Our Team
Since 2001, Inkandesent Public Relations’ award-winning team has helped dozens of entrepreneurs get more visibility.
In addition to developing beautiful and effective websites that are elegant, well organized, and packed with information, we also write and design high-end marketing materials, ads, articles, blogs, and white papers. And, of course, we get our clients featured regularly in some of the nation’s top newspapers, magazines, TV and radio shows, and social media sites. Click here to see where we’ve gotten our clients In the News.
Scroll down to meet our Inkandescent Team!
Journalist, publicist, author, and entrepreneur Hope Katz Gibbs started her career as a newspaper and magazine reporter after graduating from the University of Pennsylvania in 1986. Then, after studying for her master’s degree in educational leadership at The George Washington University, she launched her freelance writing business in 1993.
Gibbs has won several awards for feature and column writing for her articles, which have appeared in The Washington Post, USA Today, The Miami Herald, Costco Connection, and dozens of business, education, and general interest magazines, newspapers, newsletters, blogs, and websites.
Gibbs got into the PR business in 2001, when she founded Great Handmade Gifts, an online art and craft website that represented artists, artisans, and authors from around the world. In 2002, she began a decade-long stint working as the director of communications for the City of Fairfax Schools, and in 2006 added another client to her list, the international futurist think tank, Social Technologies.
In 2008, she incorporated as The Inkandescent Group, LLC, and since then has helped increase the visibility and credibility of more than 100 entrepreneurs, educators, authors, and small-business owners through the services she offers.
Gibbs’ mission: To promote, educate, and inspire entrepreneurs.
The Inkandescent Group’s services include:
- Inkandescent Public Relations: A PR, media relations, marketing, website development, graphic design, and publishing company, www.InknadescentPR.com.
- Be Inkandescent magazine: A monthly business publication for entrepreneurs, by entrepreneurs, gets more than 500,000 hits/month, www.BeInkandescent.com.
- InkandescentNetworking.com: A go-to website that lists great networking events from NYC to Miami, and profiles the professionals, artists, and authors in each city, www.InkandescentNetworking.com.
- Inkandescent Speakers Bureau: This agency is comprised of the most knowledgeable business experts, been-there-done-that entrepreneurs, corporate and government leaders, veteran educators, and visionary futurists. With wit and a sense of humor, they offer best practices and insights into the hottest trends in business, and organizational, professional, and personal development through corporate keynotes, workshops, seminars, webinars, lunch-and-learns, and networking events, www.InkandescentSpeakers.com.
- The Inkandescent Radio Show: “What’s your story?” is the question host Hope Gibbs asks of the high-level entrepreneurs, business leaders, government execs, and business specialists that she interviews on this weekly podcast show on the Entrepreneur Podcast Network, www.inkandescentradio.com.
- Truly Amazing Women, LLC: With nearly 200 women profiled since 2008, this organization honors, connects, and promotes the women who are making strides and changing lives. How are you amazing? www.trulyamazingwomen.com.
For more information, send Gibbs an email at hope@inkandescentpr.com,
Michael Gibbs has been a freelance illustrator and designer since attending Pratt Institute as a photography and illustration major in the mid-70s. His award-winning artwork has appeared in Newsweek, Time, The New York Times, The Washington Post, Worth Magazine, Consumer Reports, Harvard Business Review, and publications for United Airlines, Verizon, IBM, Sears, American Airlines, CitiGroup and Oracle. He has also illustrated the covers and features of dozens of alumni magazines including Harvard, Johns Hopkins, Syracuse, Vanderbilt, the University of Chicago and American University.
His illustrations have been recognized by prestigious art publications such as Communication Arts, 3×3 Magazine, Print, and Spectrum. His work has also been exhibited at a variety of museums and galleries including the Society of Illustrator’s Museum of American Illustration in New York City, the Billy Shire Fine Arts Gallery in Los Angeles, and in Washington area at the Corcoran Museum of Art, the Sumner School Museum, Montgomery College Gallery and the University of Maryland Gallery.
View Michael’s portfolio at www.michaelgibbs.com.
Discover his award-winning alter ego M Glenwood at www.mglenwood.com.
Buy his stock illustration at www.stockillustration.com.
Kathleen McCarthy is the managing editor and senior VP of The Inkandescent Group, LLC.
A freelance editor and writer in the mental health field for more than two decades, Kathleen enjoys riding the publication arc—the beginning of every issue is a fresh start, and the end of every issue brings a completed publication.
With Be Inkandescent magazine publisher Hope Katz Gibbs, she organizes and plans each issue of the online business publications, edits each issue, and is co-author of the company’s first Inkandescent Rulebook — “PR Rules: The Playbook.”
Before becoming a freelance editor, Kathleen worked for several nonprofit associations, including the American Psychological Association, the National Association of College and University Business Officers, and the American Association for Engineering Education.
