Meet the Team

< About the Company

Sarah Best

Sarah Best (CEO/Chief Strategist), along with her team, has won over a dozen awards for her work including best use of a social media platform from Travel + Leisure. ​Her work has been featured in Mashable, TechCrunch, Crain's Chicago Business, National Geographic Traveler, Chicago Tribune, ​and other publications. 

She was tapped to speak at Social Media Week for the MacArthur Foundation, and has been selected twice for SXSW. She is an alumna of New York University, and received a certificate in entrepreneurship from the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses Program at Babson College. She's on the board of several nonprofits.

An avid traveler and multi-faceted creative, Sarah is also a poet who has been published in The Yale Review and Painted Bride Quarterly. As a visual artist and film curator, she has curated programs at the Museum of Contemporary Art (Chicago), Hyde Park Arts Center (Chicago), Mana Contemporary (Chicago / Miami / NJ), Links Hall (Chicago), Chicago Cultural Center, and Echo Park Film Center (Los Angeles). (she/her) 
(LinkedIn)

Collin Quinn Rice

​Collin Quinn Rice (Senior Account Manager) is a performer, photographer, and multimedia artist living in Chicago. Originally from the Milwaukee area, Collin graduated from Northwestern University and they haven’t left Chicago since! With a B.A. in Theatre, an (almost) minor in Gender & Sexuality Studies, and a YouTube education in Photoshop, Collin worked with a number of arts organizations and small businesses in Chicago, quickly finding a niche in content creation and social media marketing. 
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When not scrolling through TikTok or pretending to be other people, Collin can be found knitting sweaters, drinking way too much coffee, or walking their dog, Winona, along Lake Michigan. (they/them) (LinkedIn)

Jackie Burhans

Jackie Burhans (Senior Strategist) has 15 years of digital strategy experience and focuses on providing thoughtful analysis to formulate KPI-focused, mindful strategies for digital marketing efforts. Jackie’s experience spans leading a team at a Milwaukee-based agency and leading search engine optimization efforts for a Fortune 500 company. Jackie has her Associate in Applied Arts in Graphic Design from Milwaukee Area Technical College and her Bachelor of Science in Advertising from The Art Institute. While design is still a passion of hers, she quickly found a talent for holistic digital strategy and finds great fulfillment in helping elevate positive voices.

Jackie grew up in southeastern Wisconsin, but is now settled in the hills and rivers of the driftless region with her husband and pup. She practices mindful living by teaching yoga and meditation, appreciating the beauty of the world through her camera lens, and co-hosting a mindfulness podcast. An environmentalist at heart, you can usually find her wandering among nature. (she/her)

Kayla Kirshenbaum

Kayla Kirshenbaum (Senior Editor/Writer) is a born and raised Chicagoan who returned to the Midwest after over a decade living in New York City. She helped raise social awareness as a contributor to public fundraising events and panel discussions that highlighted the importance of women's leadership in politics. Kayla was listed as a rising innovator in the Jewish Week's tenth annual edition of 36 Under 36. Her work in project management, strategic planning, and change leadership has advanced results-driven strategies in both the public and private sectors. 

Kayla attended Sarah Lawrence College where she completed her master's degree in the school's MFA creative writing program and was a top nominee for the 'Best New Poet' distinction. In her commitment to continuing professional education, she earned her Certification in Management and Leadership from the Business Fundamentals Program at Harvard Business School and Harvard Graduate School of Education and a Certification in Business Writing and Communications at Northwestern University School of Professional Studies.

Daniel Prohuska

Daniel Prohuska (Senior Strategist) began his career as Sarah Best Strategy's persistent, perpetual intern while he worked on his B.A. at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Semesters rolled by, seasons came and went, and an intern he remained. After graduating with degrees in Strategic Communications and History, he jumped at the chance to join the SBS team full time. While he enjoys all sorts of communications tasks, Daniel is most driven by his passion for helping untold stories find their intended audience. 

When he's not on Zoom, Daniel loves hunting for vinyl records, scrolling through obscure Wikipedia articles, and reassuring himself that THIS is the year the Packers win the Super Bowl. (he/him) (LinkedIn)

Emily Marso

Emily Marso (Account Manager) built her career working in arts administration and education. With a formal background in marketing, development, and copywriting, and an informal background in funny internet jokes, she’s passionate about connecting the right words to the right audience.

Emily received her B.A. degree in Theatre, Political Science, and Chinese Language and Culture from Northwestern University. Alongside her work with SBS, Emily is also an actor, voiceover artist, and motion capture performer; catch her practicing surgery as Nurse Susie on Chicago Med, protecting the realms as Kitana in Mortal Kombat 11, or soothingly reading you your favorite audiobook. 
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She likes lifting weights, loves chili cheese fries, and can tell you one obscure fact about each U.S. President. (she/her)

​Caitlin Bognar

Caitlin Bognar (Digital Strategist) is an expert digital marketer with 6 years of experience in the field, including agency and corporate work. In her years in the industry, she has become a jack-of-all-trades type individual with a wide range of expertise in paid media, content marketing, and analytics. She loves working with small and large clients by uncovering their goals and creating a holistic, omnichannel marketing plan that spans from strategy, to activation, to optimizations/results. 

Caitlin lives in Milwaukee, WI with her husband, Dave, and their two dogs, Lannie & Lola. They enjoy Wisconsin summers to the fullest attending Brewer games, kayaking, and visiting the beaches of Lake Michigan. She is very competitive and enjoys playing in volleyball and cards leagues, including euchre and cribbage. Outside of work she is a track coach for Shorewood Middle & High Schools. (she/her)

​Shaunté Barlow-Gay

Shaunté Barlow-Gay (Writer) loves to write. It helps to soothe her and is the first form of expression she used as a way to express herself as a child. Shaunté has worked in numerous industries, including education, healthcare, and industrial supply. This diversity in focus has helped shape her as a writer. She is also a proud member of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc.

She and her husband recently bought a home and are enjoying homeownership for now (until a hot water heater goes out—which happened one month after moving in!). She and her family love going into Chicago and exploring and experiencing new things through the eyes of her little one.

Shaunté enjoys living life with no regrets and being in the moment.

Heather Bokon

Heather Bokon (Executive Support) is a graduate of the University of Cincinnati and spent 15 years as an administrative and executive assistant before striking out on her own as a virtual assistant. A member of the Rescue Desk team in Madison, Heather lives in the Midwest with her husband and 2 rescue dogs, where she spends her limited free time reading, blogging about books, and binging on Netflix with a glass of red wine. (she/her)

Strategic Partners

In addition to the team members listed above, we work with a network of strategic partners who extend our team's capacity. These are relationships we've nurtured over many years, and we're happy to share our trusted network with you.

Featured Partners Include:
  • Andy Best, Special Projects Coordinator
  • JinJa Birkenbeuel, Brand Strategy
  • Emmanuel Garcia, Communications Consultant
  • Jennifer Graville Barker, Google Ads and Google Ad Grant Management
  • Emily James, Graphic Design
  • Josh Klemmons, Advertising and Training