Kathy is the Media Director and CEO of Lead Surge. She is the force that guides our clients’ direct response lead generation programs—working tirelessly to maximize our clients’ ROI and minimize their cost per lead.
She frequently works with our clients’ Marketing Directors and, having previously worked in that role herself, is sympathetic to the pressures of the job and understands the lack of tolerance for costly mistakes.
Before forming Lead Surge with Liz, Kathy served as Vice President and Client Strategist at Direct Impact Group, a direct response lead generation advertising agency.
Earlier in her career, Kathy spent 15 years in media advertising sales at radio and television stations where she developed highly-successful campaigns and built long-standing client partnerships. She formed and headed direct response departments to serve clients who craved advertising accountability.
Kathy is high-energy, savvy and will relentlessly strategize realistic solutions to marketing challenges. She has a deep understanding of multiple dimensions of the direct response business—media planning, offer development, lead conversion and back-end analysis.
Kathy co-founded Lead Surge with Liz Keefe in 2011.
B.S. in Business Administration with a concentration in Marketing from Rochester Institute of Technology
Liz is the Creative Director and President of Lead Surge. She creates highly-targeted messaging strategies for our clients and applies her tenacity and bottomless well of creativity to develop and produce all TV, radio, newspaper, direct mail and digital creative campaigns to align with those strategies.
Thoughtful, collaborative and funny enough to make even the most challenging projects enjoyable, Liz thrives in the fast-paced, ever-changing world of B2C direct response lead generation.
Her advertising career began in 1997, first as a Media Assistant and then as an Account Executive at Direct Impact Group, a direct response lead generation advertising agency. Eventually, Liz transitioned to the creative side of the agency and it’s there that she realized her true passion.
Before forming Lead Surge with Kathy, Liz served as Vice President and Creative Director for 10 years at Direct Impact Group, where her award-winning creative generated hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue for her clients.
Liz’s diverse advertising background has served her well as she has a profound understanding of the many complexities of the direct response business.
While a client/agency relationship that spans four to five years is widely considered a successful run in this business, Liz has been able to build long-standing, deep-rooted relationships with many clients throughout her career, including 10 or more years with Renewal by Andersen, Sokolove Law, Cumberland Farms and DiStefano Hair Restoration.
Liz co-founded Lead Surge with Kathy Lavrentios in 2011.
B.S. in Mass Communications from Emerson College
Rita has many years of experience in financial management for both public and private companies. In her current role, she handles all the finances and assists in the growth of the company. Although every day presents a new challenge, she absolutely loves working with such a great team and being part of the company’s success!
A firm believer that life is too short to worry about what you didn’t do rather than just living in the moment, Rita’s weekends are typically spent entertaining and enjoying quality time with her family and friends.
She says if she could have dinner with any three people, living or dead, she’d want to dine with one of her parents, her daughter and her husband.
A big animal lover, Rita has three dogs – Ginger, Cocoa and Chai – whom she affectionately refers to as the Spice Girls.
Rita joined Lead Surge in October 2014.
Studied Management and Accounting at Community College of Rhode Island
Marketing in the home improvement industry isn’t always the most glamorous—but as VP, Head of Creative, Ian’s role at Lead Surge is to find magic in the mundane.
With a background in copywriting and a #sorrynotsorry imagination, Ian brings to the table nearly 20 years’ experience leading creative teams, crafting persuasive messaging and overseeing award-winning campaigns. He has broad expertise across B2B and B2C segments, having worked with clients in the technology, healthcare, customer experience, non-profit, food & beverage, private equity, real estate and public service arenas—to name a few.
Ian is the founder and co-host of The Brand Muffin podcast, which explores all things branding, advertising and marketing—all thoughtfully discussed over coffee and tiny cakes. He resides in Raleigh, NC with his wife Brianne and is a classically trained pianist and composer, Star Wars/Marvel/ a cappella nerd, NY Yankees fanatic, fitness enthusiast and wannabe storm chaser.
Ian joined Lead Surge in September 2022 and holds a B.A. in English from the University of Rochester.
Kirsty oversees our “watchdog department,” and believes that there are very few problems in life that can’t be solved with a well-formed spreadsheet.
Amidst the fast-paced and at times chaotic environment at Lead Surge, she enjoys making things systematic, streamlined and more efficient. What makes Kirsty most proud about her work is that she and her team do what most agencies don’t; they hold the media accountable – down to every last spot time and e-tear.
A self-proclaimed “indoor cat,” on weekends Kirsty can be found baking, playing cribbage or working on a jigsaw puzzle. She is also a fitness enthusiast and has dabbled in running, strength training, and rock climbing.
