OUR TEAM

TRACY WILLIAMS, President
twilliams@tradewindspr.com

“I can navigate the worst when surrounded by the best.” - Me

As founder and president of TradeWinds Communications, Tracy Williams has helped local and national organizations put their best foot forward for a myriad of audiences and stakeholders.

Her public relations firm, established in 1997, delivers strategic public and media relations strategies, marketing, copywriting, community outreach, advertising and video production services.

Her company’s services have been used by a variety of organizations over the years, including the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, the Lakewood Housing Authority, Metro Taxi, Metropolitan State College of Denver, and the National Association for African Americans in Housing.

The Texas native began her career as an internal communications specialist for Rockwell International, and has since worked for the Aurora Public Schools, the Colorado Xplosion, and one of the region’s largest woman- minority-owned public relations agencies.

After 20+ years in corporate and private industry, she took TradeWinds full-time in 2005.

She was named “Public Relations Professional of the Year” by the Colorado Association of Black Journalists in 2007 (and in 1995), and her writings have been published by Black Enterprise magazine, the NABJ Journal and the Urban Spectrum.

A graduate of the University of Colorado at Boulder, Ms. Williams currently sits on the Board of Directors for the Lupus Foundation of Colorado.

JAN THOMAS, Vice President/Senior Strategist
jthomas@tradewindspr.com

“The purpose of life is to live it, to taste and experience it to the utmost, to reach out
eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experiences.” - Eleanor Roosevelt

Jan Thomas has more than 13 years of public relations experience. Prior to beginning work with the TradeWinds team, Thomas was director of public relations for the Daniels College of Business at the University of Denver. In that role, she was responsible for press relations, internal and external public relations, and developing a strategic approach for managing ranking surveys and questionnaires. During her tenure, Daniels garnered more than 250 positive mentions by the media, including coverage on ABC Evening News and NBC Nightly News, and was ranked one of the top 50 business schools in the world by The Wall Street Journal.

Before joining Daniels, Thomas was a director of public relations for U S West Communications. In that role, she directed announcement efforts for new market and product launches, developed and managed relationships with trade press, and secured coverage for the company’s technological achievements.

Thomas holds a bachelor’s degree in Mass Communications, a bachelor’s degree in Political Science and a master’s degree in Public Communications.

A journalist as well as PR professional, Thomas received the gold award for feature writing from the International Academy of Communication Arts and Sciences in 2005 for the article, Welcome to the Real World, which explored the Millennial generation’s mid-life crisis and received the silver Excel award for feature writing from the Society of National Association Publications in 2007 for the article, Bad Love, which investigated animal hoarding.

JOE FUENTES, Communications Strategist/Media Relations Expert
jfuentes@tradewindspr.com

“One generation plants the trees; another gets the shade.” Chinese proverb

Joe Fuentes, TradeWinds’ communications strategist and media relations expert, is a Denver native. A former reporter and editor for the Rocky Mountain News, he was inducted into the Denver Press Club Hall of Fame.

Fuentes believes that the road map to success is based on a solid communications strategy, a leadership team that understands how to execute and a willingness to establish lasting relationships with the community. He also believes in exceeding client expectations.

Fuentes is an award-winning writer and public relations practitioner. He has a record of achievement and accomplishment at Fortune 1000 companies, including Coors Brewing Company, Sun Microsystems and StorageTek. He is an expert in communications strategies, crisis management, positioning and message development, global news media relationships, community relations and counselor to top executives.

He was recognized by his peers for his part in launching the $40 million, five-year Coors "Literacy. Pass It On." campaign that netted more than 400 million positive media impressions. He guided a Corporate Communications team that earned the Coors "President's Award for Excellence" for producing comprehensive process to manage relationships with news media. He landed StorageTek top category honors in Fortune Magazine’s Most Admired Companies four years in a row.

The International Association of Business Communicators and Society have also honored him for Marketing Professional Services.

Mr. Fuentes earned his Bachelor’s degree from Metropolitan State College of Denver. The college honored him as the Outstanding Graduate in the news media. He has also served as an adjunct professor at his alma mater, the University of Colorado and Colorado State University.

TAMARA BANKS – Governmental Affairs and Media Consultant
tbanks@tradewindspr.com

“The media’s power is frail. Without the people’s support, it can be shut off with the ease of turning a light switch.” Corazon Aquino

Tamara Banks serves as TradeWinds’ governmental affairs and media consultant.

Having just completed a stint as Neighborhood Liaison for Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper, Banks is also well known locally as a former television news anchor and reporter for Denver’s WB2 News. From both roles, Banks brings unparalleled credentials in the areas of community outreach, media training and commercial news.

As Mayor Hickenlooper’s Neighborhood Liaison, Banks greatly enhanced coordination and communication between the City and County of Denver and its neighborhoods. As a vital conduit between the two, she met regularly with neighborhood organizations and residents, listening to neighborhood needs, identifying trends, and looking for synergies and opportunities to better connect neighborhoods with City services and address neighborhood issues through policies or programs.

Her background in commercial media also makes her perfectly suited to assist TradeWinds with media outreach, training and crisis communications.

