Branding, Strategy, Communications

When building a brand, collaboration is key.

Rock Creek brings the industry’s best talent to your project. And our time-tested management processes ensure that we deliver your project on time, on budget, and on strategy.

Margaret Johnson

Co-Founder and President

Margaret Johnson

Margaret has more than 20 years of experience in marketing, publications, and management. She co-founded Rock Creek with her husband Scott in 1986 and continues to be a driving force in the firm’s success. Margaret leads new and ongoing business development, marketing strategy development, financial management, and human resources. She earned a BA from the University of Maryland College Park.

Scott Johnson

Co-Founder and Principal

Scott Johnson

Scott’s extensive marketing and creative experience have been instrumental in developing an international client roster and placing Rock Creek on the list of top creative firms in the Washington, DC, area. For the past 22 years, he has helped hundreds of organizations create successful marketing/outreach campaigns and brands consistent with their mission and core values. He brings his energy and enthusiasm to every aspect of Rock Creek’s operations. He earned a BA from The George Washington University.

Chris Lester

Principal

Chris Lester

Building transformative brands that capture the imagination and build loyalty has been the driving force behind Chris' work for the past 20 years. He has been instrumental in positioning Rock Creek as a leader in brand communications through diverse, highly successful national and global engagements. Whether it's branding a nation or a retail chain, Chris brings his unique leadership, vision, and passion to finding solutions that help organizations unlock their potential and position themselves for success. He received his education at Pratt Institute in New York.

David Rinaldo

Chief Operating Officer

David Rinaldo

Skilled in all aspects of shepherding a growing business, Dave orchestrates multiple resources and priorities to maintain Rock Creek’s reputation for excellent quality and customer service. He has more than 20 years of experience in management, sales, and government contracting. In his role as the company’s Government Contracting Compliance Officer, Dave oversees capture management, compliance, and contract performance. He earned a BS in Business Administration from the University of Connecticut.

Colby Waller

Creative Director

Colby Waller

Colby is a dynamic graphic designer with experience across identity, collateral, publications, multimedia, cartography, and illustration. His work displays the vision to produce designs both innovative and effective, with a superior command of current print and web technologies. Colby received a BA in Advertising from Marquette University and Graphic Design Certification from Milwaukee Area Technical College while studying fine art at the University of Wisconsin.

Kyle Bondo

Director of Interactive Technology

Kyle Bondo

Kyle interprets our clients’ visions into achievable technical tasks and helps achieve their goals via workable project requirements. As a Certified Web Specialist, he leads Rock Creek’s creative and technical teams in solving complex business problems. With more than 10 years of professional experience, Kyle brings to the team experience in web development, web project management, user interface design, enterprise and open-source content management systems, open-source software integration, web application architecture, and website design. He holds an AAS in Mechanical Engineering from the High Tech Institute and is pursuing a BS in Information Technology.

Irina DaSilva

Accounting Manager

Irina DaSilva

Irina supports billing, record-keeping, and human resources. She handles both the accounts payable and accounts receivable day-to-day tasks, prepares the monthly P&L statements, and advises on budget development. Irina earned a BS in Engineering Technology from the Novosibirsk State Technical University in Russia.

Tara Detchemendy

Senior Designer

Tara Detchemendy

With more than seven years of experience in graphic design, Tara combines her visual sensibilities and real-world experience to deliver successful marketing communications. Her work has been honored with numerous awards from the Art Directors Club of DC and the Advertising Association of Baltimore. Tara received a BFA from the Savannah College of Art & Design, where she studied illustration and graphic design.

Amy Hooker

Director of Online Research and New Media

Amy Hooker

Amy is a seasoned online public relations professional with more than 12 years of experience developing online marketing, public relations, and blog campaigns, as well as reputation and brand management strategies and campaigns. An expert at blogosphere monitoring, research, and outreach, she spearheads the effort to find or influence online conversations. Amy graduated cum laude with a BA in Communication Studies with a minor in Philosophy from the University of North Carolina—Wilmington.