The latest addition to her cat family, Lewis, loves helping her work up a sweat in a HIIT workout.
Kirsty joined Lead Surge in March 2014.
B.A. in Film Studies from Brandeis University
A typical day for Ryan involves juggling several creative campaigns and planning ahead for the future. His day usually begins by reading and responding to a number of e-mails. Ryan also thoroughly proofreads ads, checks in with his team frequently, determines what upcoming creative campaigns need to be ordered and puts a plan of action together for each one.
Ryan’s role as creative and production manager taps into two of his passions – writing and editing. “I’ve always loved working with the written word,” he says. “In addition to that, I love organization and planning. When we produce an ad, I get to clearly see how my work is having an impact and helping our clients and Lead Surge.”
In his free time, Ryan enjoys writing, reading, going to the movies, traveling and hiking. He’s also very connected to his ancestry, which includes his Assyrian heritage on his father’s side of the family. Ryan says, “the defense of Assyrians everywhere – as well as the expansion of our culture – is extremely important to me.”
Ryan joined Lead Surge in March 2014.
B.A. in Journalism from Grand Valley State University
As Director of Media Operations, Lauren oversees the many activities of the department, including the collection of e-tear sheets that display what newspaper ads we ran and where they were placed within the paper. One of our watchdogs, she is also responsible for confirming that our newspaper ads run correctly as well as verifying that pre- and post-logs collected from TV and radio stations correlate with what was ordered.
On weekends, Lauren enjoys doing anything that gets her outside. She also likes knitting and spending time with her cats.
In college, Lauren ran hurdles for her track and field team, and she says the #1 item on her bucket list is to one day run a marathon.
Lauren joined Lead Surge in September 2017.
B.A. in Criminology from Stonehill College
As the Vice President of Media Buying at Lead Surge, Diana oversees the Media Buyers, while simultaneously negotiating rates across all mediums and recommending media plans for various clients across the country. She is constantly monitoring past and current media performances to optimize her media buys.
“There are so many opportunities to learn and grow here at Lead Surge and I am so grateful to be working alongside of such amazing coworkers”
When Diana isn’t working, she loves to spend time with her family and friends, trying new cooking recipes and spoiling her two gray cats.
Diana joined Lead Surge in April of 2018.
B.A. in Public Relations from University of Rhode Island
Jason is one of our top watchdogs. A typical day for Jason entails collecting pre- and post-logs to ensure our media is running as ordered. He also analyzes TV stations to determine how each program is performing. What he enjoys most about his work is making certain that our clients’ TV and radio advertising budgets are being well spent by ensuring spots run as ordered and with a minimum 20-minute separation.
On weekends, Jason enjoys watching his favorite Boston sports teams and reading. If the weather cooperates, he can also be found out on a golf course playing a round.
Jason says the three people – living or dead – he’d most like to have dinner with are Bobby Kennedy, Franklin Roosevelt and Theodore Roosevelt.
Jason joined Lead Surge in December 2015.
B.A. in Liberal Studies from Westfield State University
Jackie brings decades of administrative experience and an expertise in accounting and collections to Lead Surge. In her role, Jackie is involved in all aspects of invoicing, inventory and client relations. She loves that each new month offers something new and exciting, while also enabling her to build stronger relationships with our clients.
Important to know about Jackie, when her daughter was nine years old, she underwent emergency brain surgery to remove a cavernous malformation that was causing life-threatening hemorrhaging. Just seven months later, a second brain surgery was necessary to remove another cavernous malformation.
Jackie’s now, teenage daughter, is healthy and thriving. As a result of the experience, Jackie became involved with the Angioma Alliance, an organization whose mission is “…to inform, support and empower individuals affected by cavernous angioma” and to this day, Jackie continues to spread awareness.
Jackie truly appreciates quality time spent with her family. She dreams of a vacation with her family and loved ones in Santorini, Greece, where days overflow with laughter, great food and all the things that make memories that would last a lifetime.
Jackie joined Lead Surge in October 2016.
Studied Business Management & Marketing at Bridgewater State University
Shaun is one of our eagle eyes. Most days, he is busy proofreading and ordering coupon ads and print ads. He meticulously checks each one before presenting it to the client for approval and then once again before sending it off to the proper publication.
The one thing about his job that makes Shaun most proud is he’s able to work on campaigns that he can help make clean, accurate and consistent – he’s not satisfied until the client is happy.
When he’s not working, Shaun is usually playing with – or, more accurately, chasing after – his two young children. He also enjoys hockey and brewing his own beer.
A big fan of movies, Shaun ranks Back to the Future, Star Wars and Raiders of the Lost Ark his top three favorite films. While he enjoys all types of movies, his preferred genre is horror.
