Bill (He/Him) is Co-Founder and Creative Chairman, combining his creative talents with his passion to make the world a better place. The agency, recognized as an Ad Age 2024 Purpose-Led Agency of the Year, merges a Madison Avenue pedigree with social advocacy. At OBERLAND, Bill leads the creative for the agency’s for-profit brands and nonprofit organizations — a list which has included the ACLU, Uber, Michaels, e.l.f. Beauty, The Guardian, Blue Man Group, The Nature Conservancy, Keep America Beautiful, St. Baldrick’s Foundation, The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) and more. Before launching OBERLAND, Bill served as Director of Communications, Marketing and Events at the Robin Hood Foundation. During his stint there, he created the marketing for the Concert for Hurricane Sandy Relief, the “Fight Poverty Like a New Yorker” brand campaign and the Robin Hood Investors Conference, which raised hundreds of millions for charities across New York City. Bill also served on the Ad Council Creative Review Committee, has been a jury president of the AICP Next Awards and is a Past President of the Art Directors Club.

After racking up more than a dozen national and global awards for cause marketing and driving social change through traditional, digital, social, and mobile campaigns, Drew Train (he/him) set up shop as Co-Founder and CEO of OBERLAND, which he launched with Bill Oberlander. Before this, Drew started the social-good practice at JWT New York, called JWT Ethos. In that role, Drew worked with corporate, nonprofit and public-sector brands that play a role in driving change on the big-picture issues society faces. By leading an integrated team, Drew leveraged the potential of CSR strategy, communication planning, branding, and advertising to create positive, lasting change. Prior to opening JWT Ethos and OBERLAND, Drew learned his craft through extensive work on global, corporate brands like HSBC, Verizon, UPS, Puma, Lufthansa, and Tiffany & Co. in the US and Shanghai. Drew was instrumental in helping grow Services for the UnderServed into one of the most influential and impactful nonprofits in New York City. And, as National Campaign Co-Chair, he molded the #IWillListen campaign for the National Alliance on Mental Illness of New York City (NAMI NYC) into a powerful call-to-action to eliminate the stigma against mental illness. Drew serves on the Board of Directors for Summer Infant, Inc. (NASDAQ: SUMR), a global leader in premium infant and juvenile products, as well as on the Board of Directors for NAMI NYC. With a B.A. in Economics from the University of Richmond, he resides in Navesink with his wife and three children.

Lisa (She/Her) is Chief Creative Officer and Managing Partner. As a Copywriter writer and Chief Creative Officer for over 20 years, Lisa has managed agencies with upwards of 200 people, working across multiple clients and brands that are monolithic, large, small and teeny. In addition to being a prolific writer and integrated thinker who can do both humor and heartstrings, Lisa’s a particularly skilled presenter and big thinker with an excellent pitch record who’s able to quickly get to the core of a cohesive brand idea across digital, social, and TV. Lisa was named one of the 30 most creative women in advertising by Business Insider and was listed as one of the top 27 creative leaders in the country by Adweek. Her work won nearly every major industry award in every color including Cannes, CLIO, One Show, ANDY, D&AD, CA and Effies. In her spare time, Lisa trains her dogs to the highest levels of international competition in the sport of dog agility, becoming the 2 time Westminster Agility Champion and representing the United States team at the World Agility Championships. She’s a board member of Time's Up Advertising and cherishes being a mentor to women in advertising and seeing them rise up the ranks. Lisa has had a major impact, helping raise the caliber of the creative work, recruiting new talent and landing exciting new brand assignments. Prior to joining OBERLAND, she was Co-Chief Creative Officer of DDB New York. She has previously held leadership posts at such agencies as Grey Group, TBWA\Chiat\Day, JWT and Wieden + Kennedy.

