Public relations built on relationships, experience and trust.

Founded in 2012, East River PR & Marketing has grown under Katie Shaffer’s leadership into a respected communications firm serving public agencies, nonprofits, and brands throughout the Tahoe Basin and beyond. With more than 30 years of experience in strategic communications, publishing, and marketing, Katie directs complex outreach and engagement initiatives that align partner goals with community priorities and deliver measurable results.

A former journalist and columnist, Katie began her career in New York’s magazine industry, held editorial roles with a Bay Area textbook company, and directed the marketing department for a scholarly book publisher. As a director at Switchback PR + Marketing, she led regional accounts in real estate, tourism, and conservation. She founded East River PR to connect creative strategy with practical implementation—building a lean, senior-level team supported by a trusted network of specialized partners.

Katie’s work has earned multiple Silver Spike Awards from the Public Relations Society of America, Sierra Nevada Chapter. She serves as a director on the Truckee Chamber of Commerce board, chairs the Chamber's government action committee and also chairs the marketing committee for the Contractors Association of Truckee Tahoe. Previously, she spent 15 years with Truckee Community Cares—two as board president—and founded Sierraville.org to advance local economic and humanitarian initiatives.

Born and raised in New Jersey, Katie earned a B.A. in English from Ohio Wesleyan University and pursued graduate studies in information sciences at Denver University. Outside of work, she and her tireless husband build homes as a side project, and she can often be found cheering on her favorite sports teams, tackling Wordle, or spending time with family, friends, and her beloved dogs.

Jenny brings 20 years of experience in luxury lifestyle, travel & tourism, sports & outdoors and hospitality PR work. Her depth of experience gives her the ability to see the big picture, note all the moving pieces and recommend a comprehensive strategy.

She has a way of looking at a story from a slightly different angle that is often the difference between getting picked up by an outlet or getting passed over. Jenny currently leads the Pure Haven Homes, Todd Gordon Mather Architect, Idaho Rocky Mountain Ranch and White Pine County, Ely, Nevada accounts. She also directs all PR initiatives that ERPR undertakes.

On a daily basis Jenny oversees and executes strategic public relations campaigns; she develops media relations strategy, manages client relations and helps to drive new business development efforts. Jenny has both agency and in-house public relations, crisis communications and marketing experience, having held positions working for The Resort at Squaw Creek, Squaw Valley/Alpine Meadows Ski Resort, Tahoe Donner and Switchback PR + Marketing, Inc. Her diverse experience enables her to coordinate complex campaigns and handle a wide range of communications challenges.

Jenny earned a B.A. in Environmental Studies at University of California, Santa Barbara. She is a passionate student of yoga and also enjoys running, skiing and simply experiencing the wonders of the great outdoors with her young son, Will and her husband Mark. She currently anchors our Park City, Utah satellite office.

Will works on multiple fronts for ERPR, using his creativity, drive and leadership to implement multi-channel marketing strategies for our clients as well as spearhead new business development for the firm.

Will is an expert in all forms of communications, including email marketing, social media account management, digital marketing campaigns, brochure creation, brand voice development and implementation as well as award submissions and multimedia editing projects. He also has excellent rapport building skills, working closely with clients to figure out “their story” and then deciding on the best way to tell that story across different channels.

Will spent over a decade as a producer and editor in the highly competitive Boston news market working for FOX, CBS and NBC affiliates. He then became the creative services and digital promotions lead for Fox, leading the station to earn the mantle of #1 late newscast in Boston. As an adjunct professor, Will also taught a variety of journalism courses at Emerson College.

Will holds a Master’s Degree in Integrated Journalism from Emerson College and a Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. He lives in Truckee with his wife Lauren and their two sons. Will is also an accomplished musician who spends his free time performing solo or with his band.

Kelsi serves as executive assistant to the CEO, acting as the operations heart of our firm. She uses her exceptional communication and customer service skills to set the foundation for her work which includes building genuine, meaningful relationships with clients.

With a background in real estate and customer service, Kelsi has the ability to listen attentively and uses her sharp attention to detail to deliver on internal and clients needs. From conducting research to pulling lists for direct mail and digital paid campaigns, Kelsi is East River’s reliable utility player.

Kelsi earned her Bachelor’s degree in Communication Studies with a minor in Journalism from the University of Nevada, Reno. She also played collegiate soccer. When she’s off the clock she enjoys spending time with her family, baking and the outdoors.

Mike Daniel is a visionary in the world of visual design, with roots tracing back to his work with dynamic San Francisco based agencies where he made his mark from 2004 to 2009. During this period, he led accounts for renowned brands such as Adidas, Sprite and various verticals in automotive, action sports and lifestyle sectors, cementing his reputation as a creative force.

In 2009, driven by a desire to carve his own path, Mike founded Bunkhouse Collective, a small design boutique committed to pushing the boundaries of creativity. Since its inception, Bunkhouse Collective has been a beacon for clients seeking innovative design solutions. Mike's leadership has attracted a diverse array of retained clients, and his passion for innovation has led him to explore markets hungry for digital transformation.

With a keen eye for aesthetics, Mike continues to shape the visual landscape, push boundaries and inspire creativity.

Ben expertly spearheads the backend development work required to build and launch numerous Wordpress and HTML website projects.

He has worked as an interactive producer for over fifteen years with clients ranging from film production to science museums. The recognition for his work is equally diverse, including a Webby Award nomination and Golden Trailer Award. Ben is also a multi-talented visual storyteller, the director of short form branded and festival-circuit narrative work and a creator of written and visual content for web, social media and other platforms.

When not producing digital content, Ben can be found camping, enjoying the outdoors or often cheering on the sidelines at one of his kids’ many athletic team pursuits.

Stacy has applied a holistic approach to help businesses build sustainable strategies for more than a decade. She believes that making personal human connections is one of the most important skills in today’s business environment which is right in sync with ERPR's core values.

Stacy earned an MBA focused in sustainable business and organizational development. She puts those skills to work to make our company systems run as smoothly and efficiently as possible. In her spare time she enjoys skiing, golfing, hiking and traveling with her husband, their two sons and dog, Louie.