Sarah is passionate about anything that makes our communities better places. For more than 30 years she has worked to elevate the local impact of non-profit organizations, major community events, the arts, independent restaurants, businesses and more through her work as a public relations professional. As a result, she has gained access to numerous important relationships – relationships that, by extension and affiliation, unlock a multiplier effect as she connects her clients and the many non-profit organizations she serves.
Sarah founded Irvin PR 20 years ago to “amplify the good – and fun – in our community.” What began with a focus on media relations quickly morphed because of her successful campaign work, leading Irvin PR to thoughtfully expand its suite of services to include community relations, public relations strategy, influencer relations, media training, crisis communications and planning, media tracking and benchmarking, marketing and communication content audits and social media content and strategy.
In a world where public relations can be interpreted in many ways, Sarah has never lost sight of what’s at its core: trusted access – both to people and organizations, and the varied interests they have in pursuit of making an impact. She views her access as a great privilege and always strives to go the extra mile with each project or event in the care of Irvin PR. Because it isn’t enough to pitch a story for Disney On Ice; it’s better to give a child who might never get to Disney World access to a special meet and greet with Mickey & Minnie. It isn’t enough to get media out for The Arnold Sports Festival; but it’s even better to give a burn survivor turned bodybuilder a special meeting with his idol, Arnold Schwarzenegger. It isn’t enough to have a cream puff eating contest at Oktoberfest; it’s made even better when coordinated with local celebrities who compete – and raise money – for their favorite charities.
Success is best recognized in Irvin PR’s historically strong track record of managing signature client events, multifaceted campaigns, and media relations initiatives. Many clients have been with Sarah and her team for more than a decade, and a handful of clients have been working with her even before she opened her own shop – a statement to the unwavering trust and connection each client has with Sarah.
Early in her career she was given the opportunity to provide pro-bono work for various non-profit organizations. Since then, Sarah has volunteered hundreds of hours in board service, tutoring, puppeteering (yes, puppeteering) and more. She credits this volunteer work with being foundational to her career. She has ensured that this commitment to bettering the community and volunteerism is woven into all things Irvin PR. The Irvin PR team routinely volunteers together, and each individual team member is engaged in volunteering for organizations they are passionate about.
She has served on many non-profit boards in Central Ohio including Dine Originals, the German Village Society, Canine Companions for Independence, See Kids Dream, Share Your Story Foundation, Asia’s Hope and others.
Sarah has received Business First’s “Forty Under 40” award; earned the APR designation (Accreditation in Public Relations) by the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA); received many PRISM awards; and received the 2024 PR Practitioner of the Year award.
While grateful for her professional recognition, Sarah is most proud of being the wife to her husband Kelly, stepmom to Hayden and dog mom to Charlie (Choo Choo).
Fun Facts: Sarah has run two full marathons, many half marathons and runs a 5K with her stepson every Friday. She loves to cook, and her specialties are homemade pasta, sushi and crab cakes. She was a flutist (and was in the Columbus Symphony Cadet Orchestra!) and almost majored in music in college.
Professional Wearer of Many Hats isn’t something you can put on a LinkedIn profile, but it may be the best way to describe him.
Dan uses storytelling to drive strategic communication. Dan’s been called "A recognized thought leader in the PR….he also is a sought-after speaker on both national and local levels who is an exceptional storyteller drawing on his collective experience as a former journalist and current practitioner and instructor."
His book, Strategic Content Marketing: Creating Effective Content in Practice, is out now. You can hear him on The Strategic Communicator Podcast, part of the Marketing Podcast Network.
Dan is also a Professor of Strategic Communication at Ohio University, where he teaches research, strategy, content creation, measurement, and analytics courses. He’s been a PRSSA advisor for 13 years. During this time, his chapters have earned national recognition from PRSSA, including Chapter of the Year, Student Run Firm of the Year, Pacesetter, and Star Chapter.
A proud graduate of the E.W. Scripps School of Journalism, Dan earned more than 20 awards for his work in television news. His work appeared on CNN, MSNBC, and SI.com.
Marking nearly 15 years of experience in public relations, community outreach and communications, Audrey has come to love and excel at her craft. She had worked in professional sports and higher education before joining Irvin Public Relations in January 2019. Today, she serves as the Director of Accounts where she manages the staff as well as handles client relations by planning public relations strategies, securing award-winning earned media coverage, and managing social influencer campaigns. She has won awards from the Public Relations Society of America in 2023 and 2024 for work with Seventh Son Brewing.
Beyond her workday, Audrey serves on the Board of Directors for Girls on the Run of Central Ohio, chairing the marketing committee, is a member of Vistage and is a 2022 graduate of Leadership Columbus. Additionally, Audrey is a part of her children’s school PTO and coaches her daughter’s cheer team.
Audrey was born and raised in Pataskala, Ohio and graduated from Watkins Memorial High School. She received her bachelor’s degree from Boise State University when living on an Air Force base as a military spouse with her high school sweetheart. She is a proud wife of a U.S. Air Force veteran turned air traffic controller and has two children, Parker and Millie.
