We enjoy the folks we spend our days with, whether it’s inside the office or outside after hours. Allow us to introduce ourselves.

Carrie McCament serves as Chernoff Newman’s CEO. She has strong leadership acumen in guiding multi-disciplinary teams while cultivating fresh approaches to problem-solving and creative fluidity across the communications spectrum. Carrie has more than three decades of marketing and business development experience with mid-sized and major agencies and holding companies IPG, Omnicom and Publicis. She has led business-building strategies for some of the world’s largest and most recognizable brands including Samsung, Bank of America, General Motors, M&M Mars and Hallmark. McCament was chief marketing officer for Brownstein Group, leading the Philadelphia-based agency’s brand positioning, marketing and strategic growth initiatives. While at MullenLowe, she directed the country’s leading marketing-to-women communications company, Frank About Women/Mullen/IPG. At Charlotte-based Wray Ward, McCament served as vice president and executive director of client engagement where she helped to deliver year-over-year record-breaking growth in annual client billings and incremental net new revenue. What makes Carrie valuable to companies and clients are her instincts for understanding their brand, building loyalty in the marketplace and finding breakthrough approaches that yield business results. Carrie has been published many times and has been a platform speaker at prominent national and international conferences. She studied broadcast journalism at the University of South Carolina and achieved a bachelor’s degree from Ohio University in telecommunications and broadcast journalism. Carrie resides in Matthews, North Carolina, with her family.

David loves advertising. It just doesn’t get any simpler than that. For more than 30 years he’s trotted the globe creating brands, influencing consumer behavior and making friends along the way. Today he supervises several of the agency’s largest accounts, including the South Carolina Department of Agriculture and Piggly Wiggly. David brings unparalleled experience in the areas of consumer research and branding. Working with the State Agriculture Commissioner Hugh Weathers, Assistant Commissioner Martin Eubanks and the staff at the SC Department of Agriculture, David was instrumental in creating and launching the Certified SC Grown brand campaign. Getting Certified SC Grown off the ground required a tremendous effort and the unprecedented coordination of all segments of the industry. David’s passion, drive and field marketing expertise were instrumental in creating the necessary buy-in among producers, processors, wholesalers, distributors, retailers, restaurants and consumers. David also supports South Carolina’s agribusiness economy by serving on the board of the Palmetto Agribusiness Council. And, just to prove a point that small farmers can mean big business for the state, he started his own organic blueberry farm in his free time.

Trevor has more than 25 years of experience in the advertising industry and specializes in creating content for web, broadcast, digital, print, outdoor, direct mail and social media. As an Associate Creative Director, he oversees Chernoff Newman’s growing creative team and copywriters. His career began at Chernoff Newman, formerly Chernoff Silver, before he moved on to work with global agencies including Dark Grey in the Netherlands and BBDO in Berlin. His overseas experience gives him a unique perspective and enviable range of international and local client experience, including Allianz Global, BMW, Caterpillar, Dayton Power & Light, Hoover, SC Department of Agriculture and Shell Oil. He has also been the lead writer for DAODAS since it was first awarded to Chernoff Newman and has developed the content for the full Just Plain Killers campaign and other DAODAS campaigns/efforts. Whether he is writing content for a website or concepting a new campaign, Trevor uses his creative experience, deep understanding of consumers and attention to detail to deliver engaging and consistent copy. Trevor has won more than 200 industry awards, including Tellys and InShow awards, local and regional AAF awards, including several ‘Best Of’ honors and a national Gold Effie for advertising effectiveness. His work was most recently was a Finalist in the National Radio Mercury Awards. He is a graduate of the University of South Carolina with a bachelor’s degree in journalism and advertising.

Adam has more than 30 years of experience providing public relations and strategic communications counsel with expertise in internal/external communications planning, community relations, media relations, crisis communications, issues management, public affairs and marketing communications. He has worked extensively in healthcare, professional services, non-profit, real estate development and education. Adam is an Accredited Member of the Public Relations Society of America, as well as former president, board member and International Assembly delegate for the Charlotte Chapter of the organization. He has chaired the boards of numerous community organizations including the Foundation for the Charlotte Jewish Community, Temple Beth El and the Charlotte Civic Orchestra, and served as trustee of many others including the Charlotte Symphony, Jewish Federation of Greater Charlotte, Wildacres Leadership Initiative, The Echo Foundation and United Family Services Men for Change campaign committee. He is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and is currently working toward a Masters in Communications from Queens University in Charlotte.

