MEET THE TORCHLIGHT TEAM
What makes TorchLight one of the Washington, D.C. region’s leading marketing and communications recruiting firms? Our people.
- TorchLight Hire
- TorchLight Marketing
- Both
Heidi Parsont
CEO and Founder
Heidi started her own firm in order to focus on that which she loves most: matching top talent with the right employer to create a rewarding, long-term relationship. In fact, she built her reputation on it. Prior to founding TorchLight, Heidi worked at Melcrum, an internal communications consulting firm. There, she built a client base that included more than 300 of the Fortune 1000 companies, significantly increasing the company’s market penetration for a newly-developed research platform.
As director/vice president of McKinley Marketing Partners, Heidi worked with senior marketing, communications and PR professionals to fill more than 150 positions. Prior to McKinley, Heidi led the sales and client relations team at National Journal Group, an Atlantic Media Company.
Heidi holds a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations from Colgate University and a Master of Business Administration from Georgetown University. Actively involved in the local community, she currently serves on the board of United Community, a leading human services nonprofit agency in Northern Virginia. Heidi’s love of travel has led to her living in 3 continents besides the US -South America, Europe and Asia!
Heidi@TorchLightHire.com
Cherie Johnson
Senior Vice President, Managing Director
Cherie brings over 20 years of dynamic experience as a marketing and media executive, celebrated for her ability to blend strategic insight with creative flair. Starting her career in Los Angeles, she collaborated with industry giants like NBCUniversal, Facebook, and Netflix before bringing her expertise to Boston a few years ago.
Cherie’s career highlights include pioneering initiatives such as launching Facebook Live in Times Square and orchestrating the world’s largest “Friends” finale event at Universal Studios. Her innovative campaigns, like the “Despicable Me 2” blimp at the Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards, have consistently generated significant media buzz and brand impact.
In addition to her professional achievements, Cherie is an artist who finds inspiration in painting and writing. She cherishes time with her husband, children, two dogs, and two cats. Known for her dedication to client success, Cherie keeps a small notebook handy at all times, jotting down competitive insights and creative ideas that benefit her clients.
Julie Lowe
Chief Culture Officer
Julie has a knack for building strong internal cultures as well as candidate and client partnerships. Not only can she design and deliver an impeccable employee experience – she’s made it a daily practice. Julie began her 20-year career working in the hospitality industry. It was there that Julie found her passion for working with people to build their careers and grow the organization. This passion led her to work with a wide range of employers in a variety of industries from food service to government contractors, military branches, and many others.
Julie holds a Bachelor of Arts in Public Relations/Journalism, with a minor in Psychology, from California State University, Long Beach. She is passionate about LGBTQ+ rights as well as the rights of individuals with disabilities and shares her time and talent to support these issues. She enjoys remote work living where she can spend time with her family by the pool at her new home in St. Louis.
Stephanie Ranno
Senior Vice President, Growth
As Vice President of Growth, Stephanie is dedicated to supporting marketing leaders and their work – either with team building, contract resources, or marketing services
Prior to joining TorchLight, Stephanie served as Managing Director of SHIFT Recruiting and Strategic Account Manager of Profiles. Stephanie holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in history and a minor in theatre production and performance from Lynchburg College.
Stephanie cares deeply about access to meaningful work for all who seek it. With three children, two of whom are neurodivergent, she wants a work world ready for them and their beautiful gifts and unique challenges.
A prolific spirit at heart, one of her creative outputs is her daily LinkedIn post where she shares insights from her many years in the staffing industry. Stephanie is also an accomplished community actor and familiar face to Baltimore residents, having appeared in around 70 musical and dramatic theatre performances over the years!
Susan Mullin
Vice President, Operations
Susan is not only a maven of math and savvy with technology – she’s also a master of all things operational. As Vice President of Operations, Sue deftly oversees finance, human resources, analytics and systems for TorchLight Hire and TorchLight Marketing.
