Our Team

Pleased to meet you.

Heart and hustle. That’s the nature — and strength — of our team. From research to strategy to creative, we love what we do, and we love working together to do it. No one here is just their title. Because everyone here does what it takes to get the job done right. It’s how we make a difference for partners who make a difference.

We love what we do and we do what we love…even if some of us don’t love being on video.

Veerabhadra Atla
Senior Developer

Veera is a Senior Drupal Developer at idfive. He completed his master's in Information Systems from the University of Nevada, Reno in 2023. Originally from India, he currently enjoys his stay by the mountains in Nevada. His dedication to coding is evident in his ability to tackle challenges with enthusiasm and find innovative solutions. In his free time, he loves hiking, staying up to date with world news, and spending time with his family and friends.

Tara Nowakowski
Associate Vice President of Finance

Tara has 20 years of marketing experience and has been with the company since the beginning. As one of our fearless leaders, she handles everything from client billing to project budgeting to human resources. Her door is always open for questions or suggestions, and her fridge always has a bottle of wine for special occasions. Tara somehow manages to make the necessary, administrative stuff less painful and her recognizable laugh is contagious.

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Sean Sutherland
Director of Marketing

Sean is an avid connector, writer, and marketer. He builds and maintains relationships between idfive, clients, and the local Baltimore community. Originally from Detroit, Sean has called Baltimore home for more than a decade—championing people, organizations, and visions that invest in Baltimore’s bright future. A master of process and progress, he engages with a wide variety of stakeholders to further our shared mission. Sean is also a gigantic nerd—just ask him about his favorite comic books and video games. He’s the proud father to the world’s most perfect cat and her dopey canine sidekick.

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Sean Nelms
Creative Strategist

Hey, what’s the big idea? As a Creative Strategist, it’s Sean’s job to find out. In his 10+ years in creative departments, he’s learned that every brand has something unique about it—and once we find it, we can make it interesting. He firmly believes that the smallest insights are the ones that create the world’s biggest campaigns. When he’s not chasing big ideas, he’s chasing two small children around his backyard because it’s “BEDTIME, MISTER!”

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Sean Kerins
Web Developer

Sean has nearly 20 years of web design and development experience, with a particular focus on education-related sites and clients. He’s especially keen on blending design and development techniques on the front-end to produce beautiful, high-performing websites. When he’s not slinging code or lining up pixels, you can find him enjoying the North Carolina sunshine as a recent transplant from New England.

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Scotty Stuntz
Media Account Manager

Scott grew up in rural Iowa, moved to semi-rural Illinois, and then rural Idaho, having lived in 75 percent of the rural "I" states. After leaving the farm, Scott worked in journalism, leading him to a small news outlet in the mountains and Driggs, Idaho. When he's not working, you can find him skiing, mountain biking, or reading and watching Sci-Fi.

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Sarah Yalov
Graphic Designer

Sarah is passionate about creating print and digital designs that move the needle for her clients. She’s a stickler for work that is equal parts accessible and attention-grabbing. The textbook definition of “team player” — ready to do whatever it takes to get the job done — Sarah has a ready smile and infectious, can-do attitude. When she’s not exercising her design chops, you’re likely to find Sarah working out, dancing, cooking, baking, and counseling her crazy cat Dora.

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Peter Toran
Lead Strategist

Peter is unequivocally the coolest person in the office. Having served in university leadership and on executive boards, Peter has a lot of experience in a lot of areas. And he helps gain our clients’ trust and support from Day One. Peter is also an expert on enrollment and content strategy and institutional branding and communications. There’s nothing this guy can’t do, but he’s exceptionally good at bringing us artisanal bread on Friday’s paired with well-baked puns.

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Pat Balasavage
Sr. User Experience and Interface Designer

Pat is a detailed-oriented UX and graphic designer who loves to nerd out over data and user behaviors. It’s what makes her so adept at building an empathetic digital experience and at working with developers to create sites that aren’t just beautiful, but that get results. Pat is an excellent collaborator and invites feedback from across the agency. And when it comes to effective documentation, best practices, or all things Outlander, Pat is your girl.

