Who we are

Integral is more than a name—it’s our mindset.

Our company was named after our founding belief that decisions made with integrity are essential to a thriving workplace. By aligning our public and personal values, integrity is central to all we do, how we work as a team, and the relationships we build with you.

What we value

We manage to our clients’ reality.
We understand our clients’ needs because they approach the world with the same intensity we do. They need us to work at a pace that matches their sometimes-shifting requirements and ever-evolving needs, and so we do. It’s also important for us to see them as part of our own team and make sure they’re OK on a personal level, not just as a business function.
We prioritize compassionate curiosity.
We know that every person is the source of unique and invaluable information. By accepting differences in style and identity and by asking questions rather than making declarations, we gain the insights and ideas needed to promote positive change.
We habituate growth and agility.
We emphasize iteration and treasure feedback in our work and in our relationships. We believe in recognizing our clients’ growing impact, our own growth as individuals, and Team Integral’s growing success. We minimize the focus on blame and maximize the value of lessons learned towards growth.
We practice authenticity and gratitude.
We believe we’re at our best when we can be transparent about motivations, assume others want to make it work, and proceed thoughtfully. We’re forthright with one another and celebrate interactions that feel meaningful, legitimate, equitable, and true. And we’re thankful to be part of such a great team.

Meet the Team

Ethan McCarty
CEO
Ethan is the founder and CEO of Integral, an award-winning employee activation agency serving leaders of Communications, HR, Marketing and Technology at organizations global and local alike.
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Taylor Shawver
Vice President, Strategy & Culture
Taylor is a strategist and facilitator with a strong passion for helping others.
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Charles Chesnut
Vice President, Digital & Marketing
Charles has over 20 years’ experience leading digital change management, with a focus on strategy, content, UX, and marketing. Along the way he’s learned that culture and collaboration are as important as subject-matter expertise.
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Crystal Jeffs
Vice President, Employee Experience & Operations
Crystal loves working for companies that improve people's lives, values operations, people development and wellness. She would like to work on bringing the focus of systems thinking to both client experiences and business operations. That sweet spot of efficiency across customer and employee centricity.
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John Buchholz
Director, Communications & Strategy
John loves the power of communications and believes that nothing engages an audience better than a great story.
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Lauren Harding
Director, Client Experience and Growth
Lauren has always believed that most challenges can be solved through more clear and effective communication. Through her career in sales management, she has mastered the art of creating lasting relationships built on trust and shared vision.
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Kari McLean
Senior Manager, Content & Marketing
As a marketing communications professional with a theater background, Kari coaxes ideas into reality through collaboration.
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Priscilla Rios
Designer
Both an innovative graphic designer and strategic thinker, Priscilla creates multidisciplinary designs that solve complex visual communication challenges.
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Haley Self
Associate
Haley is inspired by what can happen through strengthened connections, strengthened relationships, and strengthened communication. Facilitating this strength is what prompted her to receive dual degrees at Marymount Manhattan College and build a repertoire of creative, organizational, and strategic skills to help make these strengths a reality.
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Susan Emerick
Sr. Digital Consultant
A globally recognized marketing innovator, Susan harnesses the power of insights to develop action oriented brand advocacy strategies that fuel growth.
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Scott Ashen
Senior Consultant, Workplace CommTech
As a communications and technology consultant for over ten years, Scott’s focus has been on digital workplace strategy and platforms. His twenty years of project management experience has enabled him to lead complex projects from vision to launch in both staff and consulting roles.
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Jennifer Zanfardino
Senior Consultant
Jennifer believes the strongest brands are built from the inside out and works with Human Resources, specifically focusing on employee experience and engagement.
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Tatum Risch
Research Consultant
Tatum loves gleaning qualitative insights from listening to others tell their stories. She is a Ph.D. student at Penn State studying Organization Development and Change.
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Chris Talley
Senior Consultant
Chris has led communications teams at AT&T, Lockheed Martin, and USAA, where he served as SVP & CCO. He is a trustee for the Institute for Public Relations and a member of the Page Society.
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Destin Singleton
Senior Strategic Communications Advisor
Destin’s deep experience and social science background means she understands what shapes human behavior. Armed with this knowledge, she supports clients undergoing massive transitions, and ensures they end up on top.
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Lisa Holzer
Consultant
Lisa believes the most effective communications operate at the intersection of education and entertainment. Her favorite playgrounds are peer-to-peer knowledge sharing, analytics, and technology innovation.
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Nancy Bliss
Consultant
Among the first in the industry to recognize the value of an MBA combined with design, Nancy unites technology, business strategy, and understanding employees’ needs together in the service of improving workplace digital experiences.
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Kieran Cannistra
Content Consultant
A storyteller at heart, Kieran insists every audience interaction is an opportunity to effect change, whether in attitude, belief, or performance.
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Thea Moraleta
Virtual Assistant
Thea is a driven virtual assistant with smashing skills and successful experience of over ten years.
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Friends