Susan started her career in the actuarial practice of Willis Towers Watson – Boston, designing and valuing retirement plan alternatives for large companies and non-profits. At the Arlington office of Towers Watson, she focused on benefit pension plan administration before heading to Atlantic Media Company, where she served as director of compensation and benefits. Susan holds a Bachelor of Arts in mathematics from Colgate University.
With a son to keep up with, “spare time” is a luxury in Susan’s world. However, that doesn’t stop her from dreaming of foreign travel — a passion that was ignited in college when she taught English abroad for two years in Japan and in the former Czechoslovakia.
Diana Gardner
Senior Account Director
With more than two decades of strategic marketing and communications experience, Diana Gardner is deeply passionate about creating an inclusive and intentional experience in the recruiting process.
Having served on both the agency and client side of the house, Diana has successfully led award-winning omnichannel campaigns for start-up brands and household names across the B2C, B2B, B2G and nonprofit sectors.
Before joining TorchLight, Diana was VP of Client Development for a communications and fundraising agency, where she oversaw client leadership and development for enterprise accounts.
Diana holds a BA in Advertising and Public Relations from the University of Central Florida and a MS from Florida State University. A Yacht Rock enthusiast and self-described gym rat, Diana lives for college football, Caymus Cabernet, and all things vinyl. She lives in Alexandria, Virginia with her husband of 25 years, teenage daughter, and two goofy golden retrievers.
Danielle Harvey
Senior Recruiter
Danielle comes to TorchLight with experience in the Human Resources field with a focus on talent development and talent acquisition. Danielle prides herself on her ability to build lasting relationships with candidates and really enjoys taking the time to get to know them.
Her passion for working with others is a big part of why she likes her job – it allows her to meet new people and forge new relationships daily! A native of East Tennessee, she grew up in and currently resides in its “sweetest” city: Sweetwater. She graduated with a bachelor’s degree from East Tennessee State University (Go Bucs!) and shortly after that, graduated from Tusculum University with a master’s degree in Talent Development.
Danielle is passionate about climate change and protecting endangered species. She’s such an animal lover that she currently has three cats and two dogs and would have more if she had the space!
Kim Trucano
Director, HR & Benefits
Kim strives to make the human resources experience a positive one for each job candidate and employee as she manages benefit and payroll activities for TorchLight Hire.
Kim started off in a different recruiting world, working in admissions for Georgetown University’s Master of Science in Foreign Service program before serving as the Admissions Director for American University’s School of International Service. While heading up the admissions department at Envision, a company that sponsors youth leadership development programs, Kim made the move to the human resources team, which launched a new career path. From there, she became the Benefits Manager at Atlantic Media, confirming how much she enjoyed working in the field of benefits.
Born and raised outside of Rochester, New York, where the winters are long and bitter, Kim thoroughly appreciates the brief, mild winters in the DC area. She also values living in a metropolitan area that has plenty of green space.
Kim holds a Bachelor of Arts in French literature and East Asian studies from Colgate University. In her free time, you can find Kim in the kitchen baking, spending time with her family, or trying to get her strong-willed French Bulldogs to walk around the block.
Amy Tsuchitani
Senior Account Director
Amy is able to connect with clients and candidates through their shared professional experiences. An accomplished marketer with 17 years of experience, Amy’s insider perspective on the marketing industry lends a unique, supporting element to the recruiting process.
Amy started her career as a marketing coordinator for two of the biggest names in the sports marketing business: IMG (International Management Group) and Octagon Athlete Representation. Later Amy became a regional marketing manager with Mercedes-Benz USA (MBUSA), where she managed the regional events and partnerships program.
Following MBUSA, Amy joined The Atlantic Media Company as a senior marketing manager. There she had the opportunity to work on custom event and marketing programs for premier clients like Pfizer, Booz Allen Hamilton and more.
Amy holds a Bachelor of Business Administration in Marketing from James Madison University. She cares deeply about her community and is involved in pet adoption, food insecurity, and health and wellness.
