COVID-19: A Crisis Communicator’s Perspective
When Covalent Logic was formed toward the end of 2005, it happened in the middle of a crisis. In fact, it’s more accurate to say it happened because of a crisis: Hurricane Katrina.
Covalent LogicYou want to think out of the box, go out on a ledge, or maybe just get your message out there. Taking a risk can be difficult. That’s why you need a risk-taker in your corner. You might want an innovative product on the web—something that’s never been done before. Maybe you need a campaign to promote your company or announce a new endeavor. We can do that.
Our process is as unique as your problem. We don’t “save as.” We don’t use a formula. We draw from our canvas of experience—whether you need a website, graphic design, investor communications, public relations, an advertising campaign, videos, brand management or help in a crisis—we’ve got you covered. We’re nimble enough to respond to your needs and diligent enough to get the job done.
We believe that two heads are better than one. You’ll find us bouncing ideas off each other all day long to get to another right answer. Because one approach is not enough. We explore possibilities and options until you’re satisfied. You can’t learn what we do in a classroom (though our people *love* to get degrees), so it’s the experiences—all of them—that count. Our wide variety of backgrounds, past lives and time travel adventures drive our ability to innovate. But, former experience as a barista is always a plus!
Her friendly face and casual demeanor about all things business are merely a decoy - there is no one else you want on your side for a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity or defending you in a crisis. Stafford Wood is a deadly combination of strategic brains, mystical intuition, humor and corporate marketing intelligence. As the Founder and President of Covalent Logic for the past fifteen years, Stafford leads a team of thirty corporate communications experts in internal communications, graphic design, web development and public relations. As an Accredited Senior Practitioner of Public Relations, she's received two lifetime achievement awards from the American Advertising Federation and the Public Relations Association of Louisiana and has been inducted into the Southern Public Relations Federation Hall of Fame.
With more than 27 years in marketing and communications, Trae has done it all. From marketing coordinator to creative manager, webmaster to advertising sales -- you name it, he’s probably done it. Creative and efficient, he is uniquely suited to his role as Vice President.
Trae ensures that our team works seamlessly through every step from proposal to campaign evaluation helping us to provide our clients the best product. He coordinates individuals with varying talents and manages workflow so that each project meets our high standards and our clients’ needs.
Daniel provides art direction and management to Covalent Logic’s team of designers, overseeing their concurrent projects across a variety of media. His creative knowledge combined with focused organizational skills allow him to simultaneously usher other designers’ projects along while also managing and creating his own. Daniel’s deep understanding of the problem solving nature inherent to design work makes him not only a valuable creative asset but also a relevant critical thinker.
Daniel has worked for several Baton Rouge-based companies, including serving as Art Director at Diane Allen and Associates from 2006 to 2013. He most recently served as Creative Director of Marucci Sports. He graduated from the Savannah College of Art and Design with a Bachelor in Fine Arts in graphic design.
As one of the founding members, Stacey has been with Covalent since its inception in 2005. She is deeply committed to leading the creative team with passion and vision. Equally adept at both print and Web design, Stacey's diverse skill set and traditional design background enable her to develop quality solutions for both media. Her work has received multiple awards including the Business Report's Technology & Web Awards Website of the Year as well as regional and international awards of Excellence and Distinction from The Communicator Print Media Awards, Lantern Awards and Public Relations Society of America Awards.
Stacey has worked with a variety of clients across many industries including healthcare, athletics, hospitality, government and many more. She graduated from Louisiana State University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in graphic design and has more than 15 years of experience in the industry.
Poulin holds a doctorate in mathematics and a master’s in computer science from Louisiana State University. He has more than 10 years of experience developing complex, Web-related applications and is a Certified Macromedia ColdFusion Developer. Poulin is proficient with ColdFusion, XML, Perl, C++, C, Visual Basic Java, JavaScript, HTML and is an expert in database development.
As Covalent Logic’s Chief Software Architect, he applies his diverse skill sets to devise and implement clever solutions to the most challenging programming scenarios.
After 5 years in hospitality and tourism, Julie has traded in her heels for steel toe boots. She now spends her days at a construction site to manage internal communications, public relations and marketing for a major international client.
Julie has experience in an agency setting as well as in corporate communications, giving her a well-rounded view of the public relations landscape. She has written about a wide range of topics including fishing spots on the Louisiana coast, game day programs, landscape features at community parks, and LSU’s 150 years of history. Julie received her B.A. in Mass Communication at Louisiana State University, with a concentration in public relations (and a minor in tailgating).
With more than a decade of communications experience, Account Manager Margo Jolet has an extensive background in developing highly-effective communications strategies. Margo received her Master of Mass Communication, as well as a B.A. in English and a B.S. in Psychology from LSU, where she was a member of the Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi.
