Our Team Page

Dick Appleyard’s success in business began on the basketball court. College coaches like Dean Smith and C.M. Newton recruited him because of his creativity on the court, his commitment to hard work, and his ability to make others successful. When he completed his college career and earned his MBA, he transferred those skills to advertising. His hard work, dedication, and unparalleled ability to “assist” others were focused on ideas and solutions for business, individuals and community services. Great floor leaders in basketball need to understand the competition and anticipate the future. Under his leadership, the Appleyard Agency has grown to meet the demands of the future with a production facility and a fully staffed digital and social media department. The Agency client list reads like a who’s who of great local and national brands. These brands rely on the Appleyard Agency as their marketing partner because of the great team of highly skilled players and the floor leader who keeps the team focused on making clients successful.

A graduate of the University of West Florida, Carolyn has a B.A. in accounting and B.S. in Vocational Education. She has served as the comptroller and strategic planner for the agency for the past twenty years. Prior to joining Appleyard Agency, Carolyn worked with the Saltmarsh accounting firm. She also has experience in banking and teaching. Carolyn served as chairman of the Habitat for Humanity Board of Directors. She helped establish REBUILD Northwest Florida, a community effort launched after the area was devastated by Hurricane Ivan in 2004, coordinating recovery efforts for low-income residents. She was a founding board member of Impact 100 Pensacola Bay Area and is dedicated to improving the way of life for many in Northwest Florida.

A Pensacola native, Leslie returned home and joined the Agency in 2015, bringing with her 15 years of experience in television production, arts and communications. Leslie has worked as a producer in reality television in New York, Los Angeles and most recently Austin, TX. She directed shows, including MTV’s “Teen Mom 2,” TLC’s “My 600 Lb Life,” and HGTV’s “Flea Market Flip” among others. She graduated from Emerson College with a degree in Marketing Communications and Journalism and furthered her studies at NYU and North Carolina School of the Arts.

A graduate of the University of Florida with a B.A. in English, Jeanie is a 20-year veteran of broadcasting. Prior to working at Appleyard Agency, she managed radio stations in Mobile, Alabama, as well as Pensacola and Panama City, Florida. Her role at the Agency as Operations Manager includes management and coordination of agency staff, and supervision of broadcast and outdoor media buying and account service.

Mike McDuff graduated from University of West Florida with a B.S.B.A in Marketing.  He’s been working with the Appleyard Agency since 2006 handling a variety of jobs including media buying and account care for clients such as McDonald’s, Covenant Care, and Tom Thumb.  Outside of the office, Mike enjoys spending time out on the boat fishing or on the ice rink playing hockey at the Bay Center.

Thanasi is a video production specialist who has worked in the industry for over 10 years. He began his career in Pensacola and has worked in Los Angeles for the past 5 years as an animator, video editor and producer. Thanasi has worked on and produced national television ads with FX, TNT and Taco Bell. He decided to bring his knowledge and experience back to his home town. His passion for the creative industry has only gained strength as his career has blossomed.

Liam is an experienced film producer with a demonstrated history of working with both agencies and production houses. A graduate of Maryland Institute College of Art, his fine arts background drives strong creative direction in motion picture projects while international studies in Copenhagen & London contribute to his highly collaborative on-set rapport. Recent credits include "IMAX: Blue Angels" (Bad Robot), "Q: Enter The Storm" (HBO), "Cheer" (Netflix), "The Golden One" (A24) and the Appleyard Agency produced short film “Someone Waits For Me” which won Best Documentary Short at STAMPED LGBT+ Film Festival in 2021.

With more than 20 years’ experience in her field, Chitra is a highly-respected graphic artist with a strong eye for design. Her work has earned a number of awards. Before joining Appleyard Agency in 1995, she worked as a graphic artist at Lintas and served as Art Director for both Ogilvy & Mather in Bombay and Creative Advantage in Little Rock, Arkansas.