Kathleen also handles the editing, design, and layout for the monthly online newsletter of the American Mental Health Counselors Association. Past freelance clients include government agencies (the Centers for Disease Control and the U.S. Agency for International Development), corporations (GE Information Services, WestLake Internet Training, and ICF Kaiser), and universities (University of Mary Washington and MWC Galleries).
A deadline fanatic, she is zealous about the virtues of the serial comma and admires writers who can translate dense topics into artful prose. In her spare time, she likes to diagram sentences.
To pitch a story, become an Inkandescent client, or learn more about the company’s offerings, contact Kathleen via email at kathleen@inkandescentpr.com.
Max Kukoy has been a Washington DC based freelance web developer/designer since 2000. Max earned his master’s degree in environmental science from the University of Oklahoma in 1993, then started working in public health and environmental policy at Washington DC based non-profits. After a few years of policy work, he started working on his organizations web site, eventually deciding to start working as a freelancer under the name maxwebworks.
Sites range from simple database-driven sites, to ones with e-commerce capability. Max uses widely used and supported open source software applications to build web sites. He believes the site should be easy for the client to use and maintain and emphasizes building accessible web sites.
For more, view Max’s website www.maxwebworks.com.
Cynthia de Lorenzi is the Social Media Guru at InkandescentPR.
In this role, she coordinates the company’s social media outreach efforts, and offers workshops and intensive training sessions to Inkandescent’s clients on how to master and manage their social media campaigns.
Cynthia is also the host of “The Social Media Show” on InkandescentRadio.com.
A sought-after social media consultant, social commentator, and entrepreneur, Cynthia is the founder of Success in the City, an organization that has hundreds of members and has hosts dozens of networking events annually. It has been featured on in the Business Section of The Washington Post, DC Modern Luxury Magazine, I Am Modern, Northern Virginia Magazine, NPR, and Washington’s Finest.
The Washington Business Journal selected Cynthia as one of the top 25 “Women Who Mean Business” in 2006, SmartCEO magazine awarded her the BRAVA award in 2009, and she was awarded SmartCEO’s Circle of Excellence by her peers as well as recognized by Enterprising Women in 2010.
“My mission is to help foster valuable peer relationships and friendships among their community of thousands of followers Success in the City provides creative and powerful professional development programs and discussions into the menu of opportunities to connect,” she says.
Cynthia’s passion is to empower others, and embodies the principle of paying-it-forward. To that end, she serves as a Board member of The Telework Coalition, The Women’s Center and Community Business Partnership — including The Women’s Business Center, which provides training, assistance and support to businesswomen in Northern Virginia.
In the 20 years that Washington, DC photographer Steve Barrett has been taking pictures, the likes of Michael Jordan, Margaret Thatcher, Hosni Mubarak, Spike Lee and Boris Yeltsin have found their way to the end of his lens. He has photographed George Clooney, James Earl Jones and Bill and Hillary Clinton and Sen. John McCain.
His photos have been featured in Vanity Fair, Time, Newsweek, Fortune, USA Today and Washingtonian, among others business and general interest publications. Alumni magazines have always been some of his favorite clients and he has taken cover and inside feature shots for Harvard Auburn Stanfrond, the Career College Association and Vanderbilt.
“Since I live so close to Washington, DC, dozens of alumni magazines call on me regularly to photograph their DC-based alumni, and also hire me to photograph the politicians and DC insiders that they may be writing about,” he says. “I work hard to be as effective as possible for my clients. I know they are the boss, and I feel lucky to have the opportunity to do what I do.”
Speaking of living his dream, Steve plays bass in the rock band, Longtooth, and mandolin in the acoustic Americana band, The Parklawn Ramblers. Both groups regularly perform in ale houses, parks, pools, and other venues around the Washington, DC area.
View Steve’s photo portfolio www.stevebarrettphotography.com.
Hilary Schwab has been an editorial and event photographer in the DC area for more than 25 years. She started out as a staff photographer for American University in 1986, and launched her freelance business in 1992. In the last two decades, she has taken cover photos, portraits, and worked as a photojournalist for dozens of clients, including _Bethesda Magazine, Crystal City Magazine, Maryland Life Magazine. She also has continued to work with American University’s publications staff, and as well as many prominent PR firms, law firms, and real estate agencies throughout the Washington DC region.
Of Hilary’s work American University’s Assistant Director of Publications, Colleen Mahoney, says: “We always call on Hilary when we need a photographer because we can count on her to work within our deadlines and budget, and turn out fabulous photos that make our faculty and alumni look great.”
Capturing the essence of the people she is photographing is what Hilary enjoys most about her work. “When I’m on a photo shoot I observe the people and their environment, and watch as they move around and interact with others. Then I find the angle and moment where they are most relaxed and comfortable, and then I start shooting. Whether it’s a public event or a portrait, I do everything possible to bring out the best in their photos.” See her entire portfolio at www.hschwabphotography.com.
