Kevin Waetke, APR, Fellow PRSA, Treasurer
Kevin Waetke, APR, Fellow PRSA, is Associate Vice President, Corporate Marketing for Sammons Financial Group – an employee-owned financial services firm specializing in insurance, annuities, wealth management and retirement planning solutions. As the chief communications executive, he leads internal and external communication, digital strategy, and executive communication. With members of the senior leadership team, he plays a critical role to define and deliver clear and consistent messages to employees, agents and financial advisors, distribution partners, and their clients.
Prior to joining Sammons Financial Group in 2019, Waetke was vice president, strategic communications for the National Pork Board with a focus on agriculture communication and food production marketing. Before that, he led national industry and media relations for the U.S. business of U.K.-based financial services leader Aviva plc, and for Wells Fargo Home Mortgage. His primary focus is on branding and crisis and reputation management.
From Des Moines, Iowa, Waetke is a graduate of Drake University and serves on its National Advisory Council to its school of journalism. He served the past three years as co-chair of the College of Fellows GoodFellows advisor program, and also recently on the PRSA governance committee and as 2024 treasurer of the Midwest District. He has also served as treasurer of the Iowa chapter and many years on its board. Kevin completed two terms as a PRSA national board member from 2016-2019, serving on the finance committee, Sections liaison, and PRSA Foundation. He is a 2020 inductee into PRSA’s College of Fellows.
Other service and leadership positions include supporting communications for the Greater Des Moines Partnership, the Federation of Iowa Insurers and, nationally, the Insured Retirement Institute. From 2014 to 2019, Waetke was vice-chair of the U.S. Farmers and Ranchers in Action (USFRA) communications committee. His non-profit board work includes as a current board member of the Des Moines Playhouse and past chair of the Anawim Housing Foundation board. He has undergraduate and graduate degrees in Communications from Drake University, Des Moines. He and his family reside in Johnston, Iowa.
Harrell is Director of Communications for Central Arkansas Water, a metropolitan water system that serves almost 500,000 Arkansans in eight counties. She has more than 20 years of communications and marketing experience, and her many PRSA roles include serving as a member of the Board from 2020-2022 and as Secretary in 2023. She has contributed to committees and task forces that support PRSSA students and PRSA’s annual conference. Harrell has also been Chair and Director of the Southwest District and President of the Arkansas Chapter.
Prior to Central Arkansas Water, Harrell was vice president and communicators director of the Private Wealth Management division at Stephens, one of the largest, privately held independent investment firms off of Wall Street as well as director of marketing and business development at Rose Law Firm, the oldest law firm west of the Mississippi River. She also spent nearly eight years working for two of Arkansas’s top advertising agencies.