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 and communications consultant, she joined the insurance industry and has spent 12 years 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  

 Associate. Anny brings a little Hollywood magic to her copywriting. Not only does she live in sunny LaLa land, but she honed her skills in the entertainment industry as a longtime creative director and writer on the CBS television promotion account and as one of the launching directors of the United Paramount Network. She has written extensively for the luxury travel, healthcare, real estate, insurance and data technology industries. Anny holds a certificate degree in Healthcare Management from University of California, Los Angeles, and a bachelor of arts from McGill University. She’s a member of the Directors Guild of America. On top of all that, she’s an avid birdwatcher and cupcake lover.
anny@Aartrijk.com

Associate. With more than a decade of marketing experience as an account and creative director in the insurance industry, Lawrie has worked with carriers, mutuals, MGAs, program administrators and technology providers spanning a variety of industry verticals. Whether it’s building a differentiation strategy, an innovative creative approach or an integrated marcomm campaign, her eye is on business goals and delivering ROI. She enjoys working closely with clients as an extension of their teams.

She brought 10-plus years of insurance experience with Vertibrands to Aartrijk. Along the way her work won multiple awards from the Insurance Marketing & Communications Association (IMCA) and Philadelphia Direct Marketing Association.

In addition to the financial services industry, she has specialized in fintech and SaaS and has worked with startups and national and global brands such as PA Lumbermens Mutual, Scott Paper, Pfizer, M&M/Mars, Lenox China, Comcast, Walt Disney, The Smithsonian and Univision. 

Lawrie has a communications degree from Northwestern University. She lives in beautiful Boulder, Colorado, with her husband and two demanding cats. When not working, she can be found singing with musical theater and opera groups, volunteering with a youth homeless shelter, and cooking, skiing and hiking. lawrie@Aartrijk.com  

Managing Editor & Senior Associate. 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  

Senior Associate. Dave is a frequent author and speaker about employee benefits and financial literacy. He started his career with a large national insurance carrier in advanced underwriting and sales, then joined a national employee benefits consulting firm in NYC before co-founding his own firm in upstate New York. He has authored over 200 articles and is co-author of The Practical Agency Planner. He testified before a congressional committee overseeing 401(k) plan legislation following Enron’s collapse. As SVP of the Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America Inc.,  he managed the Trusted Choice consumer brand, company relations, education and research; he also was publisher of Independent Agent magazine. He holds property-casualty and life-health insurance licenses. Dave has been quoted and featured in broadcast and print media outlets, including CNN, CNBC, the Wall Street Journal, USA Today and the Washington Post. He has been a guest lecturer at the Washington & Lee University School of Law on the subject of employee benefits. Dave is also well known for reciting college sports team names, colors and mascots. 

 dave.evans@Aartrijk.com 

Associate. Terry has used her client and organizational skills in a variety of settings. She was the onboarding coordinator for TrainingWorks, a computer training firm, law recruiter advisor at the Washington & Lee University School of Law and inside sales associate at IA Magazine. She is the client liaison for Channel Harvest, the research arm of Aartrijk.

Terry holds a B.S. and M.S. from Syracuse University. She is the mom of three kids and has four grandkids. She enjoys knitting, running and playing pickleball, and she recently completed her first triathlon.

 terry@Aartrijk.com 

 Creative Strategist. 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

 Art Director. From small town beer breweries to global big brands, Virginia creates digital and print design for virtually every industry imaginable. She's an Insurance Marketing & Communications Association award winner, and she 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.
virginia@Aartrijk.com    

 Research Director. Kevin is a boomerang, plying research skills learned in 15 years at Washington Mutual Bank to work with the Aartrijk team for a couple of years until the U.S. Navy packed him off to Korea. Upon his return home, Kevin led the agent research team at Safeco and Liberty Mutual for seven years, earning the Marketing Research & Insight Excellence Award for Client-Side Team of the Year in 2020’s international competition. He really is certifiable, earning the Insights Professional Certification (Master level) from the Insights Association. When he’s not learning how people (agents, customers, members, employees and other humans) feel about things, he enjoys hiking with the family and responding to the whims of two cats who permit him to live in their home. kevin@Aartrijk.com   

Associate. 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   

Vice President, Finance. 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  

Director, Client Relations. Maggie is a woman on the move. She started her career in Washington, D.C., moving to New York, Sydney, London and back to D.C. again. She began in litigation consulting for Price Waterhouse but found her true calling in client services and project management. She has worked in that capacity for the New York Stock Exchange, Hertz UK and fintech company Cullinan Group. Maggie loves to anticipate her clients’ needs and find them a solution. A graduate of Georgetown University with a masters from New York University, she has studied abroad in Madrid, Hong Kong, and Sydney. Airplanes are Maggie’s happy place, where she often can be found chatting with fellow travelers. What’s her next trip, you ask? Throw a dart at the globe — the world is her oyster.