As Managing Partner and Chief Strategy Officer at Oberland, Kate (she/her) brings together cultural trends, human truths and media behavior to move brands forward. Kate has over 15 years experience identifying breakthrough strategies for some of the world’s most successful brands including American Express, Oreo, Sony, Toyota and Lincoln Center. Motivated by “what’s next”, Kate’s passion is shaping strategies to fit the growing demand for brands that do good. She’s also passionate about connecting younger donors with non-profits by understanding digital behaviors, consumer motivations and bridging generational barriers. Kate developed her deep expertise in consumer, media and brand insights leading insights and planning groups at award-winning agencies, Lippe Taylor and 360i. Prior to the agency world, she spent eight years in brand consulting at Hall & Partners, working in the London and New York City offices. Originally from Minnesota, Kate now calls New York City home, with seats at the dinner table for her daughter, son, husband and Boston Terrier dog named Bronx.

With over 13 years of experience as an account lead, Tegan (she/her) has worked with top brands like M&M'S, Unilever, Disney Interactive, Northwell Health, and Afterpay across CPG, retail, entertainment, healthcare, and financial services. Driven by a passion for purpose-driven marketing, Tegan is continually inspired by the intersection of new media, creativity, and meaningful brand engagement. Having recently relocated from the bustling streets of NYC to the more serene landscapes of CT, when she's not at work, Tegan can be found exploring the 'burbs with her husband and trying to keep up with their two-year-old daughter.

As a client leader with over 15 years of experience (or a lifetime if you count being raised in the industry), Caitlin (she/her) has worked at some of the most recognizable agencies in the business such as VMLY&R, Wunderman Thompson (formerly J. Walter Thompson), Saatchi & Saatchi, McCann Erickson and Ogilvy & Mather delivering transformative work on clients like Walgreens Boots Alliance, Colgate-Palmolive, Samsung, Newell Rubbermaid, Jockey International, Novartis, Weight Watchers, Black & Decker, and Kraft as well as the Ad Council. Caitlin is skilled in the development of truly integrated brand experiences, forging unique teams and paths to achieve success for her clients, and is production and process obsessed. She currently resides in Brooklyn, when she isn't headed for the coast of Maine with her dog, Miles.

Coming soon

Dani Piro (she/her) is a native New Yorker and grew up in Westchester County. Currently residing on the Upper East Side to try out her gossip girl era (xoxo). Dani has a seasoned marketing background working on global brands such as Moet Hennessy, KPMG, PepsiCO, Unilever and so on. She is joining the e.l.f. team as your new Account Director! When she's not working you can typically find her hanging out with family and friends or her two pitbull mix rescues. She is a total foodie and will pretty much try anything once. You can also catch her obsessing over any news related to Taylor Swift or her daily horoscope (she's a Scorpio btw).

Caroline (she/her) is a Northern VA (basically D.C.), native who moved to Manhattan after graduating from Penn State University to pursue a career in creative advertising. She is joining OBERLAND as a Senior Account Executive, having worked previously with brands such as Unilever, PepsiCo, and MARS. When Caroline isn’t in NYC, she can either be found on the slopes in Utah, or on a beach somewhere on the Atlantic coast.

Natalia Brache (she/her) is an Account Supervisor skilled and focused on 360 campaign management, excellent client services and authentic consumer experiences. She began her career in advertising at top creative agencies like Saatchi & Saatchi and Ogilvy, working on bold and distinct campaigns for brands such as Verizon, Citizens Bank, and Oral-B. Outside of work, Natalia enjoys traveling, trying new restaurants around the city, working out and watching Carolina basketball (Go heels!).

Hannah (she/her) is a versatile Senior Project Manager having worked at several agencies on different global brands such as Google, Amazon, General Electric, and more. She prides herself in bringing a fresh perspective at every company through her passion for efficiency and implementing new solutions. She believes in building effective cross-functional teams by uniting people with different expertise. When she's not working, Hannah can be found applying for several cooking shows on national television, using her AMC stubs a-list monthly pass, or going on long walks with her boglen terrier.