Ryan Brown is a dedicated communications professional with nearly a decade of experience working in and with South Carolina’s local and state government offices and elected officials. Prior to joining Chernoff Newman, Ryan spent over seven years as Chief Communications Officer at the South Carolina Department of Education under State Superintendent of Education Molly Spearman. In this senior staff role, he oversaw all agency communications, worked closely with local and state agencies, key stakeholders, the General Assembly, and served as a policy advisor to Superintendent Spearman. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he led the agency’s pandemic response efforts and served as the liaison with public health officials statewide. Before joining the South Carolina Department of Education in 2015, he successfully advised and managed political campaigns on the local and state level. Born in Atlanta, Georgia, Ryan relocated at a young age to Mount Pleasant, South Carolina graduating from Wando High School and later moved to Columbia where he graduated from the University of South Carolina. He remains involved in politics and education, serving in various capacities for state and local organizations that advocate for and advance existing initiatives and needed reforms.

After 25 years as Chairman and CEO, Lee recently stepped down as CEO, but continues to provide agency leadership as Chairman.  He is a trusted senior counselor on a wide range of business, public relations and marketing issues. Lee has expansive expertise in using communication strategies to help solve complicated issues. Since 1975, Lee’s picked up quite a number of accolades, including New Carolinian of the Year, Public Relations Practitioner of the Year for South Carolina, Distinguished Alumnus of the USC College of Mass Communication, Alumni Life Service Award for the USC College of Mass Communication, Life Service Award for Leadership Columbia, the Columbia Chamber of Commerce Ambassador of the Year and the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce Business Leader of the Year. Lee is an active participant in the business community, having completed a term as the Chairman of the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce and as Chairman of the South Carolina Business Alliance for Transportation. He recently served as a member of the University of South Carolina Board of Trustees and as President of the University of South Carolina Alumni Association. He is Past-Chairman of the Greater Columbia Chamber of Commerce, served as a member of the advisory board for South Carolina Competitive Initiative and as a member of the Vision South Carolina Team that established the State’s long term vision of moving South Carolina’s per capita income to the national average. He has served on the executive committee of EngenuitySC, and the executive committee of the Midlands Business Leadership Group. And if you couldn’t already tell, Lee is a Gamecock for life.

For someone who’s not from South Carolina, David surely does know everyone in this state. He’s what we call the inside outsider. And not just in South Carolina. No matter where his travels take him, David never meets a stranger. He combines his ability to easily make friends with his aptitude for running a business. As Chief Operating Officer, David is responsible for the daily management of all operations. He determines the strategic direction for the agency, evaluates new business opportunities and oversees all of our offices. His nose for business comes from his background with both Fannie Mae, where he was the manager of MBS (mortgage-backed securities) trading, and the Federal Savings & Loan Insurance Corp., where he was a financial analyst. He also uses these strengths in the community where many call him treasurer or chairman or even trustee. He’s on the Advisory Board for the College of Charleston School of Communications as well as on the Advisory Board for the University of South Carolina School of Journalism and Mass Communications. His involvement with the American Advertising Federation has led him to serve as President of AAF of the Midlands, District 3 Governor and most recently as the Chairman of the Council of Governors. He is currently a Board Member for the Ronald McDonald Housing Corp and has been appointed by three governors to serve as a Commissioner for the SC Department of Consumer Affairs where he is the current Chair. He has also served as a Trustee for Claflin University and on the boards of the National Kidney Foundation of SC, the Richland County Public Library, Historic Columbia Foundation, and the United Way of the Midlands. As if that doesn’t keep him busy enough, this guy also cooks for his friends and family, is a certified barbecue judge all over the Southeast, swims laps every morning and tries his best to keep his guitars in tune.