Ranked one of Washington, DC’s top Meeting and Event Planners for 2009 by the Washington Business Journal, Roxanne Rukowicz’s firm, Behind the Scenes Events, opened its doors in July of 2008 with a single concept in mind: to offer organizations access to an affordable full-service meeting and event planning solution.
Having worked in the Washington, DC meeting and event industry for over a decade, Roxanne started her career at the Greater Washington Board of Trade in 1999. Her experience with this influential regional network of business leaders allowed her hands-on training from the start. What began as a mere temporary work assignment later progressed into a position as General Manager as she excelled at each advanced meeting and event planning position she held.
Her extensive association and non-profit planning skills are accented by experience working in the social and entertainment markets. Positions with The Walt Disney Companies and as a freelance wedding and special event coordinator have featured opportunities with A-list celebrity clients and top ranking government officials.
Ashley Freund is the new editorial assistant at the Inkandescent Group, a promotion she received in September 2012 after successfully completing the company’s eight-week summer intern program.
A fourth-year student at Virginia Tech, Freund is pursuing a Communications degree with a focus on Public Relations. She is also working toward an English minor, with an emphasis on Creative Writing.
Freund became a member of Kappa Delta Sorority in 2009, and served as vice president of public relations from 2010-2011 for the Epsilon Pi Chapter at Virginia Tech. She has been a member of the public relations committee within Kappa Delta Sorority since 2009.
Upon graduation, Freund plans to pursue a master’s degree in Business Administration.
The Inkandescent Group welcomes this energetic, hard-working young professional to its team.
Michael Wilsker is the executive producer of the Inkandescent Radio Network.
A radio, TV, movie and Internet professional who resides at the intersection of technology and entertainment, the Philadelphia native has lived in Los Angeles for 20 years.
He has spent time behind the scenes building and supporting post production facilities, designing and managing satellite and terrestrial network infrastructures spanning over 140 countries on five continents, and, most recently, overseeing the technical operations in of an R&D company focusing on solutions for file-based workflows that allow movies to be mastered and distributed digitally to the theater.
Michael is sought after as a consultant for his ability to explain technology to laymen. The Inkandescent team thoroughly appreciates this skill.
Check out his wonderful work here: www.InkandescentRadio.com.
At a time when the spoken word is more important than ever, Jeff Porro’s unique combination of talent and experience helps executives infuse the words they use with the power they want. Jeff is a speechwriter for Fortune 250 CEOs, diplomats, and other government leaders, as well as executives of some of the nation’s leading trade and professional associations. He is also an award winning screenwriter and a PhD with 20 years of experience in research, public policy, and business. He has been profiled in the Washington Post, National Journal, Washington Business Journal, and other publications.
Before starting his own business in 1991, Jeff was associate editor of Teacher Magazine, assistant editor of the National Academy of Sciences’ Issues in Science and Technology, and an Op-Ed and speechwriter for People for the American Way. He has also served as a Senate staffer, a State Department official, and an arms control specialist for the Arms Control Association. From 1999 to 2002 he was senior vice president of M&R Strategic Services, a Washington DC, political communications firm.
Jeff discovered and researched the true story of a Jim Crow–era African American college debate team and helped turn it into the 2007 feature film The Great Debaters, starring Denzel Washington. He is one of the founders of the Debate Consortium, which is reviving the tradition of debate at historically black colleges and universities.
Jeff holds a PhD in political science from UCLA. Learn more about his services at www.porrollc.com.
Deborah Wunderman brings more than 15 years of experience to the world of fund raising and grant writing.
She has worked with human service, health care, arts, educational, scientific, technical, and environmental organizations to help them gain funding to accomplish projects such as installing residential solar energy panels in Minneapolis, providing food to hundreds of individuals in Arlington and Baltimore, starting up a national consumer led mental health support center, providing fingerprint identification systems and language training on military bases in the US and Canada, and offering life saving open heart surgeries and ultra sound diagnostics for children in developing countries.
During this time, she has helped organizations collectively raised over $8 million dollars from foundations, corporations, and government agencies.
She is a member of American Independent Writers (AIW), Arlington Chamber of Commerce, and Alliance for Nonprofit Management, and has previously been a member of Center for Nonprofit Advancement and Association of Association of Fund Raising Professionals. She served on AIW’s board in 2002 (job bank) and is serving again in 2009-2011 (development).
She received the AIW President’s Award (09-10) for work in creating a funding proposal for a joint venture project between AIW and its sister organization, the Freedom to Write Fund, to help disadvantaged and underserved writers nationwide enter writing careers.
She has a Bachelors of Arts from College of the Atlantic in Human Ecology along with prior work experience in event planning, proposal writing education and training, volunteer management, environmental and elementary school education, elementary school enrichment activities planning, marine science education, modern dance, and the arts.
