Kelli Parsons, Chief Executive Officer, Avoq — A Capitol Communicator Profile
Editor’s Note: Capitol Communicators is a profile series spotlighting the people shaping the present and future of advertising, digital, marketing and public relations in the Mid-Atlantic. This profile features Kelli Parsons, Chief Executive Officer, Avoq.
When Avoq – a firm created by a series of strategic mergers, equity investment and expansion – looked to its future, they searched for a leader who could drive national and international growth in a tumultuous political and economic climate. Kelli Parsons was appointed CEO and board member in February 2026.
Parsons, who was global CEO of Hill & Knowlton before joining Avoq, brings a wide range of career and life experience to her new role. She was raised on a family farm in Kentucky and credits her parents with teaching her the values that still guide her leadership today: solve problems, work hard, be dependable, and put people first.
Her professional journey began as a television reporter – where speed, decisiveness, and the ability to master complex issues quickly are essential. She transitioned into public relations and corporate communications; served as CCO for Fannie Mae during the housing market crash and financial crisis of 2008 and in senior leadership roles at Fortune 50 companies; and steered Hill & Knowlton through structural evolution.
Avoq’s lineage includes decades of strategic mergers of firms founded by influential political and communications leaders including Dan Sallick, Paul Frick, Steve Elmendorf, Jimmy Ryan and Eric Sedler, and is a portfolio company of equity investors Coral Tree Partners. Clients include The Blackstone Group, Bloomberg Philanthropies, Delta Air Lines, Exelon, Google, Johns Hopkins University, and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
2026 begins a remarkable chapter in her career. In February, she became CEO of Avoq. In March, she received the Integrity in Public Communication Award from the Arthur W. Page Center, and she was also named a Distinguished Mentor by the Martin Center at the College of Charleston.
Parsons says her farming roots taught her the value of hard work and resilience. Her corporate leadership experiences reinforced the importance of decisiveness – as she puts it, “tough decisions don’t age well.” She believes the strongest teams are built by hiring people talented enough that you would gladly work for them someday. She values the cultural experiences gained from travel, having visited every state and six continents. And throughout her career, she says she has been guided by a simple but powerful question: What do you want to be known for?
Kelli, please tell us about yourself.
I bring deep experience driving growth, innovation and operational excellence to my role as CEO if Avoq. As a business, corporate affairs and marketing leader, I align and mobilize strategy across organizations and among stakeholders. I advise clients on reputation and resiliency, corporate and financial communication, regulatory and public affairs, litigation, business transformation, and brand equity.
During a decade as chief communication and marketing officer for Fortune 50 companies, I focused on value creation and protection during business and cultural transformations.
I’m also actively involved in the development of our profession’s future leaders. I’m the immediate past chair of the Page board of trustees and a trustee of the Institute for Public Relations.
An avid traveler who has visited all 50 states, my husband Scott and I enjoy hiking the world’s peaks and valleys, watching a sunset at the beach and cheering for our hometown Kentucky Wildcats. I aspire to one day be good at golf.
Tell us about your new role and what you’re looking forward to.
At Avoq, we aspire to be our clients’ most trusted strategic and creative partner and our colleagues’ most trusted teammate. I work with extraordinary people. My job is to inspire our people to do their best work. To equip them to be wildly successful together by delivering outcomes for our clients.
Avoq is a firm that has evolved, from the founders’ start up roots, mergers, and strategic changes. Given the constant change in our industry, and world, what are your plans for the future of the firm?
We will continue to grow by building a reputation for breakthrough work, talent and technology. Our founders built great businesses. Now, as an integrated firm, we offer several points of difference: Strategic communication integrated with in-house bipartisan government relations and in-house creative strategy and production, for example. We have the scale of a full-service national firm with focus, speed and agility. And a genuinely nice culture that unlocks performance.
What are the most significant changes or trends you see happening/ coming in the communications industry in 2026? How are you dealing with them?
Artificial intelligence is rapidly changing the communication industry and how we serve clients. Historically, we were a talent business. Now we are a talent and technology business. At Avoq, we’re investing in an innovation engine to deliver proprietary AI-enabled solutions that help our clients create value in their companies.
What led you to make the transition from your first career, as a journalist, into PR?
I was a television reporter from college through my 20s, primarily working for network affiliates from Nashville to Houston. I covered hurricane Andrew, the war in Bosnia, the 50th Anniversary of D Day in Normandy and US presidential campaigns. It was an energizing first career with highly applicable learnings. An interest in business influenced my transition – along with an interest in occasional holiday off from work.
Your bio references “defining moments” for firms in your prior roles. Tell us more about a defining moment, and how you handled it.
I was recruited to Fannie Mae during the financial crisis. A friend equated my move from private equity to a company in conservatorship to “jumping out of a perfectly good airplane.” It was a risk that became a defining moment. Our stellar new management team aligned around clarity of mission: Prevent foreclosures and fix lending standards. Be a reliable source for people to buy or rent a home. Pay back taxpayers and return Fannie Mae to profitability. My outstanding communication and marketing team played a critical role in value creation for our company and our country. We were also honored to be selected as PRWeek Team of the Year.
You’ve surely had lots of big moments in your many roles. What are you most proud of?
I’m most proud of my people. I have created a “coaching tree” in the Communication profession. About 25 of my former team members have gone on to earn leadership roles as Chief Communication Officers or as CEOs or founders of communication firms. I’m grateful to have been a small part of their amazing careers. It all starts with my commitment to hire people I would happily work for one day.
The high-stakes roles you’ve had in the corporate world seem worlds away from growing up on a family farm. Any childhood lessons that you still find yourself coming back to?
Growing up on a family farm strongly influenced who I am today. I was blessed with the best parents. They taught me to be independent and enterprising—a problem solver. Fences need to be fixed even if you don’t have all the right tools. To be dependable. Livestock needs to be fed even on a below-zero morning. To take pride in teamwork and prioritize others. Neighbors may need an assist even when you have a full agenda. I owe a debt of gratitude to my childhood farming community.
We’re living through a real breakdown of public trust, in institutions and among people. What do you think we can do to restore trust?
I deeply believe in the power of engagement, particularly engaging with people with whom we may have differences, where we hold opposing views. Show respect for differences. Listen before we assert. Find balance. I strive to ensure that I put people in the best position to excel, and to be a person willing to speak up for someone.
What advice helped you most in your career, and is that advice still relevant today?
Be decisive. Many years ago, the late Howard Paster, an icon of our industry, counseled me on a necessary restructuring with this advice: Difficult decisions do not get better with age. Business transformation is a common thread through my career and Howard’s advice is proven. Effective leadership requires us to be empathetic, measured – and decisive.
You’ve built on that advice from Howard Paster and offer some of your own advice to aspiring and current PR professionals. You shared some of those lessons in a podcast, Mindful Mentoring, about your mentorship award. Let’s share them here:
Growth is in the grind. Real development comes from doing the hard things while building business acumen.
Take risks: Start small, assess the risk-reward and stay open to opportunity—even when it can be uncomfortable.
Be decisive: Tough decisions don’t age well: clarity and action drive impact.
Earn and deliver sponsorship: Show up, deliver excellence in everything you do and build advocates who speak up for you.
And one question to guide it all: What do you want to be known for?
Capitol Communicators profiles will allow you to meet some of the most interesting and insightful pros in our region, learn how they stay ahead of the curve and pick up practical wisdom during a time of constant change.
Capitol Communicator is a sister company of CommPRO.