As media director at Chernoff Newman, Chris is a team leader responsible for developing media strategy to steer clients toward success. He has a strong understanding of the industry and works to identify new opportunities for each account to achieve maximum growth. Chris assists the senior leadership team in providing improvements that elevate the agency’s offerings and service to clients. Bringing over two decades of experience, Chris has a knack for developing strategic plans across both traditional and digital channels, as well as an extensive background in account supervision, advertising sales and marketing success. Most recently, Collesano was an account executive for WLVL Radio in New York and media director and buyer for RH Power where he was responsible for the execution of media plans for clients in over 50 different markets. Chris is a graduate of SUNY New Paltz with a bachelor’s degree in communications and marketing.

Amanda works with some of the most recognizable companies in the Carolinas and is a leader in Charlotte’s public relations industry. She provides strategic public relations counsel and media relations to clients in a wide range of industries such as education, engineering, professional services, public works, aviation and nonprofit. Since joining the agency in 2005, her clients have included Pulte Homes, Charlotte Water, Deloitte, Arts & Science Council, 7-Eleven, Inc., Charlotte Chamber, Charlotte Douglas International Airport and S&D Coffee and Tea. Amanda has nearly 15 years of experience of experience working with local, regional, and national press and trade publications. She is also skilled in copywriting, social media strategy, branding, advocacy, public affairs and project management, and leads the agency's public relations and social media team. Amanda’s career began at Drayton Hall, a National Trust Historic Site in Charleston, SC, where she handled news media relations, planned events and assisted with marketing communications for more than two years. A College of Charleston graduate, Amanda received her Accreditation in Public Relations (APR) in 2011 and served as president of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) Charlotte Chapter in 2014. She has held various leadership roles within the chapter since 2006—including awards chair, new professionals chair, secretary, treasurer and vice president—and was the recipient of its Young Professional Award in 2009. In 2015, she was appointed to the board of directors of The Housing Partnership, a nonprofit organization that provides affordable housing for low-income families in Charlotte-Mecklenburg.

As the vice president of public affairs, Mark crafts integrated communications programs that influence policy decisions, shape public opinion and protect our clients’ reputations. With more than a decade of Washington, D.C.-based experience working with clients across the globe, Mark brings a diverse background that has helped expand the agency’s influence both throughout the Southeast and worldwide. Over his career, he’s provided counsel to political candidates, Fortune 500 companies, trade associations, third-party coalitions and governments in Europe, Asia and the Middle East. Prior to joining Chernoff Newman, Mark worked at Signal Group, a globally respected Washington, D.C.-based Public Affairs firm, where he was executive vice president and chair of the international practice. His most notable accomplishments include crafting and executing a communications program for a European Union foreign minister to become President of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) and helping to manage the Irish American Presidential Forum for U.S. Senator John McCain. He also led a winning public affairs campaign to save thousands of American manufacturing jobs, resulting in a national media event with the 39th U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross. Mark Duffy holds a bachelor’s degree in political science and master’s degree in international business from the University College of Dublin in Ireland, his home country, and a master’s degree in political management from George Washington University. Mark is the first to tell you about the desire to improve his quality of life, especially in spending time with his wife Monica and their young son, Declan. He is based in the Midlands of South Carolina, but travels across the country to service clients.

Prussia serves as Chernoff Newman’s Chief Financial Officer. She designed and manages many of the reporting systems currently used in the budgetary management of multiple clients including South Carolina Education Lottery and South Carolina Department of Agriculture. This includes direction and oversight of monthly financial reporting of activities and reconciliation of program expenses. Prussia has more than 20 years of experience managing and reconciling legislatively mandated budgets, maintenance of accounting records and analysis of financial transactions. She has a master of science in accounting from Liberty University and is a graduate of the University of South Carolina Moore School of Business with a bachelor of science degree in business administration, focusing on accounting.

