Director - TrailRunner International

Maribeth Darling

Maribeth Darling is a Director at TrailRunner International based in New York, bringing over a decade of experience in public relations, marketing, and brand management with a focus on corporate and financial communications. She specializes in financial storytelling and media relations for clients across various sectors, including enterprise tech, e-commerce, fintech, cybersecurity, and others.

Prior to TrailRunner International, Maribeth was a Vice President at Hotwire Global, leading corporate communications and financial communications work for technology clients, from Fortune 1000 companies to challenger brands, dealing with significant business transformations and crises. Before Hotwire, Maribeth was a Director at ICR, where she led clients through special situations, including IPOs, M&As, and SPACs.

Maribeth began her career at boutique agencies, working with 501(c)(3) nonprofits in the New York City area. She was recognized in 2023 as a “Rising Star in PR” by Business Insider. With a strong passion for developing talent, Maribeth has mentored students in Minnesota’s Twin Cities Career Exploration program, helping shape the next generation of PR professionals.

A graduate of SUNY Cortland with a Bachelor of Arts in history, Maribeth is an avid world traveler and enjoys exploring new cultures. Outside of work, she enjoys snowboarding and discovering local breweries with her husband and Labradoodle, Lenox.

Danielle Boyd

Danielle Boyd is a Director at TrailRunner International based in Dallas/Fort Worth, bringing more than a decade of media and communications experience.

Danielle joins TrailRunner International from the Burson subsidiary Direct Impact, where she served as an Account Director specializing in corporate reputation, brand awareness, crisis communications, public affairs, and grassroots campaigns. Before Burson, Danielle worked for NEC Corporation of America, where she led internal and external communications.

Danielle’s background also includes serving as a spokesperson for the Texas Department of Transportation and working for nearly a decade in a wide range of roles in broadcast news, including as Consumer Investigative Producer and Assignment Editor, for the NBC affiliate in Dallas/Fort Worth.

Danielle holds a Bachelor of Arts in broadcast communications from the University of Texas at Arlington and a master’s degree in professional counseling from Amberton University. Outside of work, she enjoys experimenting with new recipes in the kitchen, spending time with her dogs, and traveling.

Lindsay Gross

Lindsay Gross is a Director at TrailRunner International based in New York, bringing more than a decade of experience as a senior strategic advisor to some of the world’s most influential and high growth companies.

Most recently, she was a Director at Brunswick Group, serving as a key advisor to leadership teams at public and private companies across industries, particularly in the consumer, technology, and financial services spaces. Her work entailed complex transactions such as M&A, IPOs and spin-offs, financial communications, crisis management, business and organizational transformation, corporate positioning, media relations, and brand building.

Prior to Brunswick, Lindsay served as a Principal at Kekst CNC, advising senior clients on diverse and often high-stakes reputational matters. Before that, she held several roles at Weber Shandwick, including Senior Manager for Corporate Issues and Financial Communications.

Over her career, Lindsay has also completed in-house secondments during periods of significant change – including a high-profile spin-off and a pandemic-era organizational restructuring and global technology transformation.

Lindsay holds a Bachelor of Science in communication studies from Boston University and a Master of Science in corporate and organizational communications, magna cum laude, from New York University. In her spare time, she is an avid hiker, Peloton member, and long-suffering Brooklyn Nets fan. She lives in the New York City suburbs with her husband Evan and daughter Blake.

Christoph Diesch

Christoph Diesch is a Director for TrailRunner International based in the United Arab Emirates.

Bringing more than 10 years of government, corporate, and startup communications experience, Christoph joined the firm from Edelman, where he served as Head of Technology for the UAE. In this capacity, Christoph led the development and execution of regional communications strategies for leading international, regional, and UAE-based tech firms.

In addition, Christoph led the communications programs and media centers for some of Dubai’s largest technology events such as GITEX Technology Week, AI Everything, and GISEC. Before leading Edelman’s technology practice, Christoph oversaw large teams on some of the firm’s largest EMEA clients and was part of a dual-hub team operating between London and Dubai for a major multinational client.

