Zihla delivers operational leadership and contributes to growth across YES& in areas such as new business development, mergers and acquisitions, and talent development. She has spent her career running formidable agencies and building networks. As the Founder and CEO of Conspiracy Theory, she created an advertising and marketing services network by successfully acquiring world-class specialist agencies that came together to serve Fortune 500 clientele. She built this organization from the ground up having designed the vision, secured the financing and successfully worked with agency partners to develop new business and build a unified solution offering. Prior to Conspiracy Theory, Zihla served as the U.S. CEO and Global CMO of ENGINE, a full-service media and marketing services company. In this role, she oversaw the organization’s global brand identity as well as the integrated media, strategy and creative capabilities in the U.S. She actively mentors young women and supports programs such as Girls Leadership, serves on the board of directors for the Marcus Graham Project and is a member of the MAKERS Community.

Josh spearheads the creative development of major projects for Yes& clients, leading a team of artists, storytellers, and brand creators. A skilled copywriter, video producer, event director, and marketer, Josh leads the Yes& charge, opening new doors, exploring fresh big ideas, all with an eye on the target: making more possible for clients. Josh has an insatiable intellectual curiosity. He loves facts. He also has a passion for language. It’s no wonder that his meandering career path – actor, writer, director, professor, historian, sports marketer – has culminated in creative strategy. His creative work has served clients such as PBS, The Inn at Little Washington, Sierra Club, US Open Tennis, and Choice Hotels. Before joining Yes&, Josh directed creative for two major league baseball teams, the New York Mets, and the Washington Nationals, where his legacy lives on in four larger-than-life racing presidents.

Jeb Brown is a legend in the Washington advertising industry. At age 27 he took over his father’s 15-person PR firm and grew Earle Palmer Brown into the largest privately owned ad agency in the United States, with 13 offices across the country and England, and over 1,000 employees. Known as an expert in the Mergers & Acquisitions of communications firms, Jeb pioneered the creation of a fully-integrated marketing communications shop, combining advertising, public relations, sales promotion, direct marketing, digital marketing, graphic design, and management consulting into one organization. Jeb sold Earle Palmer Brown in 2000 and spent the next ten years engaged in a number of entrepreneurial ventures while sitting on Boards of start-ups, schools, and non-profits. From 2012 to 2020 he taught Marketing Communications as an Adjunct Professor in the MBA Program at the University of Maryland’s RH Smith School of Business. Simultaneously he consulted with local Washington area advertising and marketing agencies, which connected him to PCI Communications. In 2016 he joined PCI full-time and become Chairman/COO in 2018. Under his watch PCI has grown from a staff of 24 to today’s staff of 175. Today he oversees the day-to-day operations and finances of the company. Jeb is a Phi Beta Kappa, Magna Cum Laude graduate of Washington & Lee University and has a MBA from Harvard Business School. He has been a member of YPO since the 1980’s.

As Founder & Managing Partner of Yes& Bob brings 40 years of experience in marketing and communications, offering boardroom-level strategy combined with versatile writing and creative skills. His expertise spans branding, market research, internal communications, crisis communications, copywriting, speechwriting, and video production; and his industry knowledge is deep in healthcare, financial services, homeland security, and association leadership. He is a results-oriented facilitator of strategy and planning sessions, insightful interviewer, and speaker on communication and stakeholder engagement topics. During his career Bob has served Fortune 500 corporations, leading associations, and multiple federal government agencies while leading the growth of an agency recognized by the Inc. 5000 seven times and currently ranked as the #2 Advertising Agency based in the greater Washington, DC area.

With over 25 years in marketing leadership, Debbie has combined creative insight with strategic focus to drive brand growth and inspire high-performing teams. As Chief Marketing Officer at Yes&, she leads initiatives in brand awareness, client engagement, and agency growth, emphasizing relationship-building and long-term partnerships for lasting success. Previously, Debbie led Beyond Definition (formerly Bates Creative), a certified women-owned agency, for almost 20 years until its acquisition by Yes& in 2021. Her career is fueled by continuous learning and a passion for pushing industry boundaries, which she shares as a speaker at events by Adobe, the American Marketing Association, and General Assembly to name a few. Debbie is also committed to community service, serving on non-profit boards such as Blossoms of Hope and contributing to organizations like the American Marketing Association’s D.C. Chapter and the Association of Media & Publishing. Her goal is to inspire progress in the industry and make a positive impact locally.

