CONTACT: John Mercurio [email protected] 703-548-7877 PURPLE STRATEGIES EXPANDS LEADERSHIP BENCH Jillayne Smyth, Kristen Morgante and John Gatti Named Partners Alexandria, Va. (December 15, 2015) – Purple Strategies announced today the addition of three new partners, Jillayne Smyth, Kristen Morgante and John Gatti, who will help lead the company’s growth in 2016 and beyond. “At Purple, we bring together a range of communications expertise and points of view under one roof to give clients strategic solutions and bespoke campaigns they can’t get anywhere else. Jillayne, Kristen and John each deliver on this mission every day, and we’re excited to recognize their commitment to Purple,” said Steve McMahon, CEO and founding partner. “I think I speak for everyone when I say that the future of Purple has never looked brighter. These three are already successfully leading core areas of our business. We’re thrilled to officially call them partners,” said Alex Castellanos, chairman and founding partner. Smyth serves as the firm’s Chief Creative Officer, leading the team responsible for crafting Purple’s newsworthy, award-winning expression campaigns. Together, they’ve designed creative strategy for some of the world’s most successful companies, brands and industries, including BP, McDonald’s and PhRMA. Prior to Purple, she developed political strategy and advertising, creating winning campaigns for national political committees, prominent advocacy groups and NGOs. She also served as an integral part of the media strategy teams for several presidential campaigns. Morgante has acted as Chief Operating Officer for the past three years, heading the operation of the business and leading the firm’s long-term growth strategies. Previously, she developed and executed strategy and media campaigns for candidates, national political committees and advocacy groups, and held an integral role with Center for American Progress and Dean for America presidential campaign. Gatti leads Purple’s Client Strategy and Engagement team. He spent 21 years at Leo Burnett in Chicago, leading client teams for brands like Coca-Cola, McDonald’s, Walmart, Morgan Stanley, Miller, Philip Morris, Exelon, Astra Zeneca and others. As an Executive Vice President at Leo Burnett, he led the agency’s corporate and brand reputation efforts, including co-founding a reputation specialty firm called Citizen² with Steve McMahon, now an integrated part of Purple. In addition to Castellanos and McMahon, they join founding partners Mark Squier, Bruce Haynes and Robin Roberts, Managing Partner for Insights, Doug Usher and Managing Partner for New England, Pat Griffin. About Purple Strategies Purple is a boutique strategy firm that brings together a unique blend of experts from the brand and political worlds to create integrated campaigns that shape opinion and inspire action. Founded in 2008, Purple was recently selected by The Washington Post as one of the “Top Workplaces for 2015.” Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the firm has nearly 100 employees including its offices in Chicago and Boston. Connect with Purple Strategies online: www.purplestrategies.com www.twitter.com/PurpleStrats www.facebook.com/PurpleStrategies .