About Us
We are seriously intentional about not only how we work,
but who we do business with because ...
Your Business is
Personal to us
Culture
People like to do business with people that they like. While we can certainly work with a client on a project-by-project basis, we thrive in working with clients who are interested in developing relationships over time – one of mutual respect and grace. In doing so, we are able to dream together, explore new opportunities and even fail forward. We become so invested in your success that we take every win (or loss) personally.
Legacy Knowledge
Hailing from radio and print, retail, financial services, communications and digital media, when you work with Wakeen Strategies, your investment isn’t just about the research and services we can offer, but also our collective legacy knowledge as marketers who effectively leverage this experience to build a plan that tells your story to the right people at the right time and through the right media channels.
Our Passion
We believe that storytelling is a powerful way to connect brands with customers. We are intentional in discovering and communicating your story as a way that effectively engages and captivates your audience. The journey to that conversion must be purposeful and our passion is to carry you there with each stride marked with intentionality and deliberate action.
Personal Investment
Business is personal that’s why we promise to be present in every encounter and accessible when you need us. We want to be “your person.” After all, what good is the latest technology, resource, research and strategy if you can’t reach anyone when you call? How can an agency vow to bring solutions that take you to the next level if they don’t really listen?
Strategies Team
JOANNA DREXEL-BLEVINS
Chief Strategy Officer/Partner
Joanna is a strategist, innovative thinking facilitator and self-proclaimed geek. As our Chief Strategy Officer, she is continually digging into the data to uncover patterns and piece together the media puzzle for our clients. With nearly 30 years’ of experience in marketing, advertising and operations as both a client and an agency partner, she is continually leveraging resources as if every campaign was hers. From the most complex, multi-division, global clients to small business start-ups and community credit unions every project is a unique challenge that feeds her curiosity and drive for results.
After cheering from the stands for the marching band and drumline for many years , she has launched both of her children into adulthood. She and her husband Michael are now focused on raising pet therapy dogs.
CAROL FASTRICH ARANOS, MBA
VP, Strategy
Fusing 25+ years of marketing and communications experience with a superpower for strategic thinking, she brings a powerful combination to the team as the VP of Strategies for Wakeen Strategies. She’s earned many local and national awards for her marketing, communications, and volunteer endeavors. Most notably, she was selected as one of the Central Pennsylvania Business Journal’s Women of Influence.
Her positivity is infectious as she uplifts those she meets with a philosophy that anything is possible. She is devoted to her family and proud to be the wife and mother of a servicemen. As an outdoor enthusiast, she enjoys spending time traveling, hiking and camping – add in a little history and she is in her happy place.
CHRIS McCONNELL
VP, Operations
Chris started in media last century, cutting his teeth in print media both at newspaper companies and in the agency world. Fast forward to today and he’s been at Wakeen and Company as the VP of Operations for almost 5 years. He absolutely loves the culture (and the clients of course) with jellybeans coming in close behind. As a company intentionally living out the words Truth, Humility and Grace, it gives him a pathway of communication both internally and externally to do the right thing and find growth in every interaction. Outside of work, you’ll find him spending time with family, traveling or on a nearby volleyball court.
