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 Strategist

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.

Graphic Designer

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.

Creative Content Director

MEET COURTENAY

Courtenay Morgan 

• Oxford Comma Crusader
• Word Chopper
• Parallel Parker Extraordinaire

Courtenay enthusiastically contributes to all aspects of brand development and management. Her unique ability to capture client voices helps lead the content team in delivering original messaging, including website, blog, ad, video, and email marketing copywriting.

Her time outside the office includes 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 restaurants.

Content Specialist

MEET LUCY

Lucy Jones

• Master of Itineraries 
• Queen of Sarcasm

Lucy finds solitude in writing. She believes it gives her a chance to make art out of everyday moments and see the world from a fresh perspective. Lucy uses this unique approach when creating content for her clients. Being part of a client’s business journey and a witness to their vision and brand growth is extraordinary. On days off, you’ll find Lucy at the next concert in town, or at home with her two cats, re-watching New Girl for the umteenth time!

Brand Manager

MEET NICOLE

Nicole Hyatt

• Coffee Enthusiast
• Nature Lover

Nicole is passionate about assisting brands with crafting their stories in unique and authentic ways, connecting them with targeted audiences. A natural problem solver and a lover of people, she guides clients through Kudzu’s creative brand management process with her can-do positivity and magic touch. Nicole has her master’s degree in Integrated Marketing Communication from UNCW and a background in implementing strategic processes and project management. You can find her outside playing and enjoying one of Asheville’s amazing coffee shops when she is not working.

Content Specialist

MEET KERRY

Kerry Lengyel

• Fast as Lightning 
• Reformed Jersey Girl

Kerry thrives on helping brands create consistent messaging across all marketing platforms. An experienced digital storyteller, she uses her journalism background to get the full scoop on her clients and relay that story to their target audience in insightful, creative, down-to-earth ways. When she isn’t writing, you can find Kerry caring for her 4 ½ acres of a soon-to-be homestead.

Graphic Designer

MEET MILACI

Milaci Ray

• Professional Weirdo
• Packaging Snob

Milaci uses her extensive fine arts education to forge the way for a brand’s visual identity. While guiding them through the design process, she takes pleasure in connecting with people and translating that understanding into beautiful and insightful graphics. She delights in color and form, with a soft spot for all things print. Outside of work, she enjoys taking it back to her roots: painting, printmaking, and loading up the fruits of her labor into the back of her VW bus to sell at street festivals.

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.