Named for the Watauga River – from the heart of the South, Eastern Tennessee where folks honor traditional values, people know their neighbors, and a handshake is all the contract anybody needs.

pronounced ‘wo-taw-guh’

As we have grown, our client logos have become more recognizable. But our name still reminds us of our southern roots…to do smart work but stay humble while doing what we love, and serve our clients.

Founder of Watauga Group, Leslie oversees all client and partner relationships. She began her media career at YPB&R where her passion for travel and tourism was discovered. Her experience over the years has led her to be one of our industry experts in the field, as well as expanding her expertise in industries such as Healthcare and Recruitment.

With experience ranging from Senior Vice President & Media Director for 12-years to 10-years of direct response marketing while Director at Medical Hair Restoration, Neil exceeds expectations to achieve campaigns that are best of breed and deliver outstanding returns.

Michelle has three decades of experience under her belt from managing multimillion dollar media budgets for The Home Depot and Nissan to working one on one to develop strategy and provide insight for Ruby Tuesday. She also formally led rebranding efforts of Georgia Tourism.

Jenny keeps Watauga clients and partners up to speed on all things digital, breaking down platforms and processes so they are easy to understand. She has helped develop strategic media plans for clients across several industries, including Sports & Outdoors, Travel and Entertainment.

Melonie has a unique understanding of what clients need as she was once the client herself. She joined the Watauga Group in January 2017 after 17 years on the media and account service teams at Luckie. Prior to agency life, she spent several years working in the marketing and advertising departments of Alabama Power Company.

Ryan joined Watauga Group in May of 2014 and has more than 12-years of digital media and marketing experience. Ryan oversees our team of programmatic specialists, which includes managing all paid search, social and display platforms. He has helped our team grow into a Google Premier Partner, as well as continue to stay on top of the latest trends and technology in the ever-changing digital space.