Banks previously worked as an anchor and reporter for KRDO-TV (ABC) in Colorado Springs and as a radio news reporter for stations in Denver, Dallas, Albuquerque, and Greeley, CO.

Actively involved in the community, Banks is a past president of the Colorado Association of Black Journalists, a former board member of the National Association of Black Journalists, and currently serves on the boards of the Colorado I Have a Dream Foundation, the Denver Art Museum’s African American Art Committee, and the Metropolitan State College Visual Arts Center, to name a few.

Banks received her bachelor’s degree in mass media and journalism from the University of Northern Colorado.

Gerrie Gomez Howard GERRI GOMEZ HOWARD – Marketing/Community Outreach Strategist
ghoward@tradewindspr.com

“Service is the rent that you pay for room on this earth.” Shirley Chisholm

Gerri Howard brings her powerful skill set developing and implementing campaigns that promote important social issues and engage diverse, multicultural audiences – a perfect fit for the TradeWinds brand. Possessing a distinct ability to create collaborative partnerships, she holds a unique niche in Denver’s renowned and respected marketing and communications network. Through the years, she has developed and implemented campaigns that drove positive change, built partnerships and enhanced the image of and awareness for important social issues such issues as car seat safety, early childhood education, child abuse, breast cancer, heart disease, blood donations and many others.

Howard has headed campaigns and accounts for A Day of Caring for Breast Cancer Awareness, the National Television Academy, Metropolitan State College of Denver, Arc Thrift Stores of Colorado, the International Golf Tournament, the Rose Community Foundation, the Piton Foundation and KMGH-TV, Denver’s 7.

Howard previously enjoyed a long tenure in television working for KCNC-TV in Denver where she worked tirelessly in the area of community relations and went on to create a unique position as a cause marketing account executive for the station. During that time, the station experienced a substantial increase in sponsor-supported cause-driven campaigns.

An established member of the media community and the community at-large, Howard has served on various boards and committees including the Women’s Foundation of Colorado, Colorado Women’s Chamber of Commerce, Human Services, Inc., LARASA Advisory Council, and many others. She currently serves on the Rose Community Foundation Child and Family Committee, the Metro Volunteers Marketing Committee and the Center for Work Education and Employment (CWEE) Advisory Board.

Maintaining her role as an independent consultant, Howard has become an integral part of the TradeWinds team.

Ms. Howard is a graduate of the S.I. Newhouse School of Communications at Syracuse University and earned a Masters in Applied Communications from the University of Denver.

Robert Boggess ROBERT A. BOGGESS, Creative Director
rbogges@tradewindspr.com

“When I am working on a problem I never think about beauty. I only think about how to solve the problem. But when I have finished, if the solution is not beautiful, I know it is wrong.”
- Buckminster Fuller

Robert Boggess has provided brand strategy and design development for more than 20 years and has developed identity systems and integrated marketing collaterals to position organizations locally and nationally.

Boggess‘ talents have been called upon by non-profits and Fortune 500 companies alike, including the Boy Scouts of America, the Colorado Housing and Finance Authority, Preferred Lending Partners, Mizel Museum, FASA, the American Humane Association, Georgetown University, Denver University, Wheat Ridge Cyclery, Xcel Energy, the Gates Corporation, and Qwest Communications.

His expertise covers a broad spectrum of design services, including:

Market research, analysis and assessment
Strategic communications
Capability brochures and marketing collateral materials
Annual reports
Corporate identity systems
Web sites

Boggess’ work combines the art and science of information research and aesthetically pleasing imagery, to attract the eye and ensure the message is effectively communicated to the designated audience. His visual trademark is illustrated by a distinct contemporary style that is clean and unique. His ability to integrate conceptual ideas, and organize visual images with practical information to present them in a meaningful way to sets him apart from other graphic visionaries.

He also combines his unique ability to see and create things visually with his talent for building bridges between individuals, corporations and communities. He is currently enrolled in a Master of Arts program in Mediation for Conflict Resolution, specializing in system theory, logic and language.

Boggess attended Colorado State University for Graphic Design and has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications from Regis University.

YESIKA GUEVARA, Community Outreach Specialist
yguevara@tradewindspr.com

“You must be the change you wish to see in the world.”
- Mahatma Ghandi

Yesika Guevara is TradeWinds’ newest associate having joined the team in October 2007.

As a young, urban Gen-Xer, Guevara has her finger on the pulse of today’s young people, particularly Denver’s Latin community.

Guevara, who speaks fluent Spanish, handles TradeWinds’ grassroots community and media outreach strategies.

She is skilled at getting our clients the coverage and exposure they need with Denver’s Latino publications and broadcast media, civic organizations, and churches.

She is also the agency’s foot soldier with regard to those all-important hands-on, face-to-face strategies that practically guarantee the success of our client’s campaigns and was instrumental in our efforts to reach Latino audiences during a recent campaign with the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.

Before joining the TradeWinds team, Guevara honed her skills with United Parcel Service, Community West Mortgage, InterCapital Mortgage Corporation, Goodwill Industries of Denver, and MUDISA El Salvador.