Rossana (she/her) is an Italian Senior Project Manager based in New York, with a unique perspective due to her international background. Before moving to the Big Apple, she lived and worked in Turin, London, and Berlin, enriching her career path with diverse cultures and work experiences. She is passionate about advertising and creativity and she is committed to creating and supporting meaningful work, ensuring the smooth execution of all projects from start to finish. She is an excellent communicator and a creative problem solver, able to speak the language of the creatives and get everyone moving in the right direction. Rossana comes to OBERLAND with prior experience at Razorfish, where she worked with notable clients like Church and Dwight on Arm and Hammer, Rephresh, Replens, First Response and Flawless. She loves to travel but is scared to fly. She likes taking pictures, especially of her french bulldog Lea. She is a dance teacher. She bakes delicious cakes.

Prior to OBERLAND, Mani (he/him) spent nine years leading brand strategy and communications planning efforts within best-in-class creative agencies (Ogilvy, BBDO, TBWA\Chiat\Day, Mekanism) delivering award-winning work for iconic brands like Verizon, Samsung, Dunkin’, CVS, United, Jose Cuervo and the NBA. Instead of selling products, Mani is now dedicated to selling purpose as OBERLAND’s Director of Strategy working with clients and creatives on ideas that create change in culture. Mani is a born and raised New Yorker whose work has been recognized by the Effies, Cannes Lions, Tribeca Film Festival and New York Festivals Advertising Awards. Outside of the office, Mani is an avid fan of his favorite sports teams (Knicks, Giants, Tottenham Hotspur), is a bookworm and writer on his Medium blog and across his social channels.

Jasmine Farooq (she/her) is a Senior Strategist dedicated to advancing DEI and shaping compelling brand stories. Starting with an internship at Deutsch LA through 4A’s MAIP, she progressed in her career to working on campaigns for Publix, Baskin Robbins, and AdventHealth, and has led strategic development on projects for Advil, Coca Cola, and AstraZeneca. Her latest role involved leading Multicultural strategy for Nissan. Hailing from South Florida with Jamaican roots, she comes from a family full of cooks, singers, artists, and ultimately the best turn up crew. When her laptop is closed, you can find her thrift shopping or finding new dessert spots to indulge her sweet tooth.

Born in Northern California to Ghanaian immigrants, Kofi's journey into advertising has been shaped by a diverse range of experiences, through his religious upbringing and cultural background. By navigating various social circles during his formative years, Kofi developed a unique 'outsider' perspective, which he now values for its ability to foster openness and understanding. Kofi’s acceptances into Multicultural Advertising Internship Program and the Most Promising Multicultural Students Program jump started his career into strategy after graduating from BYU’s Advertising Program Kofi started his career at Johannes Leonardo and at The Martin Agency, where leveraged his unique perspective to drive cultural innovation with global and national brands such as Instagram, AXE, Hanes, OREO and RITZ. Outside of work, Kofi is a passionate soccer fan of Arsenal Football Club, a recent cinephile, and enjoys exploring NYC's vibrant culture.

Monica (she/her) believes empathy is a human and marketing superpower. Advertising is connection, and connection is essential. An award-winning Creative Director with over 20 years experience, she has been a leader in agencies big and small, and collaborated with clients in every category. A multi-faceted strategic thinker, accounts and people working under Monica tend to grow. Her ability to listen to clients, foster creatives and build brands has led to transformative work for Nike, Old Spice, Target, Google, and many others. Her work has garnered all the major industry awards - D&AD, the One Show, Addy’s, Cannes, including the Grand Prix for Nike. Amongst her many accolades, Monica’s spot for Monster.com regularly appears in “Top Ten SuperBowl Spots of All Time “ lists, and her Nike work for women is on permanent collection in the MOMA. An illustrator, a pattern designer, and a script doctor in her spare time, she can be found living at the foot of a volcano with her partner Mark.

