New Hires Bring Additional PR, Crisis and Brand Expertise to Pierpont’s Clients

After a year that challenged businesses around the globe to adapt, our firm leaned on the strengths of a talented team to continue providing clients with the highest possible service level. With that came growth, and we are thrilled to welcome three new team members to our Pierpont offices in Dallas and Houston.

Martha Cook joined Pierpont in Dallas as a Vice President in March, providing expertise in media relations, crisis and issues management, event marketing, community relations and corporate communications. She focuses on building influence and delivering impactful communications strategies for clients that enhance awareness and protect reputation, while helping drive revenue. Martha prides herself on creating results-oriented public relations strategies for her clients that ultimately increase target audience involvement with the brand. Her experience crosses a broad range of industries, from senior living to healthcare, consumer products to real estate, and hospitality to professional services.

Chelsi Smith, a motivated PR professional—who excels in media relations, community relations, crisis communications and media training—also joined the Dallas office in March as a Senior Account Executive. She prides herself on creating results-driven public relations strategies that meet the needs of her clients, as well as helping clients meet business objectives through proactive media relations. Chelsi’s experience as a television reporter covering multi-state and local news brings a unique perspective to Pierpont, and her knowledge of the media industry helps her develop and maintain strong relationships with media contacts, excelling at securing earned media across the country.

In Houston, Austin Staton, an award-winning strategic communicator with more than 13 years of experience, joined the team as a Senior Account Executive in February. He enjoys partnering with clients to deliver impactful media results and driving meaningful brand engagement. Previously, Austin spent nine years with the Communications and Advocacy team at bp after serving as an athletic communications professional at Baylor and Louisiana Tech. From 2019-20, he served as the president for IABC Houston where he spearheaded the organization’s professional development program and the launch of the nonprofit’s podcast. Under Austin’s direction, IABC Houston was recognized as the 2020 IABC International Chapter of the Year and won six Chapter Management Awards.

All three additions to the Pierpont family are standout-performers in the PR industry and will make a meaningful impact on our firm and clients. We look forward to our continued growth as a company and expansion of our services to prospective and current clients.