Stephanie joined the Irvin PR team in 2021. Today, she serves as Account Coordinator, where she impacts nearly every aspect of client work at Irvin PR, while also directly servicing several clients alongside Irvin PR team members. From the operational side of the business, like ordering supplies, to securing media coverage for the clients she services, managing the Irvin PR social media channels and handling all media monitoring and reporting, Steph is essential to the functioning of the entire Irvin PR team and our clients.
Steph enjoys volunteering with two local organizations: Stowe Pregnancy Resource Center and Out of Darkness, a local non-profit that aims to rescue individuals from sex trafficking.
Steph is originally from Sugarcreek, Ohio (the home of the World's Largest Cuckoo Clock!) and moved to Columbus after she and get husband got married in 2021. They spend their evening and weekends renovating their fixer-upper, finding the best thrift stores and being active members at their church.
Prior to beginning at Irvin PR in 2022, Lydia worked in marketing, communications, and journalism at local media outlets, the federal government, and in the arts sector. Throughout her career, she has had the privilege of experiencing public relations from both journalistic and client perspectives, giving her unique insight when working with our clients. Since joining Irvin PR’s team, Lydia has found her vocation. She has and continues to provide exceptional work for our clients in all facets of media relations, social media influencers, and community outreach. In 2023, Lydia was awarded the PRism award for Influencer Outreach (with the Columbus Arts Festival) by the Public Relations Society of America.
Lydia was born and raised in Knox County, Ohio, but Columbus was always her city. She went on to earn a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism from The Ohio State University and has lived in Columbus since alongside her boyfriend and their rescued St. Bernard, Truman. Outside of work, she serves on the board of the Sam the I Can Man Foundation, is on the marketing committee for Girls on the Run of Central Ohio, and is a member of the PRSSA Liaison Committee for the Central Ohio PRSA chapter.
Justin is a versatile communicator with eight years of experience connecting people to their community through compelling storytelling. Sharing other people’s stories has been at the heart of Justin’s career as a former broadcast journalist and current account executive at Irvin PR where he joined in October 2023.
Prior to joining Irvin PR, Justin worked for four years as a sports reporter at NBC4 in Columbus, Ohio covering the Buckeyes, Blue Jackets, Columbus Crew and all central Ohio high school athletics. Justin served as an anchor, producer, digital journalist, videographer, video editor and more to help cover one of the biggest sports cities in the U.S. Justin’s most memorable moments as a sports broadcaster came while covering his hometown Cincinnati Bengals in the 2023 AFC Championship, reporting on the Ohio State Buckeyes’ football team and providing a live reaction inside Historic Crew Stadium following Columbus’ 2020 MLS Cup victory.
Justin also called another Columbus home when he worked at WRBL in Columbus, Georgia for two and a half years. While working at WRBL, Justin covered Auburn, Georgia and Alabama athletics. He had the opportunity to cover some of the country’s most-watched sporting events, including the Masters, the 2018 College Football National Championship, the Iron Bowl, the 2018 MLS Cup and the 2018 SEC Championship.
During his time at WRBL, Justin also anchored and produced “The Last Call,” a live, 30-minute sports show featuring the area’s biggest high schools, colleges and athletes.
Justin graduated from the E.W. Scripps School of Journalism at Ohio University (Go Bobcats!) with a Bachelor of Science in Journalism and a minor in Political Science. Justin met his wife, Kaitlyn, during their freshman year and they’ve been together ever since. In his free time, Justin likes to kick back with a good book, watch just about any game that’s on TV and spend time with his family and friends.
Mia brings a dynamic background in journalism, marketing, and collegiate esports to her role at Irvin PR. As an Account and Social Media Coordinator, she coordinates day-to-day operations, crafts media pitches, and initiates community partnerships. Mia also oversees influencer campaigns and provides on-site support for media opportunities. Her role extends to spearheading multiple social media accounts, designing graphics, developing content calendars, and more.
Beyond Irvin PR, Mia is also the Digital Marketing Manager at the National Junior College Athletic Association Esports (NJCAAE), and a writer for a local business, Esports Foundry. Mia is also a head cheerleading coach for the Hilliard Optimist team.
Mia is an alumna of Reynoldsburg High School eSTEM (Class of 2018) and holds a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism from Ohio University, where she specialized in Chinese and Women’s and Gender Studies. She furthered her education with an MBA from North Carolina Wesleyan University. In her free time, Mia enjoys writing poetry — already having published five books — scrapbooking, spending time with friends and family, and indulging in her passion for shopping and sweet treats.
Charlie is the only Irvin PR team member who relishes in NOT exemplifying our core values. She likes to steal her office mates’ food, and she comes running every time she hears the microwave timer going off.
She loves a good nap, and along with that comes a good, loud snore and she will happily disrupt a conference call with loud barking. She isn’t good for business, but she’s good for our souls.