RALEIGH, N.C. (Jan. 26, 2026) — French/West/Vaughan (FWV), one of the nation’s most highly decorated independent public relations, advertising and digital media agencies, today announced the addition of six new employees across its account service, social media and paid media teams.
FWV welcomed Roxy Garrity and Karah Smith as Account Supervisors. A graduate of the University of Florida, Garrity earned a Bachelor of Science in Telecommunications News and spent several years as a TV reporter, anchor and meteorologist. She later worked as a creative producer in digital media in New York City before transitioning to a focus on health tech public relations. At FWV, Garrity supports clients across a range of verticals, including consumer brands, as well as local municipalities and economic development initiatives.
Smith helps bring integrated, 360-degree campaigns to life for FWV’s roster of global brands. After earning her undergraduate degree in public relations from Appalachian State University, she went on to receive a master’s degree in business and branding from the VCU Brandcenter. Smith began her career at Terri & Sandy, McCann New York and McKinney, where she worked on brands including Popeyes, Ad Council and Citizen Watch. At FWV, Smith supports clients across the spirits industry, as well as a range of other public and private organizations.
Katie Davidson joins FWV as a Senior Account Executive. She supports clients through media relations, influencer partnerships and brand storytelling, bringing more than six years of agency experience leading media outreach, product launches and event execution across national accounts. Davidson earned her Bachelor of Arts in communication and media studies from the University of North Carolina Wilmington.
As the agency’s newest Account Coordinator, JoLee Knight supports consumer and lifestyle clients. Her work includes media outreach, product seeding, influencer marketing and coverage tracking and reporting across national and regional accounts. Knight earned her Bachelor of Business Administration with a concentration in marketing from East Carolina University and holds a Master of Business Administration from ECU.
On the social media team, Katie Leiser has joined FWV as Senior Social and Influencer Marketing Manager, supporting clients across consumer goods, tourism and other sectors. Prior to FWV, Leiser was with THE rAVe Agency, where she led and executed social and influencer campaigns for clients in the audio-visual industry, blending strategic insight with creative storytelling. She earned her undergraduate degree in broadcasting from Barton College and her master’s degree in journalism from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
FWV also welcomed Emily Woollard as Paid Media Manager. She brings experience in strategic communications, public relations and marketing, with a background spanning financial services, technology startups and nonprofit organizations. Prior to joining FWV, Woollard was part of the Corporate Strategic Advisory Group at Padilla, where she focused on financial services clients. She earned a Bachelor of Science in mass communications with a concentration in public relations from Virginia Commonwealth University.
FWV employs more than 140 public relations, public affairs, social media, advertising and digital marketing experts across its Raleigh, New York City, Los Angeles and Detroit offices. To learn more about careers at FWV, visit fwv-us.com/Careers.
About French/West/Vaughan
French/West/Vaughan (FWV) is one of the nation’s leading public relations, public affairs, advertising and digital media agencies. Headquartered in Raleigh, N.C. with offices in NYC, Detroit, L.A. and Tampa, FWV has received 40 Global or National Agency of the Year honors since its founding in 1997, along with more than 1,800 PR, advertising and digital marketing awards on behalf of its global roster of blue-chip clients. FWV is the parent company of fashion and lifestyle PR firm AMP3; pet and animal health practice Fetching PR; and Prix Productions, a feature and documentary film production company. FWV is a partner in IPREX, a $508 million network of communication agencies with 1,100 staff and more than 60 offices worldwide. For more information, visit fwv-us.com or follow us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Vimeo or Instagram.
