An award-winning expert on institutional storytelling, Thaler Pekar guides visionary leaders in building and sustaining cultures of excellent communication. For 20 years, she and her team at Thaler Pekar & Partners have advised leaders on strengthening alignment and influence through speaking, listening, narrative, and story. Working across sectors — for clients including Johnson & Johnson, Saks Fifth Avenue, and Food Banks Canada — Thaler delivers her four trademarked communication processes; produces multiplatform media; and develops oral histories and story collections. Recognized by both the BBC and the Smithsonian Institution as one of the world’s leading experts in applied narrative, Thaler has delivered keynote speeches on five continents to thousands of people. Her influential work on the ethics of working with story, participatory narrative, and story elicitation is featured in seven books.

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Kitty is an executive producer with extensive experience managing the creative development and production of purpose-driven strategic content. Previously, she established and led the strategic content practice at Fenton, a premier social change communications agency, where she oversaw the development and production of multi-platform digital and broadcast content for foundations, non-profits and select brands working to address our most pressing environmental, social justice, and human rights challenges.

Danielle manages operations and logistics and digs into details. Previously, she directed community outreach for a US Senator, and oversaw member services for New York City’s nonprofit umbrella organization. There she managed communications with the organization’s 1,500 members. As a first-generation American, Danielle has always believed in the phrase, “to whom much is given, much is expected.” She also has the brand new title of proud mom.

Known for coaching executives in high-level pitching, presenting, and negotiating skills, Jay is leading our creativity efforts, facilitating our How to Develop & Deliver a TED-Style Talk workshop, and designing our Pitch Academies. He is a proud founding member of one of New York’s first “long-form” improvisation troupes, Centralia (named after a Pennsylvania town with a underground coal fire that has been burning since 1962).

Tom oversees technical services, communicating with crews throughout the world and ensuring consistency of quality. He has worked on many documentary features, including An Inconvenient Truth and My Architect, and has traveled the world to record Not My Life (on human slavery) and A Closer Walk (on AIDS). Tom says he became a soundman “to mic people and turn knobs in the pursuit of spreading knowledge.”

Rachel is an award-winning brand and business development leader with extensive experience in strategy and client service for top-tier agencies in NYC and SF. Known for employing the voice of the customer to create straightforward solutions to complex challenges, Rachel has driven impactful results for clients including Microsoft, American Express, TIAA, Eli Lilly, and Jaguar Cars.  She also pioneered Ogilvy’s long-standing partnership and program with PS123 through PENCIL. Prior to her marketing career, Rachel worked as a counselor in a group home and classroom for SED youth where she experienced firsthand the transformative power of listening and being heard.

River manages Thaler Pekar & Partners’ calendar of digital content, from social media to email newsletters to website production. Always an English major at heart, she’s passionate about storytelling and insists that listening is the most important place to start. Outside of her work at Thaler Pekar & Partners, River works on the communications team at the United Nations Foundation.