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Melanie Bengel
Senior Account Executive

Melanie is a meticulous and passionate account executive who loves to foster meaningful relationships with her clients. Her passion for her work stems from being solely focused on helping organizations achieve their mission and project goals. Having worked in different capacities with over 75 organizations in the non-profit, higher education, and health services spaces, Melanie truly understands what businesses need to be successful in their marketing efforts. In her spare time, you’ll find her cuddling with her dog, coming up with new DIY house projects, working weddings on the weekend as a wedding planner, or crafting her next travel itinerary.

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Mark Mende
Senior Account Executive

Mark spent nearly 30 years working in higher education and got in on the ground floor of digital marketing and communications. He was designing sites for colleges from practically Day 1 of the web and has managed all aspects of numerous redesigns and campaigns. He was doing design, social media, and video production management before they became their own positions and departments. Self-taught in a myriad of things and a big fan of lifelong learning, Mark co-founded what became HighEdWeb to selfishly be able to learn from his peers. Mark also recently retired from a 20-year career as a high school baseball coach.

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Mark Levy
Senior Web Developer

Mark has been along for the ride on the ever-evolving web for over a decade, building interactive web applications with a focus on accessibility and pushing the boundaries of what's visually possible. When not coding on one or more of his three monitors, Mark is probably lost on the Gwynns Falls Trail in the forest behind his house, or pinned to the couch by his big orange cat, Sharky.

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Kathe Flynn
Creative Director

Kathe is a brilliant and talented creative director that fuels our creative department. She has thrived as a creative leader in Charm City for over two decades. Whether crafting impactful stories or taking the time to bake the best cupcakes in town for a team member’s birthday—Kathe brings every tool to the table and wields them with the utmost craft, enthusiasm, and humanity. Born in Baltimore, Kathe is passionate about the community and serves as both 1st Vice President and Social Chair for the AAF Baltimore.

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Katelyn Brickey
Associate Director of Client Services

Katelyn is a detail-oriented and passionate account executive who has a gift for staying focused and optimistic during the most complex of projects. Her extensive experience managing web, print, and marketing projects makes her not only a team leader but a team cheerleader — always encouraging folks to finish strong. Katelyn is an unapologetic perfectionist and is hands-down the best-dressed person at idfive. We’re all a little jealous she lives in paradise, but even more thrilled when she’s in town.

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Jon Croft
Media Manager

Jon is a media manager on a mission to optimize campaigns by squeezing the last drop of value out of every placement, budget, and media outlet. His relentless pursuit for results is only matched by nerding out on KPIs, dashboards, and reports. Jon is a graduate of the University of Maryland, where he studied Communication. Jon also has extensive experience in music, art, and video production, both as a collaborator and as a solo creator. His colleagues would describe him as a creative, strategic-minded, and passionate team member that advocates for the customer while delivering on the goals of the company.

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Jodi Hey
Director of Client Services

Jodi brings a strategic eye for creativity, flexibility, and order to her clients. Her professional passion for web, print, experiential design, event marketing, media, and content strategy is contagious. Jodi is also an unapologetic team player. She’s made significant strategic marketing contributions to clients like Johns Hopkins University and School of Public Health, Maryland Food Bank, Smithsonian Institution, and Baltimore Police Department. Jodi has been in Baltimore’s marketing scene for over 15 years and has an M.A. in Publication Design and Marketing from the University of Baltimore.

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Jill Sprague
Director of Media

Jill is a savvy media strategist who leads our tireless media team. She has more than 15 years of experience in digital and print advertising, marketing, programmatic media buying and account management. Jill helps our clients move the needle on their campaign goals whether to increase brand awareness, promote thought leadership, or generate qualified leads. When she isn’t at work, Jill might be training for a 10K, tap dancing, or having an impromptu dance party with her kids.  