Bruce spends his day focused on leading the accounts for several our highest profile clients, including the Florida Department of Agriculture, the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB), and T.G. Lee Dairy. While his primary emphasis has been on product marketing, he has supervised introductions of brands at all stages of development, including concept generation, research, test marketing and regional/national expansion. Bruce will serve as the primary contact. In addition to his financial/insurance, healthcare and food & beverage experience, Bruce has also worked in a variety of other industries with clients like Health Central in Orlando, McArthur Dairy, Duda Farm Fresh Foods, USA Mobility, Nextel, Sprint Business Systems, the Pool People and Orkin. He has more than 30 years’ experience in account management and media planning, and before joining Chernoff Newman, he worked for Liller Neal, Tucker Wayne and J. Walter Thompson. Bruce graduated from Florida State University with a degree in marketing/ communications. After working in Atlanta, he moved back to his home state of Florida and serves as general manager of our Orlando office.

Peter LaMotte is a skilled marketing, public relations and advertising executive with experience in complex communications, reputational issues, marketing and advertising strategies. Over the last two decades, Peter has built his expertise by working with clients all over the world. Peter brings this diverse background to Chernoff Newman to provide holistic and integrated solutions to needs of their clients. Prior to joining Chernoff Newman, Peter spent ten years in Washington, DC including leadership of digital strategy for a premier crisis and reputation firm where his client base included Fortune 100 corporations, international associations, individuals and foreign governments. Prior to that he ran an online advertising agency that created rich media content for global brands through a network of creative professionals from around the globe. Peter also served as a marketing and communications consultant. He also has rich technology and marketing experience working for firms in Los Angeles, CA and Memphis, TN. Peter is often quoted in national media outlets including the Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Forbes and industry publications such as Stat News and PR Week. He has taught classes and seminars at Georgetown University, University of Maryland, Vanderbilt University and American University on the topics of reputation management, entrepreneurism, and marketing.  He holds a BA in International Business from Rhodes College and an MBA from Vanderbilt’s Graduate School of Management. Born and raised in Beaufort County, SC, Peter now lives in Charleston, SC with his wife, son and daughter.

As Vice President of Research, Fenton Overdyke uses his 20+ years of experience to lead the agency’s marketing research division. A skilled moderator and analyst, he is involved in all phases of the research process from client consultation and methodology recommendation to analysis and reporting of findings. He’s relied on for his unique ability to turn data into actionable insights. He’s conducted research in a range of industries, including healthcare, education, agriculture, and food and beverage. Fenton carves out time for active community service, serving on the Executive Committee of the Board for the Salvation Army of the Midlands as Past Chairman. He holds a B.S. and an M.B.A. from the University of South Carolina.

Through strategic and creative direction, Heather helps create and maintain brands for some of the agency’s most high-profile clients including the CLT Airport, SC Department of Agriculture, US Utilities, BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina and the Florida Department of Agriculture. No matter what client she’s working with, Heather has her finger on the pulse of what’s next in the interactive and social realm – and how these new means of communication layer with more traditional mediums to form an omni-channel approach to marketing. No matter where these messages come to life, she still relishes the moment that an idea moves from concept to reality. In her 20+ year career, Heather’s work has earned countless local, regional and national awards. Heather leads the creative and account service teams at the agency, focusing on strategically driven work that both achieves results for our clients and delights consumers through creativity. She is a guest speaker at local marketing events and in the college classroom, and has also served as a regional judge in the creative field. Heather is a member of the 2014 class of Leadership Columbia, the 2015 class of the State Newspaper’s 20 under 40 and currently serves on the board for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Columbia and the WAGE committee for the Women’s Rights and Empowerment Network. She a proud graduate of The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, holding a bachelor’s degree in journalism and mass communication.

Tye has helped develop and implement communications strategies for both business-to-business marketing and business-to-consumer advertising campaigns at the national level. His particular experience in healthcare, technology, manufacturing and energy clients like Cierra Photonics, Dayton Power & Light, BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina and Midlands Technical College have provided him the opportunity to create strategies from small startups to huge corporations. No matter who he’s working with, Tye's approach to branding pairs strategy with creativity for original and highly-focused marketing efforts. He studies people, what motivates them and ultimately how they connect with the brands he serves. Engaging people in two-way conversations with each other and the brands that they love is what it’s all about for him. Outside of the office, you’ll find Tye chasing his family from school to the soccer field or playing lead guitar for his locally world famous band, Jet Lag Jones.