Jeff is the Chief Client Officer, bringing 20+ years of marketing, branding and agency leadership experience to Yes&. Before joining us, Jeff spent over 12 years at Hill Holliday in Boston, MA as Executive Vice President of Account Management where he led the Bank of America, Optum, Fireball and American Lung Association relationships. During this time, he oversaw all brand, CSR/ESG and sponsorship work in some of the most complex, highly regulated industries in the world. Prior to Hill Holliday, Jeff spent several years at Arnold Worldwide in Boston, running the Gillette/Oral Care business as well as Vonage (telecommunications) and The Hartford (insurance/financial services). Jeff has come full circle at Yes&, as he started his marketing career in Washington DC at Earle Palmer Brown. He holds a BS in Economics from Trinity College in Harford, CT and currently resides in Andover, MA with his wife, Cristen and two daughters, Grace and Eleanor.

Andy Blenkle is an advertising executive who has built agile independent agencies and guided large integrated teams on landmark federal communications contracts. As President of Yes& Federal, he has turned a boutique creative shop into a prime contractor of choice, directing integrated campaigns for FEMA, the U.S. Mint, the National Flood Insurance Program, and the U.S. Department of State, while boosting win rates across IDIQ and BPA competitions and partnering with large and small companies. Earlier, as Vice President at Fors Marsh, Andy grew the firm from seventy to more than four hundred staff and helped secure B Corp certification. He led advertising and behavioral research programs for AmeriCorps, the U.S. Army, the U.S. Coast Guard, the National Institutes of Health, and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, delivering measurable gains in awareness, recruitment, and public engagement. His executive résumé also includes serving as President of iostudio, where he expanded a digital marketing practice supporting defense and civilian clients, and as Managing Director of WPP’s JWT Inside, where he repositioned its employer brand group to win federal and global recruitment assignments. Earlier, he directed the national Army National Guard recruitment account at LMO, managed consumer insights for Coors Brewing at FCB San Francisco, advanced campus marketing for VarsityBooks.com, and served as an infantry and advertising officer in the U.S. Marine Corps. Across these roles, Andy mastered the federal acquisition life cycle from FAR compliance and proposal strategy to contract delivery and CPARS excellence. His campaigns celebrate public sector professionals and underscore the value of a strong federal government, reinforcing trust while advancing agency missions across a broad spectrum of civilian and defense priorities. A political science graduate of Villanova University, Andy is a Greater Washington Board of Trade member and served on the Arlington Economic Development Commission and as president of the American Advertising Federation Washington DC chapter, mentoring emerging agencies and strengthening the region’s creative economy.

Carmel McDonagh is a Senior Vice President, Account Management at Yes& Agency. In this role, she leads the business-to-government practice supporting clients in Public Sector IT with a variety of marketing services including brand strategy, public relations, content creation, events, digital marketing, creative support and advisory board services. Carmel has almost 20 years of experience in the B2G community working with many of the biggest and brightest firms serving the Federal government. With a background in Enterprise & IT Media, she also understands how to tell a story that connects and champions a brand. She is the proud Mom of two girls, Hannah and Delia, who are avid Chess and Roblox players.

Jay is the SVP of the Consumer Brands division of Yes& and has brings 25 years of integrated brand management experience to Yes&. Jay's career started in fundraising and development with the Boy Scouts of America, leading corporate fundraising events in New York City. From that, Jay joined NFL Properties running sponsorship programs and fan activations promoting youth football for programs like Punt Pass & Kick and the NFL's flag football program. These integrated experiences were parlayed into over 20 years inside WPP in Account Management, Agency Leadership and Operations roles for great agencies like J. Walter Thompson, Ogilvy & Ogilvy One. Jay's brand experience includes the United States Marine Corps, InterContinental Hotels Group, Jiffy Lube, HSBC, Shell and other emergent brands. Jay holds a BS in American History from Saint Michael's College in Vermont and resides in Atlanta, GA but is likely on the road visiting his son and daughter to take in a soccer or basketball game.