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Jefferson Andrés Patrón Cáceres
Web Developer

Jefferson is a software developer with over 20 years of experience in web development and ten years in Drupal. He's a lover of motorcycles and land travel. You can usually find him in his habitat behind his computer keyboard or wielding a cup of Colombian coffee.

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Jayvie Arellano
Web Support Lead

Jayvie is a hardworking developer who just so happens to be self-taught. He jumps in whenever anyone needs help, and is idfive’s point person for troubleshooting and ongoing web development support. Jayvie also architects complex Wordpress builds for our clients and helps them to understand how things work. A curious, Jack of All Trades, Jayvie is an adaptable team member. He also isn’t ashamed of taking home leftovers or asking, “Are you gunna finish that?”

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Jake Tarbert
Executive Vice President of Client Services

Jake approaches leadership and client services with attention to detail, discipline, and receptiveness. And having worked at The Most Magical Place on Earth, Jake understands the value of creativity and thinking outside the box. As one of idfive’s vice presidents, Jake wears quite a few hats but manages to do so with a level head. He has earned the respect of some of the company’s longest-standing clients and is an equally quick favorite among our newer partners.

Jacqueline Stiefvater
Designer

Jax is an enthusiastic designer with over 6+ years of experience in branding, print, and digital design. She has a keen eye for detail and loves working cross-functionally to collaborate, learn, and execute ideas with other creatives. Jax lives in the heart of Fells Point and when she's not designing, you can find her exploring local coffee shops, boutiques, and restaurants in the area!

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Erinn Hesse
Director of Client Services

Erinn is a fiercely smart, strategic, and kind account executive who is always willing to lend a hand or jump through hoops for her team. She has a knack for nurturing workflow, solving problems, and Excel spreadsheets, and manages large-scale projects with unwavering dedication and efficiency. If Erinn doesn’t know something, give her a day and she’ll be an expert. To her: the more bold, head-spinningly innovative a project, the better. And the more after work happy hours, the merrier

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Deborah Dudley
Senior Copywriter

As a communications practitioner, Deb leads with an open and hungry heart, eager to listen, learn, and leverage the unique ingredients within each client’s story. She believes the delicious is in the details and loves to find creative ways to elevate the flavors and textures that advance important mission-driven work. Her enthusiasm for language in all formats and channels has resulted in a diverse portfolio of leadership roles for publishers, domestic and international non-profit advocacy organizations, and both public and private universities. Deb’s penchant for cultural immersion has resulted in an equally diverse collection of home addresses: Chicago, Cairo, Limassol, Berlin, San Francisco, and Brooklyn. These days, Deb can be found learning how to repair a sump pump and experimenting with venison recipes at home in Northern New York.

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Dan Rogers
AVP of Development

Dan is equal parts front-end developer, back-end developer, and Rockies adventurer. He tackles intricate websites with unparalleled focus and believes that technology should be the solution to — rather than the cause of — problems. Dan understands that projects don’t end at launch and that follow-up and reflection are essential to constant improvement. How he stays on task while living in the middle of a wintery paradise? We will never know.

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Christian Mortlock
Senior Art Director

Christian is a problem solver at heart, and approaches design through a similar lens. Bringing his experience from studios both large and small, he feels passionate about working collaboratively and helping ideas reach their full potential. Originally a native of Exit 4, New Jersey, Christian has made Baltimore his home for the past 10 years. He has a soft spot for book design, history, and has recently been dabbling in gardening.

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Caitlin Currey
Executive Vice President of Strategy + Partner

Caitlin is a wickedly smart and passionate leader who can relate to her clients because she’s been in their shoes. She’s mastered how to execute an effective communications strategy, build and promote a brand, and grow advancement for idfive’s nonprofit partners. Caitlin’s diverse experiences are why she’s a valuable asset to her clients and mentor to her teammates. With her wit, genuine honesty, and Southern charm, Caitlin is hard not to love — and to look up to.

