Gatesman+Dave, one of the Northeast's premier marketing communications agencies, announced today that Shannon Baker has been appointed to the role of president.

"Driving agency integration, collaboration and new ways of thinking and innovation will be her key charge," said John Gatesman, CEO of Gatesman+Dave. "Since joining Gatesman+Dave, Shannon has brought several million dollars in new business income and has earned the agency close to 100 awards. In this year alone, she has landed several significant accounts including national responsibilities for Thorntons convenience stores, social media responsibilities for StarKist and global responsibilities for Tobii Dynavox."

After several years in senior positions at leading PR agencies, Baker joined Gatesman+Dave in 2007 as director of public relations and became partner a year later. She is credited with building the firm's PR and social media practice into one of the nation's Top 100 independent PR firms according to O'Dwyers PR, and earning the Pittsburgh-based agency exclusive membership into the IPREX Global Network of independent agencies. In 2015, Gatesman+Dave PR was named PRSA Pittsburgh's PR Agency of the Year, and in that same year Baker was recognized as The Pittsburgh Business Times Business Women First Award winner.

"My father has always been my biggest mentor and early on he bestowed his wisdom upon me teaching me that in business it's always about what's next, optimizing for tomorrow, building for the long-term and preparing for something bigger," said Baker. "Our business is no different. New demands and new ways of thinking have forced the traditional advertising agency to evolve or get left behind. We must be at the forefront of these changes, and combine our existing strengths with emerging trends, enhance our capabilities and innovate in order to deliver our clients the solutions that will be most meaningful to their organizations."

As CEO, Gatesman will continue to lead new business and be involved with clients and agency operations. Following the recent celebration of the agency's 10th anniversary, he shared, "We're incredibly proud of our past, but acknowledge the worlds of marketing and communications have collided with technology and data. The power has shifted from brands to people, and the rise of multi-channel media consumption has completely disrupted the way marketing messages are delivered. We're eager to get started as we look to embark on the next phase of our company's evolution, and together with Shannon, we will develop a new vision with new strategies to meet these demands."

About Gatesman+Dave:

Based in Pittsburgh, Gatesman+Dave is a fully integrated, independent marketing communications agency with expertise in branding, advertising, digital, public relations, social media, and media planning and buying. The agency's diverse client roster features leading global, national, and regional brands, such as Del Monte, Hormel Foods, Foodland, UPMC Health System, the Pittsburgh Penguins NHL franchise, S&T Bank, CONSOL Energy, SHOP 'n SAVE, Starkist and Northwell Health System. Gatesman+Dave was named to the Inc. 5000 list, noted as one of the Fastest Growing Private Companies in the U.S., for the past three consecutive years.