Alpha Delta Pi, and Mizzou’s chapter of the Public Relations Student Society of America where she serves as vice president of Internal Communications, helping keep the organization’s message clear and engaging. 

Sophia also has a passion for movies and television. She can name actors on sight, quote lines at the perfect moment and even slip into spot-on celebrity impressions. Add in a love for sci-fi, literature and all things pop culture, and it’s no surprise she’s drawn to copywriting, where words, creativity and storytelling collide.

Media planner

Meet Maddy Hall, Team Mirage’s Media planner and a Des Moines, Iowa, native. Insight-driven and detail-oriented, Maddy’s work ethic is no illusion.

Currently, Maddy works as a social media management intern at Poolside Lifestyle Company, a startup focused on helping brands elevate their digital presence. In this role, she supports feed planning, tracks and analyzes engagement, designs graphics and builds trend reports to inform content strategy and optimize performance.

Maddy’s experience spans both startup and agency environments. Back in Des Moines, she served as an account services intern at Flynn Wright, a full-service advertising agency, where she collaborated closely with account management teams to brief creatives and execute client deliverables. She also contributed to SEO and digital out-of-home research, strengthening her understanding of how media strategy comes to life across channels.

Maddy brings the same level of intention to community impact. On campus, Maddy served as an account manager for the University of Missouri Panhellenic Association’s Public Relations Board. There, she helped launch and manage PHA’s health and wellness Instagram, creating on-brand captions and informative graphics designed to drive engagement and encourage community care. She demonstrates her commitment to serving the Columbia, Missouri community by visiting local schools to read to children through her sorority, Pi Beta Phi’s, “Champions are Readers” program, and helping to raise money and work events for Read > Lead > Achieve, Pi Beta Phi’s philanthropic foundation.

Maddy knew who she was from a very early age. Her passion for engagement started on the stage, where she sang, danced and acted. She was involved in her high school choir program, where she first learned how to collaborate, tell stories and connect with an audience. Those same skills shape how she thinks about media planning: engaging people with purpose and intention.

Digital Strategist

Meet Jack Toal, our Digital Strategist and an Overland Park, Kansas, native who brings a versatile, strategic and driven mindset to everything digital. Jack thrives at the intersection of storytelling, data and creativity, using insights to shape ideas that travel across platforms and resonate with audiences in real time.

Jack’s experience spans journalism, agency work and global advertising. At the University of Missouri’s Strategic Communication department, he works as a public relations coordinator, writing feature stories that spotlight alumni, campus events and standout achievements by students and faculty. He expanded his global perspective as an advertising intern with McCann Worldgroup in Prague and Tokyo, where he supported international campaigns for brands like Vodafone and the California Prune Board, adapting creative to fit diverse markets and cultures.

With a strong foundation in media, Jack has also worked as a reporter and producer at Cumulus Media’s KFRU Newstalk 1400 AM, recording voiceovers, writing scripts and producing content for live radio broadcasts. He continues to build leadership skills as assistant general manager at KCOU 88.1FM, where he hosted his radio show, Last Call, for three years while helping plan events, recruit members and track data analytics as part of the station’s management team.

Beyond work, Jack stays involved on campus through PRSSA, KCOU Radio, Mizzou Student Media, the Mizzou J-School Advising Office and the University of Missouri’s Global Programs. He also served as a DECA judge through the Missouri Strategic Communications department.

A true music and culture enthusiast, Jack once helped the All-American Rejects host a show at his college house. The event went viral, earning reposts from major artists like SZA and Questlove and proving that great ideas can come from anywhere, including your living room.

Art director

Meet Maggie Feldmiller, one of Team Mirage’s art directors and a Kansas City, Missouri, native. From the student radio station to international design, Maggie approaches every project with a style all her own. Her enthusiasm is infectious—with her, there are no setbacks, only opportunities to reroute.

Maggie brings a global perspective to her work, shaped by her experience as a design and advertising intern at McCann Worldgroup in both Prague and Tokyo. There, she collaborated with her team to develop comprehensive, strategy-led campaigns for national and global brands. At Mizzou, she was a graphic designer for Matchbook Marketing Agency, where she helped refresh the company website and worked with her team to conceptualize and produce the Spring 2025 Instazine.

When she’s not designing for Team Mirage, Maggie stays deeply involved in creative work across campus and the Columbia community. She serves as co-music director of KCOU, Mizzou’s student-owned and operated radio station, and volunteers in theater operations for the True/False Film Festival, the nonprofit annual festival that celebrates documentary filmmaking.

Maggie might be from Kansas City, but Mizzou’s in her DNA. She has family members who attended MU dating back to the 1800s, both sets of her grandparents met here and two of her relatives have played basketball for Mizzou. Sources report her first word was “M-I-Z.”

Art Director

Meet Isaac Lewis, one of our Art Directors and a Columbia, Missouri, native who blends competition, strategy and creativity into everything they design. Whether they’re shaping visuals for national brands or building student-led organizations from the ground up, Isaac thrives where ideas meet execution.

