Meet the Team

Owner & Brand Strategist

MEET HEATHER

Heather Johnson

• Bourbon Connoisseur
• K-Pop Enthusiast

When Heather is not helping clients navigate the intricacies of marketing plans, she’s thinking of ways they can get noticed in their industry. From developing digital marketing strategies to website design to ensuring branding consistency, she thrives on making Kudzu clients successful, memorable, and sustainable.

Heather is a very active volunteer for local nonprofits and sits on numerous boards, including All Souls Counseling Center, Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, Total Resource Committee Chair, WomanUP, and LEAF Global Arts.

Director of Partnerships & Brand Strategy

MEET LINDSEY

Lindsey Bnadad

• Travel Fanatic
• Karaoke Rockstar

Lindsey is a brand cultivator. She approaches every client relationship with a partnership mentality and is always on the lookout for ways to make each brand into its best possible form, from identity and positioning to promotion and digital presence. Lindsey’s passion for digging into who a business is, at its roots, gives her the ability to clearly visualize what the brand could be, and then cultivate creative strategies to make it happen.

Lindsey has supported the Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce by volunteering for more than 13 years and has helped many programs including the Total Resource Campaign and WomanUP. In 2018, Lindsey was awarded Volunteer of the Year.

Senior Brand Manager

MEET HANNAH

Hannah Welborn

• List Queen
• Office Foodie

Hannah is an organizer. Whether she is directing a multi-location video shoot, preparing a client for a trade show, or managing all aspects of your brand, Hannah brings organization and logic to every project she shepherds. Branding can be difficult, we don’t deny that, but Hannah is ready to handle the ‘dirt’y work to get to your business growing! 🌱

Hannah has been volunteering with HALTER Equine Assisted Services, a non-profit organization that provides therapeutic riding and other equine-assisted activities to children with challenges.

Art Director

MEET DENISE

Denise Szakaly

• Office Chair Booby Trapper (can’t help it, I’m short)
• A Sucker for Post-Its

Denise enjoys being a creative and has had the pleasure of being in the design and marketing industry for 16 years. From designing new brands, creating visual environments to publication design and everything in between, she does it with multi-tasking ease. If you want a balanced, crisp clean design with attention to detail—she’s your girl to create your mark in this world.

Content Strategist

MEET COURTENAY

Courtenay Morgan 

• Oxford Comma Crusader
• Word Chopper

Courtenay quickly captures a client’s voice and ethos. She listens, observes, and asks probing questions during the onboarding process, often uncovering unexpected details about a client’s business. After the discovery meeting, she crafts their story and messaging for brand development and management.

Courtenay is active in the community, volunteering with women in alcohol and drug recovery. 

Graphic Designer

MEET CLAY

Clay Schmidt 

• Chief Typographer
• Resident Green Thumb

Clay is an obsessive story teller, dedicated to his clients history, mission, and values, bringing them to life in stunning brand identities. He delights in transforming client stories into engaging visual journeys. With a sociological perspective and a history of working with small businesses (while running a few of his own), Clay easily relates to business owners and knows how to best support them, wherever they are on their journey.

Brand Manager

MEET HANNAH

Hannah Flowers

• Appreciator of Odd Film/TV
• Overly Enthusiastic Color Code Assigner

Hannah comes from an extensive background in client management. She loves applying her strong communication, project management, and organization skills to assist clients in achieving their marketing goals. With Kudzu, she aims to be a brand sherpa and a friendly, reliable guide for her clients. Hannah is very active in Asheville’s art community and you can find her murals and artwork at local stores and restaraunts.

Social Media Coordinator

MEET Mollie

Mollie Gordon

• Luxury Candle Snob
• “Next Big Thing” Lookout

Mollie is a lively creative who views social media as her digital playground. She is the person who will take your brand’s personality and make it shine on social media. A self-proclaimed “researchaholic,” she is constantly exploring new trends and the latest industry buzz. Mollie is (almost) a UNCA graduate, where she developed her love of market research and an innovative attitude. Her fresh perspective is her “secret sauce” when developing creative content that begs for engagement. When she’s not working her magic in the digital space, you can find her reading the latest issue of Vogue, binging shows with her 8 cats, or pouring candles.

Graphic Designer

MEET KENDRA

Kendra Diaz

• Mastermind of Mischief
• Organizer of Random Thoughts

Kendra is a big dreamer. She thrives off of entrepreneurship and being creative. Her passion for photography and design allows her to bring creative and strategic ideas to the table. She’s not afraid to throw out wild ideas and push your marketing past what’s expected. And when in doubt, she will make you laugh! As she says, “All jokes are good jokes, even if it is in Comic Sans.”

Client Relations Supervisor

MEET SALLIE

Sallie Morgan

• Director of First Impressions
• Love Addict

Sallie is an independent thinker who brings a sense of mischief and a deep love of country rough and tumbles to the Kudzu Team. Born in Haywood County, she is a genuine Western North Carolina Great Pyrenees mix of Appalachian je ne sais quoi. When Sallie’s not nudging a hand (really, does anyone have a hand to spare?) to scratch her belly, she’s probably shedding somewhere on, or near, her mom.