Prior to his five-year tenure at Edelman, Christoph held various positions at APCO Worldwide, mainly working on government affairs projects, which included work with the Anwar Gargash Diplomatic Academy and the Prime Minister’s Office.

Christoph holds a Master of Science in international management for China from the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London, as well as a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in international relations and Chinese from the University of Westminster and Shanghai Jiao Tong University.

Outside of work, and apart from being a passionate dog lover, Christoph enjoys going on long road bike rides through the UAE’s picturesque Al Qudra desert, CrossFit, and reading.

Anan Ibrahim

Anan Ibrahim is a Director for TrailRunner International based in the United Arab Emirates drawing on 14 years of experience in communications in both agency and in-house roles.

Anan specializes in providing counsel and communications support to clients in the energy, oil and gas, and industrials sectors. Prior to joining TrailRunner, Anan led Edelman’s UAE energy practice where she oversaw the setup and growth of the firm’s energy portfolio, which included some of the largest energy companies in the world.

Anan also led large-scale communications projects for clients participating at Expo 2020 and more recently, COP28. She also oversaw the delivery of Arabic spokesperson training modules for senior government officials and C-suite executives.

Before joining Edelman, Anan held an in-house role as Head of Media Relations at the Emirates National Oil Company (ENOC) for six years. She also previously served in a variety of roles with global firms including Weber Shandwick and Golin.

Anan holds a Bachelor of Arts in mass communication from the American University of Sharjah and a Certificate of Crisis Management in social media from the International School of Communication (ISOC).

Anan was born in the UAE but is of Egyptian heritage. She is a mother of two. In her spare time, she knits, watches documentaries, and hopes to write children’s books in the very near future.

Mary Ann Schoppman

Mary Ann Schoppman is a Director in New York, where she draws on more than a decade of experience in corporate storytelling, executive positioning, and media relations.

Prior to joining TrailRunner, Mary Ann was Vice President at Zeno Group, where she led consumer, corporate, and healthcare accounts. Previously, Mary Ann served as Senior Manager on PepsiCo’s global corporate communications team, where she led external communications for corporate functions and for enterprise-wide initiatives focused on corporate culture, data and analytics, strategy and digital transformation.

Mary Ann’s prior experience also includes roles at Marina Maher, MWW Group, and Cohn & Wolfe, where she worked with clients across beauty, travel, health, CPG, and tech industries.

Mary Ann graduated from the University of South Florida in Tampa with a dual concentration in interpersonal and organization communication and public and cultural communication. In her free time, she enjoys exploring new culinary experiences, traveling, and volunteering in her community.

Maddie Kraft

Maddie Kraft is a Director based in Phoenix, where she specializes in supporting clients in collegiate, professional, and international sports.

Maddie has more than eight years of experience in the business of sports. During her time at TrailRunner, Maddie led the formation of the initial strategic plan for TrailRunner Sports alongside partners at Legends. She plays a key role on teams providing strategic communications and business strategy solutions for NFL, MLB, EPL, and “Power 4” collegiate clients.

Most recently, Maddie was an Associate at TrailRunner and previously served as Manager of Corporate Partnership Marketing for the Dallas Cowboys, where she helped develop significant commercial relationships with more than 20 corporate partners. Before that, Maddie was a Partner Service and Activation Coordinator for the Arizona Cardinals Football Club, where she managed client relationships and oversaw contractual agreements for more than 40 corporate partners, including leading the onboarding efforts for the new naming rights partner, State Farm, in 2018.

Maddie holds a Master of Business Administration from the Harbert College of Business at Auburn University as well as a Bachelor of Science in marketing and a Bachelor of Arts in sports business from the W. P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University.

Maddie enjoys giving back to her alma mater, Arizona State, serving as an Executive Mentor for the Sports Business Scholars program. In her free time, Maddie likes to exercise, hike with her dog Charlie, travel with her husband, read, and work on her golf game. 