Before joining our team, she was LSU’s Associate Director of Marketing and Communications where she managed marketing campaigns and PR for more than 120 annual student activities and events. She served as Production Manager, spearheading community and university relations, and, as Writer/Editor, was responsible for marketing messages on behalf of the university.
In 2016, Margo wrote and defended her thesis, Weapons of Mass Communication: How the White House used Twitter to Talk About Obamacare, research from which was published by both the R Street Institute and a New York Times op-ed.
As a front-end developer, Stephen uses his knowledge of JavaScript and server-side code to bring to life the designs and concepts of Covalent Logic’s designers.
His ability to swiftly implement developer changes to various sites and softwares makes him a valuable asset to Covalent Logic. Stephen graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from Southeastern Louisiana University.
Before starting at Covalent Logic in November 2015, Stephen previously consulted for multiple fortune 500 companies while working for IBM. He brings a wealth of knowledge in front-end design and development, back-end infrastructure, and implementation of external APIs.
Despite being one of our newest draft picks, Olivia plays the game like a seasoned pro. She handles the day-to-day for Fortune 500 companies and ensures every project is right and right on time.
While a student at Louisiana State University, Olivia was Account Executive for its public relations firm, was a member of PRSSA, studied abroad with LSU’s Media and Politics in Europe program and served as a mentor to foreign transfer students.
Even before graduating with a bachelor’s degree in mass communications and a minor in business administration, she was an all-star intern for Covalent. And with her talent, it’s no wonder we made her a permanent part of the team.
New Jersey native, and 2015 graduate from LSU with a B.A. in Mass Communications, Cody Cifelli has a honed a diverse skillset of talents including political communications, public and media relations, as well as digital marketing and design.
Prior to his role as Project Manager, Cody was a Strategic Communications Liaison within the Louisiana Department of Education, where he monitored fiscal legislation for the Department, and assisted in the submissions to the Board of Elementary/Secondary Education. He also served as a Data Entry Specialist for the HIV/AIDS Alliance Region Two (HAART) and was a communications volunteer as well.
Growing up in the town of Pato Branco, Brazil, where her father owned a print shop, Fernanda knew her CMYKs before her ABCs. And from an early age, knew she was destined to design.
While attending the Universidade Positivo in Curitiba, Brazil, she worked for the prestigious Servico Nacional de Aprendizagem Comercial, gaining valuable skills in marketing, interior design, photography and illustration. Upon graduating with her Bachelor’s degree in Graphic Design, she continued honing her talents as Project Manager for Patograf Industria Grafica.
After leaving Brazil, she took North America by storm, working as a graphic designer for a design firm in Virginia and Texas. And today, Covalent is reaping the benefits of her vast experience and vital exuberance.
Captain Marvel
Considering her political background, it’s no wonder that with Meagan, every day is Super Tuesday.
Graduating Magna Cum Laude from LSU with a B.A. in Political Communications and an MMC in Strategic and Political Communication, Meagan interned for the U.S. Senate, served as a teaching assistant in the Public Relations Department and as a graduate assistant to LSU’s Director of Communications. Prior to joining Covalent, she gained valuable experience handling the writing, PR and social media for dozens of political campaigns. Now, as an Account Manager, Meagan’s level of service and skill continue to run unopposed.
With a seasoned background in the fourth estate, Ken Duhé is truly a man of his words. A LSU Mass Communications graduate, Ken spent more than two decades as news editor for The Advocate, then as their online news editor, curating content on the newspaper’s websites, as well as writing informative, entertaining and breaking news stories. In his spare time, he also volunteers as a reporter and managing editor for his Catholic parish newspaper.
As Covalent’s Content Team Manager, he’s still in the news game—utilizing his skills to help clients monitor their web traffic, share their content and build their brand.
When Grammarly is stumped, Tim is the guy they go to. After graduating from SLU with a major in English Lit, a minor in Professional Writing and the title of Outstanding Senior in English, Tim earned his Master’s Degree in English.
From there he honed his craft, first as a reporter covering everything from local government to theatre reviews, then as the senior editor for Everydog Magazine. As Content Editor for Covalent, we see his creative writing and editing skills the same way we see his black belt in Tai Kwan Do — assets of the first chop.
As Account Manager, Courtney Greathouse brings a great deal to the Covalent table. A 2014 graduate of Shorter University in Rome, Georgia, Courtney received her B.A. in Communications, with concentrations in Public Relations and Advertising.
Prior to joining Covalent, she was a Community Marketing Specialist for Premier Health Consultants, planning and developing innovative marketing strategies to increase awareness of urgent care facilities and services, as well as serving as liaison to the communities at large.
She was also a Marketing Coordinator in the real estate industry in Nebraska, and assisted the PR and graphic design departments for her alma mater.