Senior Designer

Mimi In

With natural design talents and an outstanding work ethic, Mimi brings a fresh and modern design approach to her projects. Highly motivated and creative, she conceptualizes and designs projects including print, advertising, interactive, and identity. With a strong background in publications and magazine design, Mimi has developed designs for clients in a variety of industries, from government agencies to private sector firms. Mimi graduated cum laude from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County with a BA in Graphic Design.

Roxanne Labajo

Web Designer

Roxanne Labajo

Roxanne is committed to designing web experiences that are both visually fresh and user friendly, drawing on her creativity to produce clean and intuitive designs. She plans, designs, and manages front-end development for a variety of customers and industries. She works to plan and develop creative concepts and detailed, visually appealing page designs to translate into validating, standards-compliant documents. Roxanne received a BA in Graphic Design from Marymount University and an Associate of Applied Science in both Web Technologies and Computer Applications from Montgomery College.

David Lawrence

Production + Design

David Lawrence

David is responsible for workflow management and organization of all print production projects. He works closely with clients on concept development, maintains vendor relations, and is responsible for production quality control. David received an AA in Graphic Design, with honors, from The Art Institute, and has a Digital Design Certificate in Graphic Design for Print & Web.

Aja Lawson

Administrative Coordinator

Aja Lawson

With extensive customer service and problem-solving experience, Aja provides both general administrative and project support to the Rock Creek team. Her administrative skills are supported by more than six years of professional experience in marketing and promotions. Aja studied Communication and Film at the University of Michigan and holds a certificate in Radio and Television Broadcasting from the Specs Howard School of Broadcast Arts.

Clay Marshall

Director of Web Development

Clay Marshall

Clay combines a sophisticated sense of user experience with in-depth knowledge of design strategy that ensures both technical and functional requirements effectively support his customers’ strategic goals. He utilizes technical experience to expand website content management capability and produced effective, intelligent, interactive solutions. Clay earned a BA in Fine Arts/Photography from The George Washington University.

Christopher Mattox

Director of Production

Christopher Mattox

With more than 12 years of experience in production design, Christopher oversees all aspects of the firm’s production policies, objectives, and initiatives. He maintains the production schedule and ensures the most efficient execution and quality control of print production projects. Christopher received his education at The Johns Hopkins University and Yale School of Drama.

Jessica Menk

Senior Designer

Jessica Menk

Jessica brings ingenuity and versatility to her role in developing high-end, award-winning design. She has more than seven years of experience developing communications, with a strong background in print media for branding, advertising, collateral, publications, and marketing. Her enthusiasm, creative vision, and attention to detail are central to the success of her projects. She earned a BFA in Art and Design with a minor in Art History from Frostburg State University.

Natalya Minkovsky

Marketing Manager

Natalya Minkovsky

Natalya is a writer, editor, and communications expert with nearly a decade of experience in marketing, advertising, publishing, and strategic communications. She drafts and edits content for both client and Rock Creek marketing collateral including websites, outreach campaigns, press releases, advertisements, reports, fact sheets, and brochures. She oversees the company’s marketing activities with a focus on meeting organizational objectives. Natalya earned a BA in Writing Seminars with a minor in Film and Media Studies from The Johns Hopkins University.

Angela Mitchell

Art Director

Angela Mitchell

Angela is an energetic and versatile designer with experience developing concept-driven solutions for branding, advertising, and marketing. An integral part of the design team, she plays a key role in developing dynamic and effective design that reflects a strong passion for creativity and excellence. Her creative vision and attention to detail are central to the success of her projects. Angela earned a BS in Graphic Design from Pennsylvania State University.

Samantha Moore

Senior Project Manager

Samantha Moore

Samantha draws upon extensive experience in brand management, strategic planning, print production, and interactive marketing to manage marketing communications projects from conception to completion. She builds and fosters strong lines of communication between Rock Creek and its customers, ensuring that all deadlines and production needs are met. Samantha holds an MBA from University of Maryland University College and a BA in Journalism/Political Science from Indiana University.

