Asheville, NC,  July 1, 2026 — Darby Communications, a leading East Coast PR and digital marketing agency for outdoor, hunting, fishing, and endurance brands, announces today three strategic promotions on its leadership team, reflecting the agency’s continued investment in its people as it approaches its 20th anniversary.

The promotions of Cory Van Auken to chief operating officer, Suzanne Hermann to vice president of Client Services, and Katie Richter to director of Outdoor PR come on the heels of significant agency growth. This growth includes continued expansion into the hunt and fish industries, a deepening of its outdoor and endurance portfolio and a recent brand refresh that reflects the agency’s evolution and maturity. 

“Along with my agency partners, Angie Robinson and Cory Van Auken, we’re excited to usher in this new leadership structure to ensure the agency is set for continued expansion and to position us to keep innovating across the outdoor, hunt, fish, and endurance industries,” says Coral Darby, Founder of Darby Communications.

  • Cory Van Auken, chief operating officer joined Darby Communications in 2018, building his career at the agency from account executive to digital marketing director to VP of Operations and Partner. In his new role as chief operating officer, he will take full ownership of the agency’s financial health, strategic planning, business development and the operational systems that keep the agency running at its best. Cory’s thirst for knowledge and innovation will continue to drive the agency’s growth and offerings across all services. 
  • Suzanne Hermann, vice president of Client Services celebrated her 10th anniversary with Darby Communications this year. Before joining the team, she spent nearly a decade as a broadcast news producer at WLOS News 13 in Asheville, NC. Drawing from that experience, Suzanne has developed expert editorial instincts and leadership qualities that have defined her career in PR at Darby Communications. As vice vresident of Client Services, she will oversee the health of client relationships across the agency, lead and mentor the client team, guide media strategy across all departments, and ensure the quality and consistency of work delivered agency-wide.
  • Katie Richter, Director of Outdoor PR, has been with Darby Communications since 2018, growing through every level of the account team from account coordinator to senior account executive to assistant media relations director. As the project manager on Darby Communications’ flagship outdoor accounts, this move into director of Outdoor PR is a natural next step for her. In her new role, she will lead the outdoor department, provide strategic oversight and senior media relations support across outdoor accounts. 

“Cory, Suzanne and Katie have each played a defining role in shaping this agency into what it is today. As we head into our 20th year, I couldn’t be prouder of this team or more confident in where we’re headed,” stated Robinson.

The agency reportes it “has grown by 20-plus precent YoY over the past three years, buoyed by its strong client and staff retention, a development-minded internal culture, service innovation, and collaborative approach. In this time, demand for cross-industry expertise has skyrocketed, with outdoor brands increasingly targeting hunt/fish audiences and hunting and fishing brands pursuing outdoor enthusiasts as a clear example. This market shift has made the agency’s deep competency across verticals a competitive differentiator. This expansion and client complexity underpin why these leadership promotions position Darby to continue innovating and growing across the outdoor, hunt, fish, and endurance industries.”