Elizabeth has the rare knack for understanding clients’ needs and expressing them in the marketplace through compelling, persuasive imagery and design. While art direction and graphic design are what normally keep Elizabeth busy at Chernoff Newman, her analytical side pushes ideas until they click, both strategically and conceptually. As an associate creative director, Prim leads the firm’s creative and design team. She has nearly two decades of experience creating strategic advertising and design content for a wide range of clients. Her expertise includes branding, logos, broadcast production, web design and print and collateral. In addition, she designs and develops creative assets – both static and motion – for social channels and digital media buys. She works with a range of clients, including Medical University of South Carolina, Piggly Wiggly, Florida Department of Agriculture, South Carolina Department of Agriculture, NFIB and AES. Elizabeth’s expertise has landed over 100 awards including national and international recognition. She currently serves on the board for Trident United Way, where she chairs the marketing and communications committee. A Furman University graduate, Elizabeth has been with the Chernoff Newman team for 15 years.

Danielle is based in the Columbia Chernoff Newman office where she leads the agency’s interactive team and oversees development, implementation, and execution of client websites including those for SC Ports, DAODAS and the SC Department of Agriculture. With more than 15 years of experience in design and front-end development, Danielle is poised to make creativity come to life online. She knows that a website’s usability and design is a crucial aspect of the digital experience for a brand and the consumer – whether that is on desktop or mobile. That’s why she feels so strongly about working through the design process for a flawless execution of the development. Her passion for advertising is clearly seen through her dedication to the American Advertising Federation (AAF). Through this organization, she has been awarded National President of the Year (AAF Midlands, 2014), Member of the Year (AAF Midlands, 2016), National Governor of the Year (AAF District 3, 2020) and is a Silver Medal recipient (AAF Midlands, 2021). She currently serves on the AAF National Board of Directors and was elected the Chair of the AAF Council of Governors. She is a graduate of Savannah College of Art and Design with a bachelor of fine arts in graphic design.

Rick is the first person to talk politics but the last person to follow policy. That’s because Rick doesn’t follow the rules, he creates them. Especially for the clients he loves so much, including Palmetto Health, Waste Management and Dayton Power & Light. Rick’s  passion for the next big idea can be found in every part of Rick’s life, from his strategic planning for clients to the women in his family. After serving as an aide for two lieutenant governors, Rick took his act on the road and formed Chernoff/Silver & Associates in 1976. Since then, his ideas have gotten bigger and better in a wide variety of fields – from education, healthcare and economic development to energy, the environment and insurance. Rick’s reputation precedes him as an expert in research methodology and analysis, opinion polling, issues management and public relations. All of which are put to work for clients like USC, Palmetto Health, Waste Management and the South Carolina Department of Health and Human Services. And once you’ve been in one of these legendary meetings with Rick, you’ll know just what we mean by waving arms. He just can’t help it.

As the Vice President of Client Engagement at Chernoff Newman, Elizabeth develops and implements communications strategies for marketing and advertising campaigns as well as manages the daily details for some of the agency’s largest accounts. Since she joined the agency in 2007, she has gained experience working with various industries including healthcare, agriculture, education, financial, technology, energy, entertainment and nonprofits. Today, Elizabeth works most closely with the South Carolina Department of Agriculture, SC Student Loan and Spartanburg Regional Healthcare System, while also leading the agency’s account service team. Her past healthcare experience includes projects on behalf of BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina, the Free Medical Clinic, Longs Drugs and Prisma Health. She plays an active role in analyzing secondary market research and studies the emerging forms of media to help identify where they can be used in a broader marketing plan, while making sure that any and all work is strategically completed. Elizabeth is a member of Leadership Columbia, the American Marketing Association (AMA) and has won several awards for her work in branding and awareness campaigns. Elizabeth earned both her MBA and her BS degrees from the University of South Carolina Darla Moore School of Business.