Kristen Newton

Director of Strategy

Kristen Newton

Kristen leverages extensive experience in brand strategy and direct marketing to develop comprehensive strategic plans for Rock Creek clients across industries including healthcare, finance, technology, and publishing. She manages the firm’s strategy team and leads the development of effective marketing solutions as they relate to clients’ target audiences and business objectives and deliver measurable results. Kristen received a BS in Communications & Public Policy from Cornell University.

Dharma Pachner

Director of User Experience

Dharma Pachner

Dharma is an award-winning web designer and developer who has built his career on using advanced yet proven design and programming techniques to help organizations to communicate effectively on the web. He is an expert in user experience and information architecture and employs many of leading-edge web technologies all with the end goal of creating fresh, differentiating experiences for Rock Creek customers. Dharma holds certificates from two George Washington University programs: Interactive Multimedia and Web Design; and Design and Publication. He earned a BA in English from the University of Maryland College Park.

Jon Payne

Director of Search Marketing

Jon Payne

Jon has been helping clients gain exposure via search engines since before search engine optimization was a popular buzzword. He has both the technical know-how and the strategic understanding of what it takes to generate results via the Internet. Recognized as a Qualified Google Advertising Professional, Jon focuses not only on improving the quantity of website traffic but also the quality—i.e., improving lead generation. He holds a BS in Marketing & E-Business from Towson University and is currently pursuing an MBA from Loyola College.

Jessica Richmond

Director of Client Services

Jessica Richmond

With strong communications and organizational skills, as well as a reputation for solid customer service, Jessica is a certified Project Management Professional who works with strategy, design, development, and editorial teams to coordinate work between personnel, meet deadlines, and manage production. She communicates with customers and helps oversee the day-to-day business operations. Jessica holds a BBA in International Business from The George Washington University and received the International Student Scholarship when studying business for three years at the Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University in Japan.

Marketing Strategist

Meagen Ryan

Meagen brings more than eight years of communications, marketing, and sales experience to her role as a marketing strategist. Skilled in marketing strategy and implementation for nonprofit organizations, for-profit companies, and government agencies, she develops practical marketing solutions that achieve clients’ specific strategic goals. Meagen received a BA in Liberal Studies from the University of Notre Dame.

Marilyn Springer

Marketing Coordinator

Marilyn Springer

With strong writing skills and business sense, Marilyn supports the company’s proposal development process. She understands the prospective client’s needs and works with the rest of the Rock Creek team to present a strategic solution uniquely tailored to the client. She holds a BA in English with minors in Writing and Studio Arts from Gettysburg College.

Instructional Designer

Jill Tullo

A former English and ESL instructor, Jill is an expert at developing effective training products that meet clients’ learning objectives. She plans, writes, and edits training programs including multimedia/interactive, train-the-trainer, and instructor-led/classroom-based. Her expertise includes curriculum design, performance-based learning, e-learning, instructional content analysis, and training evaluation. Jill earned a BA in English Literature and Secondary Education from Emory & Henry College.

Project Manager

MaryHelen Votral

MaryHelen brings outstanding project management, client service, creative strategy, and organizational skills to her role at Rock Creek. With exceptional communications skills and consistent attention to detail, she develops project schedules, coordinates internal and external resources, and maintains accurate and thorough communication between Rock Creek and its customers. She holds a BA in both Public Relations and Spanish from Penn State University.

Jacob Wolfsheimer

Search Engine Marketing Manager

Jacob Wolfsheimer

With more than eight years of experience spanning web design and development, social media, search engine optimization, and web analytics, Jacob manages Rock Creek’s interactive projects. He holds a JD from the Syracuse University College of Law and a BA in Sociology and Politics, with a minor in Internet Studies, from Brandeis University. He also holds certificates from the SEMPO Institute, where he studied Fundamentals of Search Marketing Course and Advanced Search Advertising.