Collier Craft has both grassroots and public affairs experience. He brings to Direct Communications a unique talent and the ability to work with both corporate and public sectors, demonstrating knowledge of the goals and needs of each through his extensive media campaigns.

Collier has led successful statewide public education campaigns and has experience in grassroots campaigns, coalition building, strategic counseling, media management and public relations.

A graduate of Auburn University, Collier spent a number of years in Washington, D.C., before returning home to Alabama. Since joining Direct Communications in 2007, he has focused a majority of his career working in public affairs and communications, while also taking on the role of managing numerous grassroots campaigns.

Before joining Direct Communications in 2012, Robin DeMonia worked 25 years as a journalist in Alabama, including seven years as a state Capitol reporter and 10 years as a member of the editorial board at The Birmingham News. During her news career, she covered a number of political campaigns and wrote extensively about public policy issues at the local, state and national levels.

She was a member of the 2005 class of Leadership Birmingham and has served in a variety of volunteer leadership roles in civic, professional and nonprofit organizations. She currently serves on the board of the Disabilities Leadership Coalition of Alabama, on the advisory board of the Epilepsy Foundation of Alabama, on the Cooper Green Community Advisory Committee, and on the board of visitors of the University of Alabama College of Communications and Information Sciences. She is a graduate of the University of Alabama, where she was recognized as the Outstanding Journalism Alumna in 2017.

Jeff Emerson has worked as a communicator, political adviser and creative strategist in a career that has spanned more than 25 years from the Alabama Governor’s office to the U.S. Capitol and the Executive Office of the President of the United States.

Prior to joining Direct Communications, Jeff served as the Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for Public and Media Affairs where he developed and executed communications strategies to advance the nation’s international trade priorities.

In earlier roles, he served as Communications Director for Governor Bob Riley of Alabama and as the top communications staffer on the House Financial Services Committee in Washington, DC.  Jeff also previously worked as a Chief of Staff and Press Secretary on Capitol Hill.

Jeff received his bachelor’s degree in Journalism and Political Science from the University of Alabama.  He received the Bert Bank Distinguished Service and Achievement Award from the University in 2019.

Stephen Worley brings wide-ranging public affairs experience to Direct Communications, where he leads the firm’s Mobile, Alabama office. He has led successful political and advocacy efforts at the federal, state, and local levels and advised the White House, Congressional leadership, state and local elected officials, and major corporations on messaging and strategy.

Stephen has more than a decade of experience in the public and private sector in Washington, DC. There, he served as the Senior Director of Public Affairs for the International Franchise Association in Washington, DC, a 1400-member trade association representing some of the world’s most well-known brands. He has also held several senior roles on Capitol Hill, including as the Deputy Communications Director for the Senate Appropriations Committee under then-Chair Sen. Thad Cochran.

Prior to joining Direct Communications, Stephen was Mobile Mayor Sandy Stimpson’s Campaign Manager, where he led the incumbent’s successful reelection campaign.

Stephen is an honors graduate of the University of Mississippi, where he majored in International Studies and Spanish and was inducted into the university’s Hall of Fame. He is an active member of the Mobile Chamber, Mobile Rotary Club, the Fuse Project, and St. Ignatius Catholic Church. He lives in Mobile with his wife, Morgan, and their young daughter.

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A West Birmingham native, Adams is an honors graduate of the Alabama School of Fine Arts and a graduate of Boston University where he received both his undergraduate and Masters degrees. Adams’ deep professional career includes service as a senior healthcare strategic planner, governmental affairs and business development executive for UAB Hospital, UAB Health System and Tenet Healthcare operated Brookwood Medical Center. Adams was appointed as District Director and subsequently served as Chief of Staff to former Congressman Arthur Davis representing Alabama’s 7th Congressional District.

Adams was appointed as the youngest member to ever serve on the Birmingham City Council while representing District 8 in Western Birmingham. Adams served as the Chair of the Council’s Education Committee and advocated successfully for the permanent dedication of the city’s parks, internal administrative reforms and a celebrated City of Birmingham supported school construction initiative.

Adams was appointed as the 3rd Chief Executive Officer of the A.G. Gaston Boys & Girls Club with three facilities currently located in the cities of Birmingham and Bessemer. Under his leadership, the Club’s membership increased from approximately 500 members in 2012 to over 1,700 in 2015. He led the organization in a multi-million dollar capital campaign which resulted in the construction of the state-of-the-art Walter Howlett Clubhouse at 5 Points West.

Adams served as the Director of the Negro Southern League Museum (NSLM), where he was responsible for the management, strategic development and outreach priorities for the museum including the cultivation of partnerships with Major League Baseball, Minor League Baseball and the nationally respected Baseball non-profit, the Center for Negro League Baseball Research.

As former Chairman of the Board of Trustees for the Alabama School of Fine Arts, Adams’ civic engagement includes serving in past leadership roles on the Boards of Habitat for Humanity, Alys Stephens Center, Neighborhood Housing Services of Birmingham, Inc, City of Birmingham Industrial Development Board, Impact Alabama, WBHM 90.3 FM and Pathways. He is a graduate of both the Leadership Birmingham and Leadership Alabama programs in addition to being a recipient of numerous professional and community awards.

Frank joined the Direct Communications team in February 2024. He is a passionate advocate for the Birmingham community and as a classically trained musician, he enjoys supporting local creative art organizations and initiatives.

