Cory Stewart promoted to COO; Robert Beal named CFO
ATLANTA – January 21, 2015 – Cookerly Public Relations, a leading Atlanta-based agency, today announced the promotion of Cory Stewart to chief operating officer (COO) and the addition of Robert Beal to the role of chief financial officer (CFO), both newly created positions. Designed to effectively manage the increase in both clients and client responsibilities, these positions will allow the firm to continue the growth it has experienced over the past 12 months.
“One of our best practices is to serve our clients in an organized, efficient and successful manner, and we have that same expectation in running this firm,” said Carol Cookerly, president at Cookerly Public Relations. “These talented individuals have best-of-class training and experience and will help me focus on agency growth and the continuous development of the team.”
Prior to his role as COO, Stewart served as a vice president at Cookerly, leading multiple high profile accounts, including Walmart, DuPont, Murray Energy and Cancer Treatment Centers of America. Highly skilled in crisis and issues management, Stewart has also managed issues for clients in just about every industry sector.
In his new role, Stewart has day-to-day operational responsibilities for the agency, such as best practices, billing, staffing and more. Also, he will continue to manage public relations campaigns and issues-related engagements for several of the agency’s clients.
Beal joins Cookerly after a successful 30-year career in the commercial banking, mortgage and real estate industries, holding multiple financial and administrative roles in companies such as Wells Fargo and Wachovia.
As CFO, Beal is responsible for managing functions related to client billing, accounts receivable, payables, and vendor relations. He is also responsible for the strategic direction of the company’s financial position to include budgeting, forecasting, financial analysis and evaluating growth initiatives from a financial perspective.
As design director at Cookerly, Tim serves as the creative lead in the development of branding campaigns, print collateral and digital media for clients across a broad range of industries, including consumer, professional services, healthcare and technology.
As a senior vice president at Cookerly, Mike Rieman is a strategic communications leader specializing in media relations and reputation management. With a proven track record of securing high-profile placements in top-tier outlets such as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, CNN and USA Today, he excels at crafting compelling narratives that resonate across print, broadcast and digital platforms.
Mike Touhill is vice president at Cookerly Public Relations, where he helps lead traditional, social and digital media programs for B2B and B2C clients in packaging, telecommunications and technology, among other industries. As a communication leader, he develops and executes public relations strategy, provides proactive and reactive counsel to C-level executives and secures earned media coverage for client initiatives and product.
Andrew Agan is a vice president at Cookerly Public Relations, overseeing the agency’s internship program and leading media relations, content strategy and social media initiatives. He provides counsel and executes campaigns for clients across various sectors, including finance, healthcare, hospitality, technology, automotive and many others. Andrew excels at crafting compelling stories and building media relationships, resulting in clients being featured in notable outlets such as CNBC, Associated Press, Business Insider, Fox Business, HBO, Inc. Magazine, Sirius XM, The Wall Street Journal and USA Today, among others.
As vice president of Cookerly, Sheryl Sellaway uses her extensive corporate communications background to lead consumer PR efforts, deliver strategy for marketing programs and share expertise about community initiatives.