Nick Dagostino

Nick Dagostino is a Director based in TrailRunner International’s New York office with vast public affairs, trust and safety and stakeholder engagement experience.

Prior to joining TrailRunner, Nick served as a Reality Labs Policy Manager at Meta (formerly Facebook) where he oversaw the company’s engagement with policy stakeholders on critical areas including the Metaverse, AR/VR, Responsible AI, privacy and data policy, cybersecurity, and human rights.

Before joining Meta, Nick held a variety of senior-level positions in the public affairs and advocacy sectors. As Principal and Stakeholder Engagement Director at (RED), he directed global advocacy campaigns for HIV/AIDS fundraising and advised musician Bono on strategic engagements. He also worked at Access Now as the Director of RightsCon, the world’s leading summit on human rights in the digital age. Additionally, Nick has held roles at the Digital Public Square Project and the United Nations Internet Governance Forum Secretariat in Geneva, Switzerland.

Nick holds a Master of Global Affairs from the Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy at the University of Toronto and a Bachelor of Arts in political science from King’s University College. In his free time, Nick loves skiing, golfing, and playing hockey. He loves exploring the world and having fun times with his wife, family, and friends.

Jen Hibbard

Jen Hibbard is a Director based in TrailRunner’s Truckee, CA office. She advises clients on a wide range of matters, including executive positioning, crisis preparedness and response, product launches, internal communications, and reputation management. Jen has 20 years of experience in financial services and 12 years in corporate communications. She has worked with clients across a broad spectrum of industries, helping them elevate their industry presence and navigate complex matters, such as business restructuring, acquisitions, housing affordability, social responsibility, and mortgage-backed securities.

Prior to joining TrailRunner, Jen served as a senior communications advisor working for Wells Fargo’s Commercial Banking division, where she provided internal communications and media relations support for high producing businesses across 19 specialty industries. Jen has also provided communications counsel to leaders of Wells Fargo’s Commercial Real Estate, Equipment Finance, Corporate Trust Services, and Small Business divisions.

Jen holds a degree from California State University, Sacramento (BA, Business and Strategic Management). She lives in Lake Tahoe, CA and enjoys skiing, hiking, cycling, and exploring the outdoors through all the seasons in beautiful Lake Tahoe.

Kayla Elias

Kayla is a Director based in TrailRunner International’s Truckee office, where she advises clients on corporate communications and reputation, issues and crisis management, and global communications strategy. Kayla has experience serving clients globally, helping them navigate complex reputational issues, overseeing media engagement and executing on external and digital communications strategies.

Kayla came to TrailRunner from Vail Resorts, where she worked on strategic communications efforts for the company’s three Tahoe-region resorts and managed marketing, branding, content development, and social media for Northstar California Resort.

Prior to her work with Vail Resorts, Kayla spent nearly seven years in Washington, D.C., where she managed communications for The Arabia Foundation, a Saudi-aligned think tank focused on the geopolitics and socioeconomics of the Middle East, and she also worked with two public affairs firms, Stratacomm and Portland Communications. With strong knowledge of the Middle East, Kayla’s client experience ranges from foreign government work to energy and infrastructure to nonprofits and philanthropy. During her time with Portland, she spent nearly three years solely dedicated to supporting The Government of the State of Qatar and the Qatari Embassy in D.C., providing U.S.-based government communications and media relations services, and working with U.S. officials and thought leaders to better understand policy on matters affecting Qatar. Kayla has also worked with clients such as the U.S. Department of Energy, Norfolk Southern, Amtrak, and the U.S. Department of Transportation.

A Michigan native, Kayla earned her BA in Political Science with a minor in Middle East Studies from Grand Valley State University and studied abroad in Lebanon, Egypt, Oman, and Tunisia. She is fluent in Lebanese Colloquial Arabic.

In her free time, Kayla enjoys skiing, riding motorcycles, and getting outside with her partner and their rescue pup, Reagan.