Shana Fitch
Senior Director Media & Client Development
With over 20 years of expertise in crafting high-impact, omni-channel media strategies, Shana is a leader in driving digital sales and exceptional revenue growth. Her approach begins with in-depth customer research, forming the foundation for media strategy that intelligently combines most trusted and heavily consumed media solutions that drive revenue, ROAS, and brand growth.
A veteran in digital media, Shana has spent the last decade with TorchLight Marketing (formerly Big Lens), honing her skills in media planning and buying across digital, out-of-home, and emerging channels. She is well-versed in paid social, paid search (Google Search Certified), and programmatic strategies. Her work spans B2B and B2C clients, where she is known for precise focus on business goals leveraging deep direct response, customer experience, and machine learning expertise.
Shana is also a passionate advocate for empowering kids through sport. As an entrepreneur and former USA Triathlon certified coach, she founded Palmetto TRIbe, the first high-performance triathlon team for kids in South Carolina. After seven successful seasons, she sold the business in 2024, and the team continues to thrive today. Originally from Northern VA/D.C., she now calls Charleston, SC, home.
#EyesUpWingsOut
Diana Gardner
Executive Client Development Partner
With more than two decades of strategic marketing and communications experience, Diana Gardner is deeply passionate about creating an inclusive and intentional experience in the recruiting process.
Having served on both the agency and client side of the house, Diana has successfully led award-winning omnichannel campaigns for start-up brands and household names across the B2C, B2B, B2G and nonprofit sectors.
Before joining TorchLight, Diana was VP of Client Development for a communications and fundraising agency, where she oversaw client leadership and development for enterprise accounts.
Diana holds a BA in Advertising and Public Relations from the University of Central Florida and a MS from Florida State University. A Yacht Rock enthusiast and self-described gym rat, Diana lives for college football, Caymus Cabernet, and all things vinyl. She lives in Alexandria, Virginia with her husband of 25 years, teenage daughter, and two goofy golden retrievers.
Caitlin Grogan
Associate Media Manager
A graduate of Bucknell, Caitlin began as an intern with TorchLight Marketing. In August of 2022 she was brought on as a full-time employee and has helped to support clients such as Grafik, ACE Fitness, and Intelsat, mainly in paid social and programmatic work.
Clients rely on Caitlin to stay on top of the details for their paid media programs – to make sure nothing slips through the cracks. She prides herself on this attention to detail, her organizational skills, and her ability to anticipate their needs before they do.
In her free time Caitlin loves to clean and organize! She is notorious for moving everything around when she cleans so that everyone is always asking her “Where did you put my (fill in the blank) now?!”
Cortland Butterfield
Paid Search Manager
Cortland is an SEM expert with a career dedicated to achieving standout results for his clients. With a strong analytical foundation, he excels in campaign optimization, focusing on lead generation and customer acquisition. His proficiency with major platforms like Google Ads and Microsoft Advertising allows him to manage both large and small media investments with precision and efficiency.
Known for his innovative approach, Cortland has spearheaded the development and implementation of new YouTube and Local Service Ads products at previous agencies. His efforts have consistently helped clients exceed ROAS objectives and uncover new avenues for success.
Rooted in the greater Philadelphia area, Cortland enjoys life with his family—including his wife, kids, and dog. He is an avid Philadelphia sports enthusiast (Go Birds!), he also has a passion for cooking and exploring new recipes. Currently, he’s on a personal mission to perfect the best New York-style pizza dough in his hometown.
Beth Wallace
Founder, TorchLight Marketing
As a founder of TorchLight Marketing (formerly Big Lens), Beth revolutionized the digital marketing landscape with her expertise in marketing and paid media. After a successful career that began in traditional media and included pioneering digital strategies at AOL, Beth transitioned to nonprofit work before establishing Big Lens in 2011. Specializing in programmatic advertising, paid social, paid search, and direct buys, Beth built the company on principles of exceptional service and transparency.
Now retired from day-to-day operations, Beth continues to contribute her wealth of knowledge and experience as a consultant. Clients value her commitment to measurable results and appreciate her personalized approach to driving success.