Our Story

Vice President, Communications. Roni began her career as a college grammar teacher, but moved to the publishing industry as communications director for an international newspaper industry association and editor-in-chief for a marketing magazine. After a long stint as a volunteering-mother-cum-communications-consultant, she joined the insurance industry and has spent a decade on the A Team. An eternal English student, she owns dozens of grammar textbooks and dictionaries, including an unabridged, multivolume edition of the Oxford English Dictionary, complete with magnifying glass. roni@Aartrijk.com 

Content Specialist. Kevin is president of the Florida Insurance School of Continuing Education (FISCE) and the CE Partnership. He started his insurance career as a marketing intern before pounding the pavement as a commercial lines agent in Orlando, Florida. He is a national faculty member for the National Alliance for Insurance Education and Research’s CIC and Certified Insurance Service Representative (CISR) programs. As an industry journalist, his articles have appeared in a variety of trade publications. His insurance television career, short-lived but glorious, once saw him serve as the expert adviser on an insurance-themed infomercial (yes, you read that correctly). info@Aartrijk.com 

Managing Editor, Account Executive. Maureen began her career out of graduate school at the Defense Intelligence Agency before leaving to raise five kids. Her second career started in 2000 with Aartrijk, the result of wifely conversation over cantaloupe frappés in the backyard. She’s been editing and writing for financial services, travel and Catholic theology publications ever since. In her home life, Maureen likes to keep it simple, with a love of anything outdoors (above 65 degrees, that is) and a deep appreciation for everything Virginia. She’s a person without any goals but with a thousand aspirations. If you want to define her, just say she’s an undeserving recipient of Divine Mercy. mbrody@Aartrijk.com 

Brand Strategist. Cindy is a marketing and sales strategist with more than 25 years in the industry. Considered an innovator and thought leader on personal and company branding, Cindy’s strength is creating “buzz” and excitement for industries that traditionally didn’t have to do outbound marketing and sales, such as insurance, financial services and health care. Prior to launching her marketing and branding firm, Red Barn Consulting, in 2013, Cindy worked as director of marketing and sales for a large CT agency. During her tenure, she gained national recognition for the agency’s social media marketing, branding and sales efforts. Cindy quickly became a go-to in the insurance industry for marketing and sales strategy and was asked to sit on several carrier marketing think tanks. She is a member of the Agents Council for Technology and previous board member of PIA CT. She holds her Connecticut  property and casualty insurance producers license. cindy@Aartrijk.com 

Creative Director. Fiona is an explorer in life and work. After 20 years of living in the U.K. and working globally, she packed her bags for the U.S. and emigrated to Washington, D.C., where she can be found kayaking on the Potomac when she's not adding value as a brand and creative strategist. Fiona likes making things happen. Agile in her approach, she brings creative and design-led thinking to problem-solving, delivering exemplary solutions as part of the Aartrijk team. We truly adore her British accent, and we know you will, too. fiona@Aartrijk.com 

Content Specialist. Emily is former editor-in-chief of National Underwriter Life & Health and Retirement Advisor magazines. She has covered the financial, risk management and insurance industries for more than a decade, with her work appearing in Risk Management, National Law Review and Huffington Post. Emily graduated with dual degrees in finance and English and worked in the financial industry as a fixed income trading administrator and analyst before becoming a full-time writer and editor. emily@Aartrijk.com 

Art Director. From small town beer breweries to global big brands, Virginia creates digital and print design for virtually every industry imaginable. She's a master of freelance, an art director, an IMCA award winner, and has been effectively problem-solving since 2004. She practices her craft deep in the woods of southern Mississippi (let’s hope it’s not raining for internet’s sake). She's a mom who loves to cook, she’s a gamer, a gardener and a Survivor enthusiast, but she especially enjoys writing about herself in third person. info@Aartrijk.com 

Content Specialist. Mary Ellen began her writing and editing career in the insurance industry at A.M. Best Company. After a decade of writing about insurance and then the energy industry, she ventured out on her own to start a consulting company. As a writer and editor, she’s covered a range of topics, from analyzing drone data in utility inspections to Generation Z marketing strategies. Along the way, she’s cultivated an interest in how businesses pivot and remain innovative in the wake of rapid change. A lifelong resident of her New Jersey hometown, Mary Ellen is married and the mother of three (mostly) grown children. She most often shares her writing space with a needy Labrador retriever who thinks he’s a beagle. maryellen@Aartrijk.com 

Content Specialist. Lucie has been writing, editing and consulting for 20 years. Her background includes working for a large human resources consulting firm, a physical therapy association and a giant manufacturer of candy and pet food. When she’s not writing or editing, she is teaching undergraduate communication classes at the University of Denver, her alma mater, and the oldest and largest private university in the Rocky Mountain region. And when she is not doing that, she is raising three small children — chauffeuring them to numerous soccer and lacrosse games — attempting to cook edible meals, and training for marathons and ultra races. lucie@Aartrijk.com  

