BNO Taps Veteran Rachelle Powell for President to Helm AI-Driven Future

SOMERVILLE, NJ – April 23, 2026 – Creative and brand experience agency Baldwin & Obenauf, Inc. (BNO) today announced a significant leadership evolution, appointing 20-year agency veteran Rachelle Powell as its new President. The move signals a strategic pivot to deepen its expertise in emerging technologies, particularly artificial intelligence, as it positions itself for its next phase of growth.

The transition sees former President Trista Walker, CCXP, depart to pursue new opportunities after a tenure marked by substantial growth and innovation. Powell’s appointment is part of a broader expansion of the executive team, which collectively holds 75 years of leadership experience within the agency, underscoring a strategy that blends institutional knowledge with a forward-looking vision.

A New Era of Leadership

Rachelle Powell’s journey to the presidency is a testament to her deep-rooted history and impact at BNO. Having joined the firm in 2005 as an account executive, she has steadily risen through the ranks, most recently serving as Senior Vice President of Client Engagement and Strategy. Over two decades, she has been a central figure in cultivating key client relationships and delivering impactful campaigns for global brands including Johnson & Johnson, Verizon, and Bristol Myers Squibb.

Known for a collaborative leadership style, Powell will now assume responsibility for the agency’s overall strategic direction, client partnerships, and the continued advancement of its service capabilities. Her vision is firmly focused on navigating the complexities of the modern marketing landscape.

“BNO has always been grounded in a clear mission—to help the world’s most important brands succeed—and that continues to guide everything we do,” said Powell. “I’ve had the privilege of working closely with Trista over many years, alongside our leadership team, to help shape the agency’s evolution, and I’m proud of the foundation we’ve built together. As we look ahead, our focus is on continuing to deliver for our clients in meaningful ways—bringing together creativity, strategy, and emerging capabilities, including AI-driven solutions, to help them stay ahead of what’s next in an increasingly complex and fast-moving landscape.”

Building on a Foundation of Growth

The leadership transition follows a period of significant transformation under Trista Walker, who was approaching her tenth anniversary with the agency. During her tenure, BNO achieved double-digit growth, expanded its staff by 30% through the pandemic, and acquired the creative marketing and PR agency Garfield Group. Walker's leadership was instrumental in introducing proprietary agency offerings designed to sharpen its competitive edge.

Joanne Obenauf, BNO’s Founder and Chair of the Board, acknowledged Walker's impact. “On behalf of the Board and the entire BNO team, we thank Trista for her leadership and many contributions,” she stated. “She has helped guide BNO through significant growth and we are grateful for the impact she has made on the agency and its people.”

Walker expressed confidence in the agency's new direction. “Leading BNO has been a tremendous honor. I’m proud of what we’ve accomplished together and confident in the leadership team and the agency’s future,” she added.

The AI Imperative: Decoding the Alphachannel

Central to BNO’s future strategy is a deepened focus on artificial intelligence, crystallized in its proprietary “Alphachannel Marketing Services.” This initiative is a direct response to a market where AI algorithms, search assistants, and recommendation engines increasingly act as intermediaries between brands and consumers. The agency’s flagship tool, Alpha Signal, was developed to address this shift.

Alpha Signal is an assessment tool designed to evaluate a brand’s “alphachannel readiness.” It helps clients identify critical gaps in their AI visibility and authority, ensuring they are discoverable and accurately represented in an AI-mediated world. The service combines creative strategy with what BNO calls “AI fluency”—a methodology focused on structuring data for machine comprehension, crafting content that is both machine-readable and emotionally resonant, and developing strategies for conversational search and voice experiences.

This focus aligns with broader industry trends where AI is no longer a peripheral tool but a core component of marketing strategy, enabling hyper-personalization and predictive analytics. By helping brands decode how AI perceives them, BNO aims to build a durable competitive advantage for its clients as AI's role in consumer discovery becomes universal. This is complemented by ACXelerate™, a design thinking process also introduced in recent years to foster client-centric innovation.

Deep Expertise for Complex Industries

For over four decades, BNO has built its reputation by serving brands in highly regulated and complex sectors, including healthcare, pharmaceuticals, financial services, and telecommunications. The agency’s strengthened leadership and technological focus are designed to enhance its ability to navigate these challenging environments, where compliant messaging and deep subject-matter expertise are paramount.

This expertise is evident in its long-standing client work. For Johnson & Johnson, a partner for 40 years, BNO has worked on major initiatives like the “Be Vital” campaign and created content for the CES launch of the “Nod” digital baby sleep coach app. For Verizon, the agency developed the “power to go beyond” global employer brand, a multi-channel campaign designed to attract diverse talent by crafting an authentic narrative based on extensive internal research.

By combining this legacy of strategic brand building with new AI-driven tools, BNO aims to deliver integrated solutions that are not only creative and compliant but also optimized for the next generation of digital interaction.

A Strengthened Bench for Future Challenges

To support Powell and execute this forward-looking strategy, BNO has also elevated several key leaders to its executive team. Ryan Obenauf has been named Executive Vice President, Human Resources & Finance; Abey Abraham has been named Executive Vice President, Operations; and George Jackus has been named Executive Vice President, Creative. This team represents a deep bench of experience, with a shared commitment to client service and operational excellence.

The appointments reflect a strategy of promoting from within, ensuring continuity of culture and client knowledge while empowering a new generation of leaders to drive innovation. With this fortified team, BNO is poised to navigate the evolving demands of the market and continue its mission of helping the world's most important brands succeed in an increasingly intricate landscape.