Chris Plehal is an award-winning writer and creative director who uses his powers for good. He has worked with brands such as Google, YouTube, Macy’s, Diageo, Kellogg’s, JetBlue, Chevrolet, and many more. His work has received Cannes Lions, One Show Pencils, Clios, Effies, Webbys, and a place on his mom’s fridge. Chris is the author of “Yes Virginia, There is a Santa Claus,” an animated holiday special that airs annually on CBS. Chris has also written content for the Travel Channel, Cartoon Network, Food & Wine, and Headspace. During the height of Covid, he recreated the entire “Lord of the Rings” trilogy with LEGOs to raise money for Partners in Health. He lives with his wife, son, and dog in Philadelphia, where it’s always sunny.

Molly (she/her) is a creative director who consistently wears big earrings. She got her start as an art director working on the agency side, but enjoyed a few years as an in-house design lead at VICE and Disney+. Her years at Vaynermedia earned her awards for her Planters Superbowl work and even a mention on The Colbert Show for her Casper Sleepers campaign. Before that, her awards mostly came in the form of "Best Team Player" or "Best Team Spirit" in youth sports programs. To this day, she is a great collaborator and gets excited very easily.

Meredith (she/her) is an Associate Creative Director and writer with 10+ years of experience working at agencies from McCann to VML to WIP_ and more. Her work on Wendy’s has won at Cannes, The One Show, LIA, and more award shows. When asked where she’s from, she responds with, “everywhere,” having lived in Fort Worth, New York, Atlanta, Boston, Denver, and more. She now lives in Kansas City, MO, having fallen in love with the city and its people during her stint working on Wendy’s. She’s a proud dog mom of a Corgi named Moxie and a Golden Retriever named Moose. She loves dance workouts, karaoke, horror movies, and a good post-horror movie cleanse with a classic show like The Golden Girls.

Stephanie (she/her) is a Brooklyn based Associate Creative Director, Art as well as a recovering Florida girl, Taco Bell enthusiast, and overall fun-loving menace. Working at agencies like Crispin, McCann, and FCB has given her an appreciation for quick thinking and tight turnarounds, managing creative teams, and endless Diet Cokes. She has worked on brands from Velveeta to Ulta to Mastercard. When she’s not busy competing with Midjourney or concepting with her partner Meredith, you can find her dancing in NYC parades with her Mermaid Dance Troupe, knitting sweaters with a one-year turnaround time, or pushing her blind, elderly pug around the neighborhood in a stroller.

Carina (She/They) is a Senior Copywriter who comes to OBERLAND from freelance, where she spent two years working on a number of brands at award-winning New York-based agencies Walrus and Terri & Sandy. She is passionate about addressing the social and environmental issues of today through purposeful storytelling, and will probably ask you if you’re wearing SPF 30+ on a sunny day.

Adriene (They/Them) is a non-binary designer from NYC. With a background in TV and film development, Adriene always considers story in their approach to design. As an alumni of SCAD and Shillington School of Graphic Design, Adriene loves illustration, performance art and art history. Adriene most recently completed a certificate program at NYU Tandon for User Experience and Emerging Technologies Design.

Bella (she/her) is an Oregon native and recently traded her Pacific Northwest tree lines for Manhattan skyscrapers. She joins OBERLAND as a Senior Art Director from adam&eveDDB after dabbling in everything from airlines to iced tea to grocery chains to skincare. Bella’s favorite part of the job is always being on her toes to solve a new problem in a new way, and doing so for causes she’s passionate about; like environmental issues and social justice, just makes the work mean even more. She’s also a strong lover of oil painting, pilates, modern art, and horror movies.

David Orton (he/him) specializes in creating authentic work that elevates brands across all media platforms. He has led the development of global marketing and brand identities for Accenture, LG, European Wax Center, and BNY Mellon. With 15 years of experience as a Design Director, David has managed design teams both internally and with partner agencies. His work has been recognized at major industry award shows, including winning the One Show Bronze & Gold Pencil, Cannes Bronze Lion, and Creativity Annual Awards Gold. Outside of work, David is constantly digging through obscure 70’s and 80’s disco records and he is the co-author of Category Is: Cocktails! Mixed drinks inspired by legendary drag performers published by Prestel.