Office & Finance Manager. Certain her brain had two left lobes at birth, Didi is all about the numbers — budgets, financial reports and points scored by her beloved Nittany Lions. She adapts her considerable experience with spreadsheets to the serious business of professional tailgate organizing for large groups at Penn State football games. Didi has been a Girl Scout for nearly three decades, serving faithfully in volunteer leadership roles. She applies her organizational talents to themed Girl Scout programs and loves to camp in the woods, where she is frequently seen trying to carve pivot tables into large oak trees. didi@Aartrijk.com 

Research Director. Josh is a market researcher who has seen it all: He has climbed the Great Wall, hiked the Outback, cruised the Nile, marched with Antarctic penguins, and SCUBA-ed with lots of friendly sea turtles — and, professionally speaking, has worked for hundreds of different clients during his 16-plus years in the market research industry. Josh is a graduate of Swarthmore College and holds an M.A. from American University — but when it comes to college football, he bleeds scarlet and grey. info@Aartrijk.com 

Senior Associate & Account Executive. Jay Morris began his career as a newspaper reporter and editor before moving to the Washington area to practice public relations and marketing at several D.C.-based trade associations. For the last 25 years, he’s worked in financial services, including the life insurance and brokerage space. His stints include director of public affairs for the National Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors, senior vice president of marketing and communications for the National Association of Federal Credit Unions and president of Jay Morris Communications LLC, a public relations consulting firm. Jay is an award-winning communicator and loves to work with teams to bring out the best in his clients. He also has been active in the Public Relations Society of America – National Capital Chapter, where he served on the board and chaired the group’s Independent Public Relations Alliance. Last year he received the chapter’s Diamond Award for outstanding service. Originally from Ohio, he now resides in Northern Virginia. In his spare time, he blogs at waywardjourney.com, tries to get in an occasional backpacking trip and volunteers at his church. jay@Aartrijk.co

Creative Designer. Greg has more than 20 years' experience in visual communications. As the long-time creative director of the Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America, he developed a cohesive image for all of the association's communications, including its national magazine. As a freelance graphic designer, he has created logos, annual reports, media kits, print ads, brochures and newsletters for a wide range of clientele, including educational, insurance, high-tech and financial investment firms. His work has earned an ADDY and an Insurance Marketing and Communications Best of Show Award. Greg is a graduate of West Virginia University, with a BS in journalism and advertising. info@Aartrijk.com 

Content Specialist. A born-and-raised Hoosier and Indiana University alumna, Morgan Smith joined the Aartrijk team in September 2016. As the previous assistant editor for Independent Agent magazine, Morgan dove head-first into the insurance world — quickly learning the lingo and finally understanding the inner workings of health insurance. Her freelance writing supported her recent six-month solo backpacking trip to South America where she jumped off bridges, played with llamas and summited one of Chile’s most active volcanoes. When she isn’t off on an adventure, Morgan finds joy in hearing and sharing people’s stories. morgan@Aartrijk.com 

Principal. Peter is a sports junkie with uncanny insurance industry insight and a fondness for fun.  After 20 years as a team-player journalist and public relations specialist, he decided it was time to call his own shots. In 1999, he started building a team of professional communicators — fun factor is a condition of employment — to clarify communications in an industry that’s often misunderstood and rarely considered the life o’ the party. To prove he has a great sense of humor, Peter gave his company the unpronounceable family name he inherited from his Belgian ancestors. If only he’d given us their chocolates instead. peter@Aartrijk.com 

Account Manager. As a child, Ellen dreamed of a career as an insurance actuary. But she has way too much personality for that. A support specialist with operations experience at various service firms, Ellen joined Aartrijk in 2001 as office manager. She now  coordinates administrative services for Aartrijk clients. In her spare time, Ellen hangs out in courts and alleys: She's an excellent doubles tennis player, and she bowls a mean strike. ellen@Aartrijk.com 

Director, Media Relations. A media career was predestined for this native of Grovers Mill, N.J., site of the 1938 "War of the Worlds" Halloween night Martian hoax that launched America's media culture. Heeding that call to other-worldly pursuits, Charles became an insurance communicator. He expertly navigates the trade media on behalf of clients, "the terrific folks in the indispensable insurance industry," as he refers to insurance comrades. An admitted word nerd, Charles takes quiet delight in seeing published communications he has ghostwritten for clients. In other spirit news, Charles's life force often inhabits the body of a rabid fan at sporting events involving the Scarlet Knights of Rutgers. charles@Aartrijk.com