joan griffin, President
I am the owner and president of Griffin & Assoc. My current role in the agency is to facilitate sustainable relationships. As an employer, I have learned to delegate, release, and trust that I have surrounded myself with a team that will work together to produce the results that I have promised to our clients.

I began my career in marketing more than 25 years ago as a journalist with the Cox Arizona Newspaper Chain. Although I have expanded into new areas of the business, my continued love for writing has led me to: write a column for the Albuquerque Business Times, appear as a contributing writer for the New Mexico Business Weekly, and author hundreds of articles/news features on behalf of my clients.

Central to my life, is my sense of community. Despite any distraction that presents itself, I maintain my commitment to fostering positive growth for the state of New Mexico and its people. I am proud to have served as a volunteer for the Greater Albuquerque Chamber of Commerce, the Rio Grande Minority Purchasing Council, the National Association of Women Business Owners, the New Mexico Women’s Foundation, the New Mexico Advertising Federation, and the Great Southwest District of Civitan International. For each of these organizations, I was able to offer my marketing experience and abilities to yield benefits (i.e., successful promotional campaigns led to dramatically increased membership and profitability). Currently, I am dedicating my philanthropic time and energies toward serving on the board for Big Brothers, Big Sisters of New Mexico, the New Mexico Jazz Workshop, and the Breast Cancer Resource Center.

As valuable as having knowledge and skill is, the value only comes to fruition when it is passed along to others. Throughout the years, it has been extremely gratifying to teach the next generation of marketers at Central New Mexico’s Small Business Development Center and the University of New Mexico’s Continuing Education Division. I have also led personal effectiveness seminars for Landmark Education for 20 years and have learned so much from my experiences with the more than 10,000 people I have trained as a result of this program.

Education: Bachelor’s degree in Journalism from the University of Colorado

Accolades:
2011 Silver Medal Lifetime Achievement Award New Mexico Advertising Federation
2010 Lifetime Achievement Award NM Chapter of the American Marketing Association
2010 Top Performing CEO by the New Mexico Business Weekly
2010 Corporate Hero by the New Mexico Business Weekly
2009 Power Broker by the New Mexico Business Weekly
2009 Woman of Influence by the New Mexico Business Weekly

david empey, Vice President
I am the Vice President of Griffin & Assoc. I began my marketing career more than 20 years ago as an Account Executive with The Competitive Edge where I managed the accounts for many national automotive manufacturers and local car dealerships. I brought the knowledge that I gained from that experience to Griffin where I continue to build upon my knowledge base. While each day presents new challenges and each client is unique, there are a few basic principles that I learned in the beginning and have carried throughout my career: always look at the client’s business needs through their eyes to better meet goals, attention to detail is imperative for successful outcomes (whether the goal is media buying, campaign development, event management, etc.), the key to providing excellent customer service is effective listening and communication skills.

At Griffin, we truly work as a team with each person wearing all hats so that we can best serve our clients. So while I “manage” accounts in all aspects, my specialty is media. Throughout my career, I have taken a special interest in the production of media advertising spots (from writing scripts to directing production to editing to placing the finished product in the right market through radio or television). Technology has changed the way business is conducted in fairly short period of time. My interest in the media process has enabled me to expand upon one of the principles I learned in the beginning of my career: those who understand the value of pairing digital competency with effective listening and communications skills will be in a position to execute flawlessly.

Education: Bachelor’s of Science in Business Management from Niagara University

dezaree vega-garcia, Vice President of Client Services
I am the Vice President of Client Services at Griffin & Assoc. I began at Griffin as an intern eight years ago, moved through the company and was made a partner in the summer of 2009. It would be difficult to articulate all that my experience at Griffin has taught me, but each day, I find that I am learning and sharing something new with the rest of my team. I enjoy refining and learning new ways to communicate as the world around changes at an overwhelmingly rapid rate.

Outside of the office, I continue my communications-based work by representing Griffin and our clients at local events as well as the marketing industry as a whole. I often speak at the University of New Mexico to help students better understand what they can expect when entering the job market in my field. I am a newlywed and enjoy spending time with my newly extended family and friends.

