AMA PDX Agency
Meet Our Agency Account Managers
Our three project teams are led by incredible marketing and communications professionals in our community, and we wanted to give you the chance to get to know them!
Sarah Thomson, Account Manager of ELSO, Inc.
Where are you from?
I was born in the UK and migrated to Australia when I was a toddler. Brisbane (sunshine! warm! beaches!) is where I undertook most of my schooling and went to Uni, and I was fortunate to live in Melbourne (coffee! food! cozy days!) for many years. In 2017, I migrated to Seattle, where I quickly fell in love with Puget Sound. I continued my crush on the PNW by moving to Portland a year ago.
What keeps you inspired in your field?
It’s great to see marketers and brands shift towards ethical marketing. It’s still very much a work in progress, but the days of duping our audiences are looking to be behind us.
What is something surprising about you?
I began my career in the AECD industry, working with engineers on technically complex proposals in the mining sector. Rather than pursuing larger-scale employers and contracts, I now work with small owner-operators, focusing on making marketing accessible and impactful on a much smaller scale.
Jacob Ashley, Account Manager for Outside the Frame
Where are you from?
I was born in Portland, Oregon, and raised mainly on a Happy Valley blueberry farm in the shadow of Mt. Hood. But I also spent some of my childhood in Santa Cruz, California. Basically, I grew up both in rainforests and beautiful beaches. Who could ask for more?
What keeps you inspired in your field?
There are so many things. Personally, I love using creativity and innovative thinking to solve incredibly complex problems. It’s always challenging yet also fun. Externally, I see the incredible things great marketing can do for every endeavor, from the largest corporation or organization to the smallest business or non-profit. It’s a superpower to propel any and all ambition. It’s how our voices are heard. I love it!
What is something surprising about you?
I’m currently writing a historical-based fantasy novel. Keep a lookout for your boy, the next Tolkien! (Nary a feather was harmed in the scribing of this parchment.)
Dory Athey, Account Manager for Rooted School Vancouver
Where are you from?
I grew up in the mountains of Colorado and was raised in the rivers and canyons of Utah. I went to college in Montana and graduate school in Oregon. Since then, I've lived and worked in Idaho, Oregon, Minnesota, and Colorado (again!). In 2023, I moved back to Montana, which felt like coming home.
What keeps you inspired in your field?
I work in public health on two levels: global healthcare leadership development (the way up high level) and at my local public library (the deep community and grassroots level). It can be difficult to switch between these circles, but I feel lucky to be working from both perspectives. Library work has been essential to grounding my work in global public health. I am inspired by workers at the grassroots level who are redefining leadership and proving that those who are delivering systems (frontline workers) must be involved in designing systems. Leaders have everything to learn from their workers.
What is something surprising about you?
I spent the last half of 2023 reading almost exclusively middle grade graphic novels (thank you, Missoula Public Library). HMU for recs if any of the following applies:
Did all the rules suddenly change when you started your new job? Is your twin so good at ballet it's annoying? Is everyone in your babysitters club fighting? Did your fantasy anime crush accidentally come to life when you drew a picture of him in what you later learned was your late great aunt's magic notebook? Must you now save the world with your BFFs because it turns out he's actually evil, not just broody and misunderstood?
There's a book for that!