New York City College of Technology’s Department of Communication Design (COMD) is committed to providing a public avenue to the range of professions that utilize creativity, technology and design. The COMD is the only open enrollment program in the Tri-State Area.

Ethan McCarty and Taylor Shawver are on the Advisory Commission for New York City College of Technology’s Communication Design Department.

Integral is a member of the Civic Alliance, a nonpartisan coalition of businesses united by a commitment to a thriving democracy. Together, members stand together in support of fair and transparent elections, in which voting is safe and accessible. We stand together in support of fair and transparent elections, in which voting is safe and accessible.

Columbia University is a private Ivy League research university in Upper Manhattan, New York City. Columbia’s Strategic Communication Masters Program within the School of Professional Studies is designed to respond to industry-wide need for strategic perspective, critical thinking and exceptional communication skills.

Our CEO, Ethan McCarty is a lecturer in the Strategic Communications Master Program teaching Digital Media & Analytics and Employee Activation.

The Commission on Public Relations Education is the authoritative voice on public relations education. Since its founding in 1973 by the Public Relations Division of the Association for Education in Journalism, joined by co-sponsor the Public Relations Society of America, the Commission has provided recommendations on public relations education for universities and professional associations across the globe. Integral CEO & Founder Ethan McCarty, has been selected as a Registered Research Panelist.

The Diversity Action Alliance is a coalition of Public Relations and communications leaders joining forces to accelerate progress in the achievement of meaningful and tangible results in diversity, equity, and inclusion across our profession. The mission is to achieve continuous improvement for people of color as measured by recruitment, retention, and representation in management.

Integral is a member organization.

 

Feisty Brown provides digital and print design and branding services to organizations of all sizes and in all sectors. Feisty Brown’s principals, Theo Fels and Julie Fels, have over 30 years of experience working with organizations like American Express, Johnson & Johnson, Capital One, the International Monetary Fund, New York Life, IBM, and the Irish Independent.

FHS Capital Partners is an investment group established in 2017 by Bob Feldman, Bill Heyman and Don Spetner, three long-time business associates and friends who have deep backgrounds in the corporate and marketing communications fields. While no longer actively involved in Integral, FHS Partners were among the first investors in the firm and continue to advocate for Integral’s success.

Founded in 1970, the International Association of Business Communicators serves a global membership of business communication professionals in a range of disciplines.

Integral employees are members of IABC and serve at the Chapter and international levels, contributing to publications and educational events.

Founded in 1956, the Institute for Public Relations is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit foundation dedicated to fostering greater use of research and research-based knowledge in public relations and corporate communication practice. Integral CEO Ethan McCarty is a member of the Board of Trustees and also the Director of IPR’s Organizational Communications Research Commission.

 

Page Up is a membership organization for senior communications leaders in Arthur W. Page Society members’ teams. Founded in 2013, Page Up consists of more than 200 members globally.

Ethan McCarty sits on the board of the Page Up organization and is the co-founder and co-chair of its annual Innovation Award. Integrals’ advisors are members of the Arthur W. Page Society.

The Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) is the nation’s largest professional organization serving the communications community with a mission to “make communications professionals smarter, better prepared and more connected through all stages of their career.” The organization has more than 30,000 members.

Integral employees are members of the PRSA organization and frequent contributors to conference and publications.

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