Shaun joined Lead Surge in July 2017.
B.A. in Journalism from University of Rhode Island
One of our resident watchdogs, Sarah prepares and delivers traffic instructions to TV and radio stations each month.
Additionally, Sarah ensures the creative has been delivered to each station per their unique requirements and provides the media contacts with spot delivery details. She often updates traffic to adjust creative based on performance.
Originally from Canada, Sarah says her favorite place to be is back home with her family in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia boating on the Bras d’Or Lake.
As one of many animal lovers on our staff, Sarah is a passionate supporter of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) and has rescued three cats from the organization – Stokey, Reggie and Tessie.
Sarah joined Lead Surge in May 2017.
B.A. from St. Francis Xavier University in Nova Scotia
Working closely with clients and members of the Lead Surge creative team, Chris is responsible for concepting effective B2C copy for Facebook, digital, newspaper, TV, radio, and direct mail campaigns.
Chris also composes scripts for live and pre-recorded segments on local lifestyle and news programs in several markets across the country. He works closely with show producers, station reps and clients to ensure each segment airs accurately.
His favorite part of being a copywriter is the challenge of writing copy that makes a connection and inspires the reader to act.
A big music fan, Chris enjoys going to concerts and is a big fan of U2 and Phish. He also enjoys golfing and reading.
Chris joined Lead Surge in August 2017.
B.A. in English Literature from Florida State University
As a member of the Creative team, Tabby’s typical day is spent corresponding with clients and working on print ads to get things done right and on time. She’s always up to the task of tweaking and fine tuning creative to meet Lead Surge’s, the client’s, and her own standards; even when something changes last minute.
One of the best challenges of this work is knowing the nuance between every client and their markets. Getting an ad prepared properly requires knowing the market to ensure the proper elements and copy are being used to reflect that area and client preferences. These are the puzzle pieces we work with, putting them together in a way that makes the best picture possible for our clients.
In her spare time, Tabby enjoys line dancing, reading, and playing video games. She’d like to get back into the swing of traveling again but for now it’s been nice exploring locally and connecting with friends as much as possible.
Tabby joined Lead Surge in November 2018.
B.A. in English from Bridgewater State University
In Ashley’s role as Production Manager at Lead Surge, she is responsible for managing the production of all our clients’ television and radio spots.
Ashley’s keen eye for detail helps her spot inconsistencies in creative and ensure that every TV and radio spot goes out correctly. The role is fast paced and allows Ashley to learn something new every day.
“I love many aspects of my job, but seeing a piece of creative that I worked on go on to generate leads for our clients is by far my favorite part,” says Ashley.
When Ashley isn’t working, she loves spending time with her friends and family, traveling and going to the beach. She also enjoys practicing yoga and hopes to one day become a certified yoga instructor.
Ashley joined Lead Surge in May 2019.
B.S. in Journalism, Communication and Media Studies from Suffolk University
As part of the Creative team, Rebecca spends most days ordering a variety of print ads, then closely proofreading them to ensure that each one is camera-ready before presenting them to clients. She loves editing and polishing pieces of writing, and she feels accomplished whenever she notices a mistake in the ad copy that she gets to fix. Her favorite part of her job is communicating and laughing with her teammates, cultivating a positive and collaborative work environment.
Rebecca’s two favorite genres of books and movies alike are “really sappy romance” and “really gruesome horror”, which she acknowledges is a strange combination. Her all-time favorite book is Stephen King’s IT.
When she’s not working, Rebecca enjoys reading, cooking, video games, going for long walks, and attending every pop punk concert possible. At the end of the day, she can usually be found watching sitcoms and snuggling up with Finn, her absurdly fluffy cat.
Rebecca joined Lead Surge in September 2021.
B.A. in English from University of Rhode Island
As part of the Media Operations team, Miranda reviews pre- and post-logs as well as ensuring E-tears are run correctly. As one of our watchdogs, she is responsible for checking dates, times and rates to ensure we’re running smoothly! Her favorite part of her job is being able to find and correct discrepancies.
In her free time, Miranda enjoys reading, playing video games and going to the theatre.
Miranda joined Lead Surge in March 2022. She graduated from Hofstra University with a B.F.A. in Theatre Arts.
Henry is a Poodle/Wheaten Terrier mix who spends 95% of the workday wandering through the offices looking for treats and staring at people as they eat their lunch. He’s not a great listener and will sometimes bark at nothing, so it’s good that he’s so handsome.
Roxy, our head of security, is a rescue from a local animal shelter and needs extra love because she was abused by her previous owner. She loves food almost as much as her owner Kathy and considers it a good day if she gets several belly rubs at the office.
