Ward received his B.A., cum laude, in psychology from Harvard. Prior to starting the agency in 1984, he worked in advertising agencies and the company formally, and formerly, known as Exxon.

Today Ward serves as our chief branding and marketing strategist. He has led research projects and conducted his proprietary messaging and positioning process, Strategic Guardrails^®, for companies throughout the world.

Ward serves on the Executive Committee of the Board of Directors of the Houston Grand Opera and the advisory boards of Houston Center for Photography and Opera in the Heights. He is a former board member of the Houston Advertising Association.

He is a frequent lecturer on branding, litigation support, marketing strategy, and the importance of humor in all things.

Do you prefer classical, opera, indie, or rock?
Yes.

Live or on recordings?
Yes.

What are your mandatory fashion accessories?
A camera, an iPod, and a cell phone. Oh, you’re saying an iPhone can do all that?

Susan received her B.A. and J.D. from Louisiana State University. She began her legal career at Exxon and thereafter continued her oil and gas practice at several Houston law firms. In 1990, Susan joined Pennebaker and has since focused on developing strategic marketing and employee communications programs for companies and non-profits. She is currently chief marketing strategist for United Way of Greater Houston, and she recently helped to develop an innovation initiative for HP’s Global Controllership Group. 

Susan is a member of the American Marketing Association, the State Bar of Texas and the Louisiana Bar Association. She was chosen as a Fellow of the American Leadership Forum Class of 2017. Susan serves on numerous boards, including the McGovern Health Museum, the LSU Law Center Board of Trustees, United Way's Women's Initiative Steering Committee, the Woodland Heights Civic Association and the Kappa Kappa Gamma Charitable Foundation. 

How do you relax?
Run, baby, run.

Secret skill?
I’m a dog whisperer.

Jeffrey received his B.F.A. from West Texas State University in 1984.

His work experience includes corporate identity development, print collateral design, packaging design, advertising design, and interactive multimedia interface design. His work has received national and international recognition and has appeared in competitions sponsored by Communication Arts Magazine, Print Magazine, Studio Magazine, Graphis, the Houston Advertising Federation, and the Art Directors Club competitions in New York, Los Angeles, Houston, and Dallas.

Substance you most often abuse?
Bubble gum and chili powder.

Places you go to find inspiration?
Hardware stores, art museums, and silent corners.

How do you relieve stress?
I like to listen to comedians. Especially George Carlin, Chris Rock, and Louis CK.

Halina received her M.A. in education from Silesian University in Poland. She later pursued her passion for communication and earned a graphic design degree from the Art Institute of Houston.

At Pennebaker since 2000, Halina has led many rebranding efforts for clients like AIG Retirement, United Way of Greater Houston, Chevron Technology Ventures, and HCC Insurance Holdings. Halina has designed award-winning marketing materials for many clients, including United Way of Greater Houston, Houston Grand Opera, and AIDS Foundation Houston.

Superpower?
High panic threshold.

Superfood?
Dark chocolate, 70% cocoa content, any brand, large quantity.

Weak spot?
“She’s such a morning person!” said no one ever.

If you had to be trapped in a TV show for a month which one would it be?
Mad Men. Wait, I am trapped in Mad Men...

Favorite sports team?
The Texans

What movie you could watch over and over?
Pulp Fiction. Tarantino's dialog never gets old to me.

Sweet or salty?
Salty.

Favorite pastime?
Hanging out with family and friends.

Favorite vacation spot?
Beach resort.

Where do you volunteer?
I’m a Girl Scout Leader.

Sweet or salty?
Cheesy.

Most desolate place you ever traveled?
Walmart.

Where did you grow up?
I grew up outdoors: creating, playing, immersed in nature.

Holiday you most look forward to?
Thanksgiving.

Your Sunday afternoon?
If raining, curled up watching a movie. If sunny, working in the yard.

What Pantone color would you be?
225U.

What superpower do you want?
I would love to be able to manipulate time. Tired? Freeze time, sleep a full eight hours, then unfreeze time and get back to doing what I love. Tight deadline? Freeze time, do all the work, sleep a full eight hours, then unfreeze time. Imagine the productivity (and how rested you'd be)!

Favorite day of the year?
Super Bowl Sunday. There's nachos, football, and great ads. What's not to love?

What movie can you watch over and over?
When I see Forrest Gump on TV, whatever I was doing before is put on hold for the next 142 minutes. I have left my lawn half-mowed because I caught a glimpse of Forrest Gump.

What’s your biggest indulgence?
A gyro and French fries.

Person you most admire?
My mom.

What most people don’t know about you?
I was a major fan of the '80s TV show Remington Steele and have every episode on VHS tape and DVD.