Education: Bachelor’s degree in Communications from the University of New Mexico

barbara rudolf, Creative Director
I am the Creative Director for Griffin & Assoc. Fortunately, this means that my passion has become my business. Like everyone else at Griffin, I contribute in a variety of ways: conceptualizing, designing, writing, and managing accounts. For more than 10 years I have enjoyed working with vastly different clients to create marketing and advertising plans that reflect their individuality. Griffin is a small but mighty, boutique operation, able to achieve great results with often limited budgets. We really strive to give our clients value for their hard earned dollars.

Prior to Griffin, I started my own company in Costa Rica, which served a number of international, primarily tourism, clients: Costa Rica Expeditions, Panorama Tours, South Coast Realty, and Aero Costa Rica, to name a few. I enjoyed the challenge of working in another culture and was successful because of my ability to understand different perspectives and customs.

I got my start in design in New York City, working with all of the major U.S. publishing houses at Beth Tondreau Design. At Linda Stillman Design, clients included Christie’s Auction House and Dow Jones. I was a painter at Fabricon Design Group specializing in 3D displays for large department stores and malls.

Finally no biography of my art career would be complete without the mention of Richard Pousette-Dart, an American Abstract Expressionist painter. He taught me to be comfortable with ambiguity and that mistakes often lead to great discovery. I continue to paint, although not as much as I would like, and when I do, I think of Richard.

I volunteer at Rancho de las Golondrinas, have a hobby vineyard, and remodel houses with my husband in my spare time!

Education: Bachelor’s degree in Communications and Fine Arts from Northwestern University
Certificate from the Parsons School of Design
Apprenticeship with Richard Pousett-Dart at the Art Students League of New York

shannon carey, Creative Associate
I am a Creative Associate in the art department at Griffin & Assoc. Before moving to New Mexico, I worked as a Graphic Designer with Salmon Press in New Hampshire which specialized in regional tourism publications. At Pierce-Cote Advertising in Massachusetts, I was immersed in advertising for Cape Cod and other coastal hotels and destinations.

At Griffin and Associates I’ve expanded my creativity and skills, working with online campaigns and interacting directly with clients. I like being an integral part of the Griffin and Associates’ brainstorming sessions and seeing campaigns come to life.

I love the sunshine and exploring the great outdoors that New Mexico offers. Hiking, snow shoeing, camping and visiting New Mexico’s lakes and mountains have kept me busy and inspired.

Education: A Graphic Design degree from Plymouth State University in New Hampshire

dea rankin, Director of Public Relations & Business Development
I am the Director of Public Relations and Business Development at Griffin and Associates. I bring with me over a decade of professional experience and have worked in the communications field in both the public and private sectors. At Griffin and Associates, I work closely with President/CEO Joan Griffin to expand business development efforts specifically in the government sector.

Prior to joining Griffin and Associates, I was instrumental in international and national new business acquisition and worked on corporate client accounts such as BP America, Wal-Mart and most recently with the international North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). For Griffin, I will also drive corporate communications, internal strategic planning and corporate marketing initiatives for clients like Rio Grande Credit Union, Town of Taos, Sheraton Uptown and the Albuquerque Committee on Foreign Relations.

I received my bachelor’s degree from the University of New Mexico and will receive my master’s in public administration from the Anderson School of Management in May 2012 with a concentration in public management.

ed waters, Vice President of Internal Operations
I am the Vice President of Internal Operations for Griffin & Assoc. In essence, I am the numbers man. I handle all of the financial aspects of Griffin and work closely with our clients to ensure that their bills are accurately representative of Griffin’s work on their account.

I believe in our industry and carry this belief into my volunteer work with the Public Relations Society of America. All of my free time is spent with my beloved wife, Diane. Together we enjoy our children, grandchildren, and making improvements to our home.

Education: Bachelor’s degree in Finance Administration from Kent State University