Professionally, Isaac has already made their mark. As an art director intern at VML, they worked on campaigns for household names like Oreo, Elanco and the United Soybean Board. This sharpened their ability to deliver work that balances big-brand polish with strategic insight. On campus, they served as a communications assistant for Mizzou’s architectural studies department where they managed both content strategy and design, ensuring visuals and messaging worked well together.

Service and leadership are very important to Isaac. As director of PR for Caring for Columbia, they oversaw campaigns and student recruitment for one of the university’s largest service days. They are also a resident advisor for MU housing where they support student communities through leadership, mentorship and programming.

Isaac is also heavily involved in campus organizations, where their leadership has shaped the creative community at Mizzou. Isaac has led agency trips, creative workshops and programming that inspires students to explore their talents as the creative director of the Visual Communications Club. As executive director of FITS (Filling in the Space), they’ve guided organizational strategy, leadership development and event planning.

Staying busy fuels Isaac’s creativity. From leading organizations to designing campaigns, they have found that the more they take on, the better their ideas become. Outside the studio, you’ll find them researching AI, keeping up with favorite TV shows, reading a new book every other week or unwinding with video games.

Public Relations account Manager

Meet Elle Decker, our PR Account Manager and a St. Louis native with a love for storytelling, entertainment and the kind of ideas that spark . Solutions oriented, imaginative and endlessly adaptable, Elle thrives in fast-moving environments where creativity meets strategy and no two days look the same.

Elle’s experience spans oceans. In New York City, she worked as a public relations and events intern with an entertainment agency, supporting major moments like the Tony Awards, the Squid Game Season 5 premiere and press junket and the National Board of Review Awards while working directly with talent and press. She took her communications skills across the Atlantic Ocean as a communications intern for a tour and experience company in Florence, Italy. Back in New York, she was a public relations intern at Weber Shandwick, working on GoGo squeeZ Active and now serving on their Gen Z advisory board.

On campus, Elle stays deeply involved as an active member of the American Advertising Federation and Delta Gamma, where she served as Vice President of Member Education and Director of Banners. She has also participated in the Journalism School’s Global Studies Programs, studying in Florence during her junior spring semester and taking part in the NY Campaign Program over winter break. Giving back is important to Elle too, from helping plan events to raising money for Service for Sight, Delta Gamma’s philanthropic foundation.

Elle has always been drawn to storytelling and entertainment. She found her passion for strategic communications through moments that felt electric, creative and collaborative. Working with the talent she grew up watching only deepened that love. Elle is happiest in spaces that push her to think differently and she’s excited to bring that energy, curiosity and fresh perspective to her role in PR.

Copywriter

Meet Dani Carr, one of Team Mirage’s copywriters and a Glenview, Illinois, native. Dani makes creativity resonate, balancing the rigor and imagination that copywriting demands. She’s a big believer in the confidence only slightly unrealistic articles of clothing can provide—because the right touch of audacity never hurts.

When she’s not writing copy, you can find Dani tutoring at the Mizzou Writing Center, where she wages an ongoing war against passive verbs. She also serves as a member of the outreach team, presenting writing center resources to Mizzou students across campus. Outside the classroom, Dani is deeply involved in campus organizations: she served as an event director for Kappa Alpha Theta, planning large-scale social events, and is an active member of both the American Advertising Federation and the Public Relations Student Society of America.

Last year, she spent four months in London, where she interned for an international publishing company. The experience was a crash course in global publishing, replete with British colloquialisms like “that’s brill.” During the week, she wrote and refined cover copy for titles ranging from World’s Worst Cults to a complete edition of Shakespeare’s works. On the weekends she made the most of being abroad, traveling to nine different countries and even paragliding over the Swiss Alps.

Dani wrote her first simile in fourth grade. With her composition notebook stretched out on the floor, she scribbled down a story about the school-wide spelling bee. Suddenly, years of reading children’s book series kicked in, and she deftly scribbled that her “heart pounded like a thousand horses’ hooves.” That moment taught her something early on as a writer: language can translate emotions into moments that stick. Writing has been her way of capturing the world ever since.

video producer

Meet Claire Leonard, our Videographer and a Lake St. Louis, Missouri, native with a creative eye and a collaborative, driven approach to visual storytelling. Claire thrives in spaces where ideas are shared, refined and brought to life through thoughtful and strategic video.

Claire has built hands-on agency experience through a variety of creative roles. As a member of Matchbook Marketing, she supported branding and marketing initiatives while gaining exposure to agency workflows and cross-functional collaboration. She expanded her creative skill set at Jump Company in St. Louis, assisting with marketing and creative projects and learning how ideas move from concept to execution in a professional agency environment. At Frontier Media Labs in Jefferson City, Claire supports video production efforts and contributes to visual content creation that helps tell compelling stories across platforms.

On campus, Claire has held multiple roles within Matchbook Marketing, allowing her to work across departments and develop a strong understanding of agency operations, teamwork and client collaboration. These experiences have shaped her ability to adapt, communicate and create with intention.

Claire is especially drawn to projects that blend storytelling and strategy, with video as her medium of choice. Her time at Mizzou has given her the chance to collaborate with diverse teams and explore different sides of the creative process, fueling her passion for creating authentic content that helps brands connect with audiences in meaningful ways.