The Strategic Partner
Financial Firms Rely On

Ryan Frankel

Founder + President

With an endless imagination, inherent skill for marketing and an intense passion for each client's success, Ryan's the big-picture guy with an emphasis on creating big ideas to grow great brands. No matter what the challenge or circumstance happens to be, he guides clients through it.

Ryan lives and breathes creativity and brand development, using a lifetime of business experience to create campaigns, strategies and communications for a wide range of organizations including Mack Trucks, Nextran Corporation, North Florida Regional Medical Center, Hospital Corporation of America (HCA), University of Florida, University of Georgia, and many others including nonprofits and charitable foundations.

Ashleigh Flanders

Vice President & Partner

Ashleigh brings to the Frankel team many years of marketing and advertising management experience, with the bulk of those years being in the agency world. She has led research efforts and developed insights to help her clients, understand their audiences and elevate their brands.

Her work creating and executing fully-integrated campaigns designed to build memorable brands and deliver a strong return on investment has been acknowledged with multiple FPRA Image and ADDY awards.

Catherine DiVeta

VP of Client Operations

Catherine received her bachelor's degree in Public Relations from the University of Florida and earned an MBA with honors from Rollins College with concentrations in marketing and leadership. After receiving her master's, Catherine went to work for an Orlando-based agency serving as an account executive turned project manager.

She has developed brands and implemented marketing strategies, conducted research and managed projects of all scopes for notable clients including Planet Fitness, Seacoast Bank, University of Georgia and the University of Florida. Catherine's diverse professional experience and strong communication and organizational skills provide the Frankel team with unique perspectives and innovative thinking to keep projects on time and on budget.

Walton Dale

Creative Director

After starting his career in Atlanta and New York early as a designer in agencies, freelance and in-house, Walton returned to Gainesville with a family in tow and began working with local and regional clients on a freelance basis, notably helping hometown favorite Swamp Head Brewery launch into the statewide brand they are today.

For over five years, Walton worked with the Philadelphia-based branding agency 160 over 90 working on clients such as Under Armour, the University of Florida and IMG Sports Academy. He has also led creative branding efforts for several colleges within the University of Florida as well as the University of Georgia and Auburn University.

Melanie Barrett

Associate Creative Director

Graduate of FIU and Miami Ad School. Melanie has seven years of experience working in the industry at agencies including Y&R in NY (now VMLY&R), Razorfish and DigitasLBi in San Francisco. She has worked with clients including Port Authority NY/NJ, Cirque Du Soleil, Ball Park, Hillshire, Pearson Pathways and JPMC.

Now with Frankel, Melanie works closely with University of Florida, University of Georgia, University of Richmond and Kennesaw State University to develop and execute captivating creative.

Bri Weimer

Director of Digital Marketing

After earning her degree in Public Relations and Business Administration from the University of Florida, Bri began her career in agency marketing, quickly finding her stride at the intersection of digital strategy and creative storytelling. Over the past decade, she’s built a reputation for crafting thoughtful, results-driven campaigns. Before joining Frankel, Bri spent over a decade at small advertising agencies where she managed multimillion-dollar media budgets, guided full-funnel campaigns, and oversaw analytics and owned digital strategy for a diverse roster of clients.

Matt Hesters

Senior Brand Manager

After 16 years helping clients build their brands in NYC agencies, Matt returned to his native Florida in 2021 and has found a home growing brands at Frankel. Although he's served clients in a wide variety of industries, including financial services, nonprofits, tourism, and hospitality, Matt finds the most satisfaction helping brands who help people.

These have included large and small projects in education, like developing communications for The Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University and helping bring the visual identity for Success Academy Charter Schools in NYC to life. Matt led several multichannel, multilingual campaigns for Public Health Solutions, a DOH-funded group focused on research and education, which not only won awards but helped affect change in public health policy and increase awareness among minority communities who were often overlooked.

Chris Campbell

Web Development Manager

Chris serves as the Web Development Manager at Frankel. With over 15 years of professional experience, Chris oversees all aspects of client's websites from development, website hosting, to ongoing maintenance.

He is a graduate of the University of Central Florida's Digital Media Program in the College of Arts & Sciences. He has worked for brands such as Ford, Microsoft, Audi, and the University of Florida delivering a wide range of dynamic digital needs.

Jason Cohen

Director of Research + Insights

A recovering academic and life-long researcher with two books to his name, Jason brings twenty-plus years of insight and market intelligence to guide clients through high-stakes branding and reputational challenges. Prior to joining Frankel, Jason served as Senior Research Advisor at Hanover Research, where he led data-driven initiatives for more than 100 colleges and universities. His career reflects a rare combination of academic rigor, cross-functional leadership, and operational excellence. At Frankel, Jason leads research engagements with a deep understanding of client culture and a clear focus on results that matter.