Where did you grow up?
Fabulous Las Vegas, Nevada

Holiday you most look forward to?
4th of July, you get to blow stuff up!

Cats or dogs?
Not Small Dogs

Sweet or salty? 
Spicy

Top five musicians and why?
Jimmy Lafave – He gets me.
Metallica – James Hetfield is my hero.
Kanye – Runaway is my alltime FAV!
Dwight Yoakum – Got that country groove and he’s a good actor, who knew? 
Otis Redding – He filled my childhood home.

A place you really want to visit? 
Ireland, to meet my people. #naturalredhead

Favorite record of all time?
What is a record?

What most people don’t know about you?
Many moons ago, I worked in a kitchen in Israel cooking for 800 people a day, taught English to kids in Prague, and was a care provider for the mentally challenged in Switzerland.

Most interesting place you’ve ever traveled?
Backpacking through Morocco to Chefchaouen.

Cats or dogs?
Cats the first half of my life, dogs the second!

Hike or bike?
Definitely bike.  When we travel, I seem to always be looking for someplace to rent bikes. Our favorite bike trip was in Maui for the Mount Haleakala bike tour. It started very early in the morning and no one in my family was especially jazzed to go, aside from me.  It ended up one of our all-time favorite trip excursion.  

Holiday you most look forward to?
Christmas, without a doubt. I typically start buying gifts in July!

Where did you grow up?
I grew up in Oklahoma. My first ten years were actually spent in a very rustic log cabin in Southeastern Oklahoma before moving to Norman, Oklahoma, home of the Sooners!

What would you do if you had more free time?
More trips to the Texas Hill Country to see my precious grand-kids.

Life motto?
Be Kind & Speak Kindly. It’s more important to be nice than it is to be important.

Favorite things to do?
Listen to live music. Dance. Sit at bars at restaurants for dinner — it gives you an opportunity to meet new people.

Hike or bike?

BIKE! I cycle almost every day on a fixed gear 8bar bicycle. I love to train on fast rides and cruise on social rides around our beautiful city. Night rides are the best because you can explore different areas in the cooler weather with less traffic. I host rides with my team, TF Cycling and I raise money for non-profits too. 

What do your closest friends say about you?

I've been dubbed "Captain Jack" among my friends because of my natural ability to lead and organize plans for our groups. My friends would also say that I love to laugh. In fact, they even made me a necklace that says "Laugh Lots" for my birthday. 

What drew you to this profession?

I started my career my sophomore year of high school in the computer lab. I was taking a class to learn advanced skills in Photoshop and Dreamweaver and took to the programs super fast. One of our projects was to create a button for Baker Hughes to promote their HR promotion, "Lagniappe" which asked workers to point out good work and extra initiative when spotted on the job. My work was selected for use and I was offered a part-time job in the department to create more artwork. From there, I progressed into sales and marketing and have continued to expand my knowledge in all areas I'm involved in. That's why I am the "Jack of all Trades". 

The best day of a year?
Spongebob Squarepants's Best Day Ever.

Karaoke go-to songs?
Destiny's Child songs.

Superpower?
Telekinesis. I'll never have to ask anyone to grab something from the top shelf ever again.

Where did you grow up?

Dublin, Ireland, NYC, and Houston.

The best meal you ever cooked?

I make a mean Chicken Parmigiana.

Book that stayed with you? 

Anything Jane Austen, especially Pride and Prejudice. I even named my daughter Elizabeth!

Where did you grow up?
Mumbai, India.

Book that stayed with you?
Slaughterhouse-Five.

Cats or dogs?
Dragons.

Where’s mealtime?
The bar at Houston’s latest hot spot. I like seeing how the magic is made and can’t be bothered to make a reservation.

Life motto?
A house isn’t a home without a dog.

What’s your biggest indulgence?
Music festivals. There’s always room in my budget for a 3-day pass.

Who are your favorite composer/artists?
Porter Robinson, Logic, Dr. Dre and Kanye West (I know, I know…sorry)

Where do you find inspiration?
Comic books, trade journals and beer packaging

Who are your favorite designers of all time?
Chermayeff & Geismar, Paul Rand, Saul Bass, Tad Carpenter and Ty Mattson

Who are your favorite composer/artists?
Tchaikovsky and Bone Thugs-N-Harmony.

What do you like to do in your spare time?
Breakdancing, gunsmithing, or catching spiders and bugs for my wife.

How do you feel about singing?
I love to sing, rap, and dance, especially during karaoke.

What’s your favorite quote?
“You can’t teach an old dog new tricks.” You have no idea.

What’s an average day like for you?
I have a lot of greeting and napping responsibilities. It’s pretty endless.

What do you value most about Pennelife?
Nacho Fridays. Duh.