Jami Sanderson came to Appleyard Agency in 2000 and has more than 30 years’ experience as a graphic designer, pre-press & production manager and direct-marketing director. She has well rounded technical training in many computer programs and expert photo scanning retouching skills. In addition to designing for print media, Jami has updated her skills to include the design and creation of digital banner ads.

Lauren graduated from the University of Central Florida with a bachelor’s degree in Marketing and a minor in Hospitality. Her love of travel led to an internship with Royal Caribbean Cruise Line, where she helped manage their social media platforms and developed a love of social media and a passion for Facebook and its capabilities.

Lauren began her professional career in social media marketing at the Nissan North America Headquarters in Franklin, Tennessee. In 2017, Lauren and her husband moved to Pensacola, where she began work at Sandy Sansing Automotive, managing social media marketing for 12 different brands and 11 local dealerships.

Lauren joined Appleyard’s Social Media Marketing team in 2018. In addition to producing and managing social media content and advertising, she helps manage co-op advertising and compliance efforts.

Originally from Jacksonville, Lauren is excited to be back in the Sunshine state near Pensacola’s beautiful beaches. She and her husband have an Australian Shepherd puppy named Maverick, who is the family’s center of attention. Outside work, Lauren enjoys baking cupcakes, traveling and spending time with friends, family and her congregation at church, where her husband serves as minister.

Joining the Appleyard Agency in 2019, Sarah works as part of the Digital Marketing team as a Social Media specialist. She’s data-driven and works to strategize, launch, and optimize online campaigns. She’s a UWF graduate (Go Argos!), and likes to talk with over-the-top hand gestures. Also, this is her dog Remy.

Wanda Breaux is a jack of all trades bouncing between website design, SEO and Social Media. She has a Master's from Full Sail University in Internet Marketing and her undergrad from the University of West Florida in Advertising. She has over a decade of experience working with companies of all sizes. In her off time, she enjoys playing tournament poker and exploring the world through travel.

Travasa Holloway has been in Media / Advertising / Marketing for over 25 years. She started her career at two Scripps Howard Newspapers. Then an NBC Affiliate, ABC Affiliate, CBS Affiliate, and a FOX Affiliate. Not only did she manage digital advertising, but she also was a host on air and co-produced a half-hour show. Recently, she oversaw a five-cluster radio station managing their Broadcast and Digital. With her successful career in media, Ms. Holloway is also the author of three Daily Devotional books published. She is the proud mother of twin sons and loves the Lord. In her free time, you can find her mentoring youth and spending quality time with her Goldendoodle, Dallas J.

Joining the Appleyard Agency in early 2008, Dana brings her passion for media with over 30 years of marketing experience and 3 careers in this Industry: Advertising Agencies, National Rep Firm, and Broadcast Stations.
She began her career with an international agency DMB&B, working with various clients in multiple categories: Anheuser-Busch, General Motors, Procter & Gamble, General Foods, Amoco, Red Lobster, and M&M Mars to name a few.
Dana manages the client’s media buying and planning needs thru extensive data research and viewing trends. Based on the client’s strategies and needs, broadcast and cable campaigns are then tailored and strategically placed to ensure the maximum media effectiveness.

Eva Chastain has more than 37 years of experience with Appleyard Agency working in a variety of roles. In addition to her bookkeeping duties, Eva manages Appleyard Specialties and Promotions (ASAP), a special division of the Agency that provides art-branded merchandise and promotional items. Eva assists ASAP customers with everything from product selection to delivery.

George Saunders joined Appleyard in September 2008 with an extensive background in accounting/bookkeeping. Prior to joining the Appleyard team, George owned a successful automotive parts business, served as CFO of Hospice/VNA of the Florida Keys and was finance manager of Rebuild Northwest Florida. He graduated from Florida Keys Community College in Key West, where he earned A.S./A.A. degrees in Business Management/Accounting. George assists with the bookkeeping functions and budget tracking of various clients for the Agency.