Corporate Finalists

Katy Frazier is a marketing and business development executive with over 15 years of experience driving revenue growth for B2B SaaS companies. She specializes in demand generation, sales enablement, CRM strategy, and cross-functional leadership. Katy has led high-impact marketing initiatives across organizations including Courser, ClickDimensions, insightsoftware, and LexisNexis, consistently delivering measurable pipeline growth, improved conversion rates, and stronger customer engagement through data-driven strategy and team alignment.

When I joined Resolve Tech Solutions, marketing efforts were largely tactical and fragmented. I transformed the department into a strategic growth engine by establishing a focused growth strategy, implementing scalable processes, modernizing our digital presence, strengthening sales and marketing alignment, and expanding demand generation capabilities. As a result, lead generation increased 50%, average deal size grew 68%, and revenue generated per sales-qualified opportunity increased 65%. More importantly, marketing now operates as a strategic business partner with measurable influence on pipeline, revenue, and long-term growth.

Michelle Holmes serves as Chief Marketing Officer of Triumph, where she leads corporate marketing and communications strategy to advance brand visibility and support growth. She joined Triumph in 2024 with more than 20 years of experience, including leading marketing at Smartlinx and holding executive Marketing and Advertising roles at AT&T. Holmes holds a Bachelor of Arts in Communications with a concentration in Marketing and Journalism from Texas A&M University and is a member of Chief.

Under Michelle Holmes’ leadership, Triumph’s marketing team led a comprehensive brand evolution and go-to-market reset across a complex, multi-brand organization. By unifying identity, voice, and positioning under a masterbrand strategy — and integrating acquired companies — her team simplified a highly complex value proposition. This work strengthened internal alignment, improved customer understanding, and enabled more efficient marketing investment. As a result, Triumph now shows up more clearly and consistently in the market, making it easier for customers and partners to understand how its solutions work together and reinforcing its position as a trusted partner in modernizing freight transactions.

Erik Jensen leads brand strategy, innovation and integrated marketing across a portfolio of restaurant brands at BRIX Holdings. Known for blending creative thinking with operational discipline, he focuses on building guest-centric brands, purposeful innovation pipelines and scalable franchise marketing programs. Prior to BRIX, Erik held leadership roles at Keurig Dr Pepper and Denny's, with earlier agency experience at DDB Worldwide and Foote, Cone & Belding.

I’m most proud that we've helped evolve marketing and innovation into a more strategic growth driver across the portfolio. We pushed ourselves to think beyond legacy approaches while still protecting what makes each brand special to guests. That included building more intentional innovation pipelines, stronger marketing calendars and a more disciplined approach to guest feedback and insights. Initiatives ranged from launching Friendly’s “10 Under $10” to developing more ownable LTO platforms and guest experiences designed to create longer-term momentum. The result has been stronger alignment, sharper innovation and brands that feel more relevant and differentiated in a competitive space.

For more than 25 years, Kristen Lollar has served as a communications and marketing professional in the Dallas-Fort Worth market. She is the Chief Marketing Officer for Whitley Penn, a full-service public accounting and advisory firm. She has been with the firm for 14 years and has played an integral role in overall growth and success of the organization. Kristen is dedicated to mentorship and sponsorship of professionals in her firm and in the community.

Since joining Whitley Penn as the firm’s sole marketer, I have had the opportunity to build our marketing function into what it is today. As a proud female leader in my firm and working mom, I am honored to champion my now team of 13 and provide culture of collaboration and growth. My success is measured in the accomplishments of my team. Our output has consistently increased, as has the value we add to the business. We have come a long way since 2012, and I am proud of the team that I have built in the years since.

Tess Trahern is a seasoned marketing and communications leader at U.S. Energy Development Corporation, where she drives investor engagement, brand strategy, and digital transformation. Known for aligning marketing with business growth, she has modernized systems, enhanced communications, and supported major expansion initiatives. She earned a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Oklahoma and an MBA in Digital Media Management from St. Edward’s University.

Under my leadership, I have built an ambitious, high-performing marketing team grounded in clarity, accountability, and a culture that expects excellence. I aligned our work with revenue and investor engagement priorities, modernized our systems, and improved how we communicate performance and strategy to stakeholders. I also strengthened our digital and CRM infrastructure, giving the team better visibility into engagement and the ability to adjust quickly. By leading with high standards and empowering my team with meaningful ownership, marketing now plays a direct role supporting capital raise initiatives, elevating our brand, and driving U.S. Energy’s continued growth.