Named a Women of Influence by the Milwaukee Business Journal, Tammy is an award-winning PR and equity strategist serving as founder and president of Athena Communications. Athena is a brand management and government affairs firm specializing in strategic communications, equity and inclusion practices, and media engagement, with client partners engaged in transformational and systems change work since 2009.  

Tammy serves as an adjunct professor in the Diederich College of Communications at Marquette University where she teaches corporate writing.  From June 2020 through January 2022, Tammy was the first appointed chief diversity officer with Milwaukee Repertory Theater, the largest regional theater in Wisconsin. As an accelerant for equity and inclusion, she worked directly with executive leadership, board of trustees, staff and community to develop, implement and measure ED&I goals for the theater and serve as an internal coach on inclusiveness and diversity issues. 

Most recently, Tammy was named a 2023 Notable BIPOC Executive honoree by the Biz Times. In 2021 she was a part of the inaugural class of Notable Alumni, a recognition for distinguished alumni recognized by the Biz Times and was most recently the recipient of the inaugural Governor’s Tourism Award for Diversity, Equity, Accessibility and Inclusion. The award recognizes demonstrated leadership in raising awareness, or facilitating change, to build a more inclusive and welcoming environment for visitors to Wisconsin.

 

Prior to launching Athena in 2009, Tammy held senior level positions in city government and community-based organizations and served as staff assistant with the Milwaukee County Board and Milwaukee Common Council. Tammy is an active member of the greater Milwaukee community, with leadership on the boards of Alverno College, Milwaukee Rep, TEMPO Milwaukee,  and Public Relations Society of America – Southeastern Wisconsin Chapter. She enjoys membership in Professional Dimensions, Institute for Women’s Leadership at Marquette University, Milwaukee Press Club, and the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ)-Wisconsin Chapter.

A proud graduate of Alverno College, Tammy enjoys reading, advocacy work, and proudly serves as a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.

Catherine Knipstein has more than 15 years of experience in public relations, working first for the Conference of State Bank Supervisors (CSBS), a nonprofit professional association headquartered in Washington, D.C.

Catherine also worked as a Senior Account Executive for a PR firm located in Milwaukee for more than two years. In July 2019, Catherine joined Athena Communications as the firm’s Chief Strategist.

 

Catherine has extensive experience in internal and external communications and has served an array of organizations across all types of industries, including nonprofits, municipalities, international banks, national retailers and schools.

 

Before becoming a public relations executive, Catherine was a financial policy analyst for CSBS, worked in the Office of Legislative Affairs for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and started her career working for U.S. Sen. Don Nickles (R-OK). Through these positions, Catherine gained knowledge of the federal policy creation process.

 

Catherine has a Master of Arts degree in Communication from Johns Hopkins University and a Bachelor of Arts degree in U.S. History from Sewanee: University of the South. She and her husband, Jeff, have a young daughter named Nan.

Patrick McSweeney uses the skills he learned as a newspaper, radio and TV journalist to help clients effectively connect with employees, customers, community leaders, investors and more. He serves as public relations strategist and counselor for C-suite executives, providing crisis communications planning, message development, and media training and media relations. He has served as the spokesperson for a Florida government agency, as well as for Fortune 500 companies, and worked with well-known automotive, high-tech, retail brands, vacation destinations and others.

McSweeney earned the designation Accredited in Public Relations (APR) from the Public Relations Society of America in 2011. He was elected to the prestigious College of Fellows in 2015, an honor bestowed on fewer than 400 public relations professionals since 1989 for contributions to the industry. He has won many awards for his work, including a Bronze Anvil Award of Commendation from the Public Relations Society of America, and was a finalist for the nation’s top Corporate Social Responsibility programs from PR News.

He is the chair for PRSA’s Midwest District and co-chair for PRSA’s national Diversity, Equity & Inclusion committee and has served as an adjunct professor at Marquette University and the University of North Florida in Jacksonville.

A graduate of The Ohio State University, McSweeney earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism. He and his wife Jane have two grown sons.

Darron (DJ) Brüwer is committed to building strong client relationships and supporting organizations in sharing their stories with clarity and purpose. He brings a background in marketing, communications, and client management, with experience helping nonprofits, businesses, and community initiatives strengthen their visibility and impact.

Darron values collaboration and takes a thoughtful, relationship-driven approach to his work. He has supported a variety of projects, from community events to entrepreneurial ventures, always with a focus on aligning strategy with mission. At Athena, Darron partners with clients to understand their goals and helps guide the development of strategies that create meaningful connections with their audiences.

Grounded in curiosity and a dedication to service, Darron is passionate about contributing to work that uplifts communities and advances equity through authentic storytelling and strategic communications.

As a Creative Director, Brand Strategist and Copywriter, Dave has helped build brands and generate successful, creative campaigns for a wide variety of clients, including Fortune 500 companies like Harley-Davidson, Pepsico, Gallo and SC Johnson. He has developed brand stories, brand pillars, brand guidelines and brand name/ideation workshops, as well as created social media strategy and content, in-store and off-premise promotions, and event themes and marketing. Additionally, Dave has written video scripts, print and digital ads and advertorials, website copy, brochures, product packaging copy, billboards and much more.

Dave is now driven by creatively supporting transformative brands, those that aspire more to than just a healthy ROI, but strive to make a positive impact in the world.

Dave has a Bachelor’s degree in Philosophy from the University of Wisconsin–Madison and a Bachelor’s degree in Russian from UW–Milwaukee. After working for more than 20 years in a conventional agency setting, Dave broke free, started his own freelance business and joined the talented, visionary team at Athena.

In his spare time, Dave enjoys travel, films, nature and soup.

Kayla Erickson has experience working in various newsrooms as a journalist in Michigan and Minnesota throughout the past five years – The State News, The Great Lakes Echo and Sun Thisweek/The Dakota County Tribune. Erickson specializes in reporting on environmental sustainability and is passionate about working towards empowering thriving communities centered on sustainability in all areas. 

 

For two years, Erickson worked as a media and communications specialist for Camp Arcadia in Arcadia, Michigan. The family camp is a part of the Lutheran Camp Association, a nonprofit with roots dating back over 100 years. It was there that she learned how to engage in multimedia strategies to support a missionally-focused organization. 

 

Erickson graduated Michigan State University with Bachelor’s degrees in both Journalism and Environmental Sustainability. Erickson and her husband currently reside in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where she enjoys game nights, long walks exploring the city’s lakes and parks, experimenting in the kitchen and being involved in her church community.