Elektra
With Casey at the bat, our clients know they’re getting all-star treatment. A 2016 graduate of LSU with a degree in Advertising, Casey has proven to be a versatile team player, whether creating product-focused ad content, handling PR on a national scale or anticipating customer interaction for websites. A skilled manager and communicator, Casey is a natural at keeping her eye on the ball. And knocking it out of the park.
With a diverse background in music, theatre, finance and gaming, Jacob Lionberger is truly a Renaissance man and a welcome addition as our Administrative Assistant. A graduate of McNeese State University, Jacob earned his B.A. in Psychology, with coursework in both Visual Studies and Music. Before joining Covalent, Jacob worked as a Customer Service Representative for the Golden Nugget and L’Auberge Du Lac Casinos, and as a Retail and Personal Banker with Woodforest National and Iberia Bank. In his spare time, Jacob plays in the Trinity Baptist Church orchestra and Lake Charles Community Band, and volunteers in his community homeless shelter.
Jim has created results-driven, award-winning concepts, copy, content and campaigns for virtually every audience, for virtually every industry, and in virtually every medium. He has collaborated with some of the top-rated agencies in Minneapolis, New York, Los Angeles, Houston and Baton Rouge to create successful national brand-awareness campaigns for clients such as Pennzoil, Texaco, Coke Foods, General Mills, Raising Cane’s and Whataburger.
In addition to his vast experience as a creative writer and broadcast producer, Jim is also an accomplished musician, voice talent, actor, and recipient of AdWeek Magazine’s Radio Copywriter of the Year award.
Creative and curious, Micah can think on his feet—and outside the box. After graduating from LSU with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Digital Art, and a minor in Digital Media Arts & Engineering, Micah honed his talents as a front-end web developer for LSU’s Center for Computation and Technology and as a graphic designer. In addition, his digital-inspired artwork has been exhibited in galleries in Baton Rouge and Lafayette.
This guy knows the difference between generative and evaluative research. And with skills in research, illustration, design and web development, as well as proficiencies in web and A/V software, Micah is the consummate user-centered problem solver.
While his name is hard to pronounce (“Tara tong say”), his pronounced talent is easy to see. James is a recent graduate of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette where he earned a B.A. in advertising and a minor in marketing. In the short time since, he has built a rep as a highly motivated critical thinker and is our resident expert in managing press releases, maintaining social media and building specialty web pages for very happy clients.
Darren brings more than 14 years of experience in brand cultivation and illustration to Covalent Logic. His architectural sensibility helps him to see beyond the aesthetic and into the practical, making Darren particularly invaluable to his clients.
Darren’s design work has included graphics and illustration for signage, packaging, magazine layout, illustration, digital (photo manipulation), identity, corporate communication, tradeshow materials and informational design. His skills have been utilized in everything from logos, stationery and brochures to magazines, banners and billboards. He graduated from Louisiana State University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in graphic design.
Sally joined the Covalent Logic team in February 2011 after a long list of impressive adventures, including a B.A. in Math, a B.A. in Music and a B.M. in Harp.
Before she began at Covalent Logic, Sally kept the books for a number of other companies—such as Classical Recording Company and Oil and Gas Royalty. She was also a professional harpist for several symphonies where she played with the likes of Pavarotti, Moody Blues and Aretha Franklin.
We take satisfaction in being a part of your success and watching you get the credit. In this news stream, we’ve included articles about our staff members and coverage of projects we’ve worked on, but there’s plenty missing. Sometimes we have a confidentiality agreement, sometimes our work is peripheral to a larger campaign. And then some of the stuff we do is really routine and not worthy of a big article. But, we execute it with precision anyhow.
You’ll have to trust us—we’ve done IPOs, multi-national campaigns in other languages, internal newsletters for hundreds of thousands employees. And last week we designed an ad for a start-up that had almost no budget, but we believed in it.
When Covalent Logic was formed toward the end of 2005, it happened in the middle of a crisis. In fact, it’s more accurate to say it happened because of a crisis: Hurricane Katrina.
If you are an employee or employer new to teleworking, there are several steps you can take to keep productivity up while at home.
How do you support your community when you can’t leave the house?
Dick Clark. Dave Letterman. Nadia Comaneci. Bo Derek. Some folks are forever tied to the number ten. But no one has been able to rock it quite like NASA.
One of the most effective ways to ensure plans are executed properly is the humble checklist.
Plans. They win battles, create corporate dynasties and shift history.
But, we don’t rest on our laurels. Accolades and recognition may come, but we expect to get better with every project we do. When we finish a project, we don’t focus on the shiny objects—we keep thinking about how we can do even better next time. Meeting your strategic goals matters more to us than awards. But just in case you need to know we’re winners, here’s a short list:
But, really… we prefer if *you* win awards.