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Bryan Burke
Senior Designer

Bryan is an experienced designer, video producer and animator whose equally interested in social media strategy and user experience. Having worked as a freelancer, in-house creative, and at his own college start-up, Bryan embraces wearing many hats and uses his skills in tandem to better tell a brand’s story. He’ll also beat you up four flights of stairs with a bike over his shoulder, before you’ve even pressed the elevator button.

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Brad Walker
Associate Director of Developers

A Western Maryland native, Brad has worked at various Baltimore design agencies for the last 15+ years, focusing on graphic design and front-end web development. When he's not creating work that wows his clients and helps them achieve their mission, you'll find Brad playing drums and guitar, drawing, painting, and hiking with his wife Sharyn and Richie, their fluffy Bichon Frise.

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Betty Muñoz
Support Services Manager

Self motivated and infectious optimist is the best way to describe Betty. Betty spent her career creating leaders, building diverse work groups, and mentoring young leadership. Her experiences are in running multi retail businesses and real estate sales/development development.  She will be a great partner in our mission for DEIB.

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Anthony Neumann
Director of Development

Anthony is an experienced back- and front-developer who specializes in making large, enterprise-level builds look easy. With laser-focus and unwavering dedication, he’s someone who gets complex things done. Anthony doesn’t shy away from teaching, learning something new, or jumping in where his team needs him. Although remarkable at what he does, he answers questions and values new insight. Anthony is equally passionate about perfect code as he is about a perfect game of golf.

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Anny Sequera Celis
Senior Account Executive

Anny is a Venezuelan criminal lawyer who fell in love with marketing seven years ago. A natural-born collaborator, Anny loves to help her clients grow and develop their brands with her team. She's a firm believer that teamwork and trust are two key elements that enable sustainable growth and development. She's an outgoing, creative, and communicative person. While she's not working, she loves to spend her time at the beach and playing and doing activities with her adorable son!

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Andrew White
Director of User Experience and Information Design

Andrew is the type of guy whose advice you always trust, even if you don’t know him well yet. He’s worked across many disciplines, gaining a diverse portfolio of experience that he uses to create cohesive, engaging user experiences. Andrew likes to think about how people think, and is always ready to try something new. He’s a big fan of collaboration, shared InVision prototypes, and a fully-loaded Italian sandwich.

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Andrés Zapata, D.Sc.
Founder

Andrés isn’t like most founders. He’s responsible for the operations and direction of idfive, but he’s also the door-always-open, huevos-rancheros-making leader who’ll help you when the wifi isn’t working. A lifetime learner and multifaceted professional, Andrés has nearly 30 years of experience leading projects for clients in various industries. He believes in the power of research and data to create something beautiful that can do something good.

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Allison Grande
Account Executive

Allison is passionate about collaborating with her clients and teammates to bring creative marketing initiatives to life and help her clients achieve their goals. She earned a Bachelor’s of Business Administration with a concentration in Innovation and Entrepreneurship from James Madison University. Allison approaches all projects — big or small — with enthusiasm and curiosity. She’s not afraid to ask questions and or look for ways to expand her knowledge. In her spare time, you’ll find Allison at the Pilates studio, listening to Taylor Swift, or tackling DIY art projects.

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Adrian Bertolone
Senior Account Executive

Adrian brings a creative approach to managing web design projects with his extensive background in fine arts. He has several years of experience leading web teams and being a reliable point person for clients. Having grown up in a very culturally diverse area of Cleveland, Adrian prides himself on being relatable and approachable to people from all walks of life. When he’s not working, Adrian is cooking, woodworking, reading, or making audio/visual work.

Fiversgiving
Day of Giving 2022 at Moveable Feast.
Annual Retreat
Jayvie (center) and Andrew (right) prepare to face their fears on the zipline. Dan (left), on the other hand, who is a volunteer search and rescue volunteer in Idaho (really!), tries to stay awake.
Everyday Collaboration
Andrew crushing wireframe after wireframe. Just another day at idfive.
Always Learning
Chris and Bryan dueling it out at the team retreat.

There’s amazing potential for good in the world. Let’s give it a chance and a voice.

You in?