maggie@Aartrijk.com

Senior Associate. Jay 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.com  

Associate. Amy is a veteran insurance journalist with nearly 20 years of experience covering the industry. She spent more than a decade as a reporter and editor for leading national trade publication Insurance Journal, where she focused on insurance market news as well as regulatory and legislative insurance issues in the Southeast. Her coverage of contractor abuse in the Florida insurance market earned several awards, including Azbee’s from the American Society of Business Publication Editors in 2021, 2019 and 2016, and an honorable mention in the 2016 Folio Awards. She also received a Bronze Azbee Award in 2021 for a webinar she produced and moderated during the 2020 racial justice movement on how the insurance industry can be an ally to the Black community. Amy lives in Northern California with her husband, two daughters, three cats and a dog. When she isn’t covering the exciting world of insurance or driving her kids to activities all over town, she enjoys traveling and wine tasting. She graduated from California State University, Chico, with a BA in Journalism. 

amyo@Aartrijk.com

Associate. "Marketing is the aspect of business that allows you to best connect to your customer," says the youngest member of the A Team. Coralis is working toward a bachelor's degree in marketing from Rutgers University, New Jersey, and she's also gaining a practical education in insurance. Since she was in high school, she has worked at a local New Jersey agency as a receptionist and has helped out in all of the firm's departments, including personal and commercial lines. Taking care of clients, one-on-one, is what she finds most fulfilling. Apart from work and school, she spends her free time (how can there be any?) training in Muay Thai (Thai kickboxing), discovering new food spots, creating new music playlists or simply going for long walks.

coralis@Aartrijk.com

Senior Associate. Amy has more than 20 years' marketing and corporate communications experience. After graduating from Bowling Green State University with a degree in public relations, she earned a master's degree in advertising from Northwestern University. Amy began her career at Campbell Mithun advertising agency in Chicago before switching to the client side and a 10-year stint with Bob Evans Farms Food Division. She was director of marketing with oversight of research, product development, marketing plans and advertising execution. As a consultant, Amy has worked with clients including Assurex Global — the world's largest network of independent insurance brokers — and the Griffith Insurance Education Foundation.

amy@Aartrijk.com

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

Associate. Alexa is a gerontologist based in Richmond, Virginia, working as the manager of community education, evaluation and strategy for the Virginia Commonwealth University Department of Gerontology. Alexa's research interests are ageism, social health and the long-term care continuum. On the weekends, you can find Alexa hiking, camping and indulging in the wide variety of food and beverage options that Richmond has to offer. 

info@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 

Project 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

Media Relations Director. 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

Editor. Regina owes her career to a freshman writing prof who told her she had real talent. What that prof didn’t know was Regina’s best work came on no sleep, and with big Thursday nights still coursing through her veins. (Class was at 8 a.m. Friday) Still, the encouragement was enough for her to switch out of the animal science program at Cook College (Rutgers), and it’s no wonder she never looked back. She interviewed Sally Ride and Max Weinberg at her university paper, and then, at her first “real paper,” she interviewed Jackie O, John-John Kennedy and Abbie Hoffman — there’s three names you don’t typically see in the same sentence.

Regina has won journalism and community service awards, written for novelty toy catalogs and Big Pharma, and, like so many other Philly kids, was in Rocky 2. (She’s the one in the fuzzy orange coat chasing Rocky up the art museum steps.)

She eventually married a sports guy, had three kids and re-entered the workforce via AM Best’s news division. In her 20-plus years as a long-term temp at Best, she has covered health and life insurance for the wire and also has done every job at Best’s Review magazine. Her real love is copy editing, though, and she has been known to read the AP Stylebook for fun.

Regina loves working at Aartrijk because it’s filled with bright and fun people, and Peter really does enforce his NAP. regina@Aartrijk.com

Research Associate.  Mackenzie is an insights engine bringing more than 15 years of quantitative and qualitative research expertise to the table. She focuses on helping to drive change by putting people and conversations at the center of every engagement. The common thread running through her multiple roles in customer success, product, sales and marketing is her ability to quickly diagnose pain points and launch strategic solutions.

When she’s not powering research with high energy and deep devotion to the clients' success, you can hear her singing the National Anthem at your favorite sports games or volunteering as an elementary school choir director. She also loves to travel, so don’t get her talking about Disney or which country is her favorite … you may be there a while.
mackenzie.wilson@Aartrijk.com