Leadership

Frank leads our efforts to attract, nurture and retain the very best talent in our business to deliver world-class results for our clients.

He founded August Jackson in Washington, DC in 2003. Under his leadership, the agency has created and produced hundreds of events and campaigns across the United States and in more than 20 countries.

He grew up on the account side of the agency business, both domestically and in Asia Pacific. He earned a BA in Journalism and an MBA from The University of North Carolina.

In 2006, Frank started the August Jackson Foundation to create a stewardship role in the communities where AJ’s employees live and work through causes related to the arts, education and the environment. In 2009, he founded AJ Venture Brand to provide brand identity services for venture-backed companies.

Frank is also the Chairman of Hosts Destination Services, LLC, which owns and operates Destination Management Companies (DMCs) in Chicago, Las Vegas, New Orleans and Washington, DC and provides representation services to more than 40 independently owned DMC’s worldwide through the Hosts Global Alliance. 

He is a member of the Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO) and serves on the foundation boards of the College of Arts and Sciences and the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at The University of North Carolina.

Bill leads August Jackson’s Chicago and Lake Bluff offices. He was invited to become a partner in 2007.

Bill brings nearly 30 years of experience helping Fortune 500 companies communicate to their most important audiences. He has played an invaluable role in expanding AJ’s Chicago-area presence by building, guiding and actively leading the teams that create great work for our clients.

Before joining August Jackson, Bill held a management position at a national production company, where he streamlined operations and brought new capabilities to the organization. He spent a significant portion of his career at a global marketing communications agency in a number of executive positions, including leadership of the Chicago and Minneapolis operations. He began his career as an award-winning executive producer, managing projects for some of the world’s largest companies.

Bill holds a B.A. from the University of Missouri and a M.A. from Northwestern University, where he helped corrupt young lives as a teaching assistant. He lives in Oak Park with his wife and three children. In his free time, Bill can be found channeling his inner-rock drummer, pounding out beats for an area rock band. Despite what his kids say, he still has (most of) his hearing.

Mike McDonald is August Jackson’s chief client advocate. He is the high-level catalyst for much of the provocative thinking we do for our clients. He is also the steward of the August Jackson brand and our primary global ambassador. Mike became a partner of August Jackson in 2005.

For over 20 years, Mike has managed client relationships with some of the largest and most prestigious companies in the world. Mike adds value and insight across a spectrum of client needs, with particular expertise around engaging internal communities in strategic business priorities.

His passions include reading The New York Times, drinking French wine and listening to the music of Tom Waits, often simultaneously.

Lisa leads the creative and production disciplines in our Washington, DC office. She was invited to become a partner of August Jackson in 2005.

Lisa joined AJ as the head of our production practice and has played an integral role in developing the processes, people and culture that have propelled the agency’s success.

An Emmy Award-winning production executive with 25 years of communications industry experience, Lisa has worked in dozens of locations in Europe, South America, Asia and across the U.S. Her previous professional experience includes management positions in a leading global public relations agency, a worldwide marketing communications firm, and broadcast operations for sports and news television.

Lisa earned a B.S. from the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University, was married in Spain and lives in DC. She enjoys yoga, gardening, skiing and seeing the world from the back of a Harley.