Big Ears, and
Even Bigger Ideas

Karyn Adams is a mother, runner, cyclist, writer, and connector-of-dots. She directs the creative and strategic efforts of H·A ThirtyOne, a woman-owned higher-ed focused marketing and communications firm. Together with the H·A ThirtyOne team, Karyn helps institutions solve problems, reach goals, and exceed their expectations through innovative approaches to communications, enrollment marketing, and institutional initiatives.

Throughout nearly two decades of experience in higher education, Karyn has served inside the academy in numerous leadership roles and as a consultant and strategist for institutions across the United States. Her specialties include all aspects of communications and marketing: integrated marketing and institutional branding, enrollment initiatives, capital campaigns, website redesigns, public-private partnerships, and crisis communications. In addition to her work in higher ed, Karyn serves as a Planning Commissioner and may (or may not) be pursuing a pilot’s license. She lives in Knoxville, Tennessee, with her husband and two sons.

Elizabeth is a lifelong learner and a catalyst for growth in any team setting. With a deep-rooted belief in the power of continual curiosity and intentional reflection, Elizabeth fearlessly asks the tough questions, ensuring that the purpose and intent of each endeavor are crystal clear. Drawing from her background in secondary education, Elizabeth is your go-to resource for organizing chaos, prioritizing tasks, and solving even the most intricate problems. Her strengths extend from project management to copy editing and a content strategy, with every engagement one of productive collaboration. Based in Atlanta with her curious cat Richard, Elizabeth loves to get outdoors or get lost in a good book.

Contracts, accounting, business, and tech ops, that’s Bruce’s daily H·A ThirtyOne digest. Given his extensive university, commercial, and architectural photography portfolio, he also serves as an art director and photographer for select projects and photoshoots. Bruce is included in the Photography faculty at the University of Tennessee. When in doubt, he looks to Junebug, his just-about-perfect black Lab.

As a technical project manager, Colin brings a wide array of skills - from print production to programming - that complement his years of experience working in higher ed. Well-versed in overseeing projects of all shapes and sizes in H·A ThirtyOne’s project management platform, Teamwork, Colin’s background in web development enables him to take a hands-on approach to getting projects across the finish line. As a writer, Colin also contributes to the work we do as a content development creator. Colin received both his bachelor’s and master’s from the University of Pennsylvania.

Walt Disney World Resort launched Ginger’s career, but Higher Ed has kept it going strong for almost 25 years. A valued member of the HA ThirtyOne team for over a decade, Ginger brings extensive expertise in education marketing, communications, project management, and consulting for colleges, universities, small businesses, and non-profits nationwide. With a background as a client, faculty member, and top-level admissions and communications leader across various campuses, she’s also worked as a consultant and agency partner. This multifaceted experience gives her unique insight into diverse goals and challenges, enabling her to create a collaborative, team-focused approach with every project. Ginger is a big-picture thinker who loves blending strategy with creativity and happily does so as one of the lead copywriters for client projects.

Beyond her project work, she also teaches copywriting and advertising at Appalachian State University. When she’s off the clock, you’ll find her exploring wineries and breweries, hiking North Carolina’s mountains, reading on the deck, or keeping up with her husband (another Higher Ed enthusiast), three daughters, and two cats — while avoiding cooking and cleaning at all costs.

With a passion for graphic design and the process of collaboration, Christopher takes pride in developing the highest quality work that often exceeds his clients’ expectations. Christopher’s 25+ years of experience with both corporate and higher education graphic design has produced an incredible body of work.

His knack for pushing the creative limits while delivering fresh design and staying true to the client’s visual identity has aided in producing work that includes website UI design, publication design, direct mail design, cross media campaign design, and much more. Because Christopher is equally invested in project strategy, functionality, and design, he is an instrumental part of the H·A ThirtyOne team. Armed with an education from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington and 15 years of experience on the design team at Elon University, Christopher now works hand in hand with H·A ThirtyOne clients.

Based in Jamestown, Tennessee, Jess’ design manifesto is, “I live the human experience, therefore I design for the human experience.” She’s excited by design that actively engages or resonates with people, especially motion and game design, and loves any opportunity to work with tangible materials or to combine them with digital interfaces. Jess began working with H·A ThirtyOne when she was student at the University of Tennessee – Knoxville, providing motion graphics for a digital advertising campaign. Her work continues to expand with a variety of digital designs, motion work, and campaign projects. Outside of design, you can find her cooking a new recipe, gaming, or spending time with her friends and family.

Beginning as an intern with HA ThirtyOne, Auden dabbled in project management, client communications, report development, data processing, and data analysis. Data work was what stuck and became his main focus. He graduated from the University of Toronto with history and public policy majors and an economics minor and continues to spend a lot of time in the books. With undergrad behind him, he’s turned his internship learnings into a position as a Data Analyst for HA ThirtyOne. What he values most about his work with HA is the exposure to the “real world” and gaining experience with a variety of different project types. In addition to his work, Auden is an amateur photographer and former co-chair of the Hart House Camera Club at the University, which has a history stretching back to 1919. He recently participated in a Photography fellowship with Trinity College and photographer Tomaso Clavarino. He is currently in his gap year before applying to law school.

Studying Cinema and Creative Writing at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Hannah has always used creative writing to give her stories a voice. With HA ThirtyOne, she has taken her writing into the higher educational world to develop voices for various institutions. Through her internship, she has participated in content planning, content writing, copy editing, and client communications. Hannah values the professional experience she’s gained through expanding her skills as a writer, utilizing her creativity, communicating with clients, and collaborating with the HA ThirtyOne team. Alongside her internship with HA ThirtyOne, Hannah takes leadership roles in several organizations at the University of Tennessee, including serving as president of the women’s ultimate frisbee club, lead editor for the University’s first literary gaming website, and technical director for the Volunteer News Channel.