Alexia is the head of our nonprofit and higher education team and is an inspiring leader and superb listener. Throughout a career in media strategy, consulting, and account management, her experience and tenacity helped clients push through their biggest challenges, plan for their futures, and surpass their own boldest goals. She is frequent podium speaker, and is the co-author of “Navigating a brand ‘bounce back’ after a near closure: Sweet Briar College’s ‘fierce’ brand refresh” in the Journal of Education Advancement & Marketing. Alexia holds a B.A. in history from the University of Chicago, an MBA from University of the People, and is a Master Project Manager (AAPM). An avid runner, Alexia is a UESCA certified running coach and loves to help people cross their first finish line. She tries her best to grow tomatoes in her shady backyard, but finds she has better luck in her local community garden.

Andrew is the Senior Vice President of Strategic Planning at Yes&. He has almost 20 years of experience overseeing marketing teams and leading brand, digital, social, communications, and customer experience strategies in New York City and DC. During his tenure at Ogilvy & Mather and Anomaly, he worked across verticals and with a variety of clients including Nestle, Pfizer, Coca-Cola, UPS, Marriott, Dick’s Sporting Goods, and Diageo. He then led branding and donor experience teams at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center that set digital fundraising records. And he launched the most successful Kickstarter project in DC history (Music for Cats). His focus at Yes& is on helping brands connect with their audiences — both rationally and emotionally — across the many touchpoints of a customer journey. He is leading the strategic direction for government, nonprofit, and commercial clients that include the U.S. Department of State, Medidata, SHRM, FEMA, Vertical Aviation International, and UVA's Darden School of Business.

Mark has more than 15 years of experience in developing and maintaining all aspects of marketing strategy. He has significant experience in developing marketing communications plans, including initial strategic planning and audience research; content and message development; creative concepting; and website planning, architecture and UX. Mark is skilled in project management of design and execution, print and interactive advertising, and web and print production, and is an expert media planner and develops highly-measured and data-driven solutions for clients. This includes target audience research and analysis, budgeting, negotiating and ad placement, direct trafficking, ad retargeting and 3rd party ad serving, and reporting.

Jerry Doyle is Managing Director of Yes& CommCore. He delivers presentation, messaging, storytelling and speaker skills coaching and provides strategic counsel to financial, healthcare, government, academia, biopharmaceutical, technology, transportation and venture capital clients. He also heads up our crisis communications practice to help clients prepare for, and manage ongoing and burgeoning crises. These programs have spanned across industries like biotechnology, healthcare, automotive, technology, and aviation. He travels nationally and internationally preparing C-suite leaders, managers, physicians, HCPs, patients, internal and external executives, and global key opinion leaders for internal and external presentations, speeches, talks and panel discussions. In addition to managing and growing operations, Jerry spearheads marketing efforts and business development for the firm. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business and Finance Administration from Mount St. Mary’s University in Maryland.

Sarah Shirck is recognized for her expertise in organizational growth, change management, strategic communications, and executive coaching. She has advised top Federal agencies including the Office of Personnel Management, the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Office of Inspector General, and the Department of Justice; private sector firms such as Optiv, Takeda Pharmaceuticals, Fidelity, and Lincoln Financial; and leading non-profits including the Woodwell Climate Research Center, the Smithsonian Institution, Veterans Community Project, National Association of Corporate Directors, and Horizon Federal Credit Union. Her work has guided these organizations through transformative change, crises, administration transitions, and strategic communications challenges—applying change and organizational management principles to optimize marketing investments and strengthen organizational performance. A key contributor to the 4A’s Standard for Agency Operations and Business Transformation, Sarah has shaped industry best practices and was honored as one of DC’s Top Women Leaders of 2025 by Women We Admire and as a 40 Under 40 awardee by the Alexandria Chamber of Commerce. With a reputation for guiding organizations through complex challenges, she delivers results in high-stakes, mission-critical environments, helping leaders and teams navigate transformation with clarity and purpose. Sarah holds a B.A. in Telecommunications from Penn State University and an M.A. in Organizational Management from The George Washington University.