Laura (she/her) is a multi-disciplinary designer and educator hailing from the West Coast. Her dedication to effecting lasting social change through design is communicated through her branding, creative strategy, UX/UI, and interaction design work. Before joining Oberland, Laura devoted her creative energy to non-profits, small businesses, start-ups, and health & fitness brands throughout California and NYC. She holds a BS in biopsychology from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and completed her design education at Shillington, NYC.

Anika (she/her) is an India raised and New York based graphic designer, illustrator, and animator. They earned their BFA in graphic design from the School of Visual Arts, New York with the Rhodes Family Award for Outstanding Achievement in Design. Their determination to create intentional and purpose-driven work expresses itself through work that is personal in lieu of performative. When they aren’t working, they can be found taking 1000+ pictures of their cat, Mango, dancing at their favorite concert or binge reading their 7th romance novel in a row.

Kristen (she/her) has been an Executive Producer for the last ten years and a producer for over two decades with a storied career starting at BBDO and moving to JWT then becoming the Head of Production at Visual Effects Company. For several years, Kristen moved to freelancing and was the Director of Production at Tracy-Locke. Kristen has been recognized by the Effies, Addys, London International Awards and more. In her spare time, she can be found sailing boats as an accomplished sailor and running around the woods with her dogs.

Kyle Sims (he/him) is a film director and commercial editor from Buffalo, NY. He graduated from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts in 2018 with a BFA in Film/TV. His short film Our Boy premiered at the Slamdance Film Festival in January 2020, and was awarded the Wasserman Directing Award at the 2019 First Run Film Festival. His latest film Galapagos stars Catherine Curtin and premiered at the Aspen Shortsfest in April, 2023. In the commercial realm, Kyle has edited broadcast and digital content for major brands such as Kohl’s, PetSmart, Pandora Jewelry, and Just For Men. As an analog photography loyalist, Kyle develops his own film and carries a fleet of vintage cameras everywhere he goes. He is also a collage artist and loose-leaf tea fanatic, with a growing collection of original foreign film posters.

Frank (he/him) comes to OBERLAND with a wealth of financial services experience spanning nearly 25 years. His most recent role was the Chief Operating Officer of the Wealth Management Group at Jefferies. As Chief Operating Officer, Frank’s role is to ensure that all our agency runs smoothly and our internal operations are as good as our client operations.

As a Operations Director, Liz (She/Her) brings a decade of media and advertising experience to OBERLAND from a broad range of production and project management roles. She started her career at Time Inc., where she worked on photo production for Real Simple and post-production for their full suite of brands. At Munn Rabôt, Grey, and StrawberryFrog, she managed integrated advertising campaigns for a long list of clients, such as NYU Langone, Bessemer Trust, Taltz, Northwell Health, Prudential, Truist, Afterpay, and more. Liz is also a founding member of Aperture Connect, a photography non-profit in NYC.

Sallie (she/her) is a legend in advertising agency circles. She managed creative departments at huge advertising agencies like McCann and JWT before coming to Oberland in 2023. Her ability to find talented people and manage agency resources has led to new business and creative award wins alike. A lifelong passion and dedication to DE+I led to the launch of many successful ad agency initiatives and training programs resulting in a much more diverse workplace. She was awarded the ADCOLOR Change Agent award as well as the 4A's Pantheon award for her efforts. Sallie lives in Manhattan with her partner and keeps close tabs on their 4 children who are becoming successful in their own right.

Kate (She/Her) is a media professional who comes to OBERLAND from the agency world, where she spent four years working for brands at Colangelo & Partners and R\West. She brings public relations experience and a passion for social and environmental issues. She started her career working on TV shows before moving to food, wine, spirits, and fashion brands. She enjoys working on a creative team toward a shared vision. As a native New Yorker, she’s often walking her dog around Brooklyn and searching for good coffee and pastries.