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Eddie Lard joined Direct Communications in 2013. He previously worked 32 years in newspapers as a reporter, assistant metro editor and editorial writer. Thirty of those years were spent at The Birmingham News, where he was a member of the editorial board for 17 years. During his career at The News, he directed reporters, supervised interns and wrote on a variety of public policy issues, including poverty, transportation, the environment and education. He wrote from the 2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver.

The University of Alabama graduate is a founding member and former president of the Birmingham Association of Black Journalists. He is a 2002 graduate of Leadership Birmingham and has served on the board of directors of the Birmingham Urban League.

Alex Perez joined Direct Communications in 2024 after nearly a decade of public relations, grassroots advocacy and communications experience in both Washington, D.C. and Nashville, Tennessee. Prior to joining the firm, Alex worked at MP&F Strategic Communications in Nashville, where he was responsible for federal, state and local communications initiatives for clients such as PhRMA, TVA, Saban Center, the Nashville Public Education Foundation and Job Corps, the Department of Labor’s nationwide residential education and job training program. 

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Alex is a native of Birmingham and graduated from Auburn University in 2015. After graduation, Alex moved to Washington, D.C. where he worked in both the public and private sectors. There, he worked for Balch and Bingham LLP and Forbes Tate Partners before moving to Capitol Hill to serve as Research Assistant for the House Natural Resources Committee, Subcommittee on Indian, Insular and Alaska Native Affairs (IIANA). During his time on IIANA, he worked on legislation related to the Indian Health Service, the debt reconstruction of the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority and numerous tribal recognition matters across the country. 

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Alex lives in Birmingham with his wife, Hannah and their two young sons, Wynn and Reese. 

Josh Bean joined Direct Communications after nearly 25 years as a newspaper reporter columnist and editor. He spent 14 years with Alabama Media Group, which publishes AL.com, The Birmingham News, The Huntsville Times and Press-Register in Mobile.

A Birmingham native, he graduated from Walker College in Jasper and the University of Alabama. In an award-winning newspaper career that included stints at The Daily Mountain Eagle in Jasper and the TimesDaily in Florence, he covered everything from state championship football games to murder trials to the BP oil spill.

Josh and his wife, Kerry, live in Gardendale and have two sons who keep them at area soccer fields on a consistent basis.

Natalie Fleming joined Direct Communications after more than two decades in journalism and the healthcare industry.

She spent almost ten years working in print media, followed by another decade in marketing, communications and public relations in the healthcare arena, specifically with hospitals and health systems across the state.

A Texas native raised in rural Etowah County, Natalie holds a bachelor’s and master’s degree in communications from the University of Alabama and a certification in healthcare quality and safety from UAB.

Natalie and her two dogs - Lucy and Dixie - reside on top of Shades Mountain in the quaint community of Bluff Park, where she participates in the Bluff Park Women’s Wiffle Ball League, and spends her extra time traveling and crafting.

William Heartsill has experience at both the federal, state and local levels where he has worked with elected officials, industry leaders, government agencies and media in developing and executing communications strategies and campaigns.

Heartsill cut his teeth in Washington D.C. where he served as press secretary for U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander, chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee ad the Senate Energy and Water Development Appropriations Subcommittee. Heartsill worked closely with national media to craft meaningful messaging to support Alexander's legislative priorities as well as communicated Alexander's work in Washington to his constituents in Tennessee.

After Alexander's retirement in 2020, Heartsill moved back home to Alabama where he served as communications director for Alabama Senate President Pro Tempore Greg Reed. In the Alabama State House Heartsill maintained steady, positive news coverage of the Senate's work, built support for key legislative priorities, worked closely with Senate members to generate positive stories in their districts, and provided strategic advice to the Pro Tem in areas of legislative and political significance.

Following his tenure in the state legislature, Heartsill gained experience in statewide campaigning through his service as communications director for Alabama Governor Kay Ivey's reelection campaign - which resulted in an overwhelming victory in the Republican Primary before he departed to join Direct Communications.

Cassandra McAboy joined the Direct Communications Mobile, AL office after working as a print and broadcast journalist, communications director, and political campaign manager.

She spent 20 years as a sports reporter for the Mobile Press-Register, focusing primarily on historically black colleges and universities, women's athletics, and Title IX. She later transitioned  to broadcast journalism as a digital content producer for WALA-FOX10 TV in Mobile. While there, she contributed to the team's newscasts, investigative team, social media, and website content.

Winning multiple Associated Press and Alabama Sportswriter Association awards as a print reporter, McAboy was also a critical part of the team responsible for bringing home an ABBY award for WALA-TV in 2016.

In 2013, she served as campaign manager for Alabama State House Representative Adline Clark, District 97.

Through her community service, she represented the University of South Alabama's women's basketball program as a Jaguar Athletic Foundation Board Member for five years while also holding a board position with Events Mobile, which is responsible for the City of Mobile's annual MoonPie Over Mobile New Year's Eve event. She has also served as president of the Gulf Coast Association of Black Journalists for over ten years.

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Amanda is a summa cum laude graduate of the University of Alabama, where she double-majored in Creative Media and Spanish. During her time in college, Amanda worked as a social media intern and video producer for several student organizations and a variety of businesses. Amanda joined the Direct Communications team in November 2021. At Direct, she specializes in assisting with social media communications and content creation for our clients.

Outside the office, Amanda enjoys traveling the U.S. with her husband, J.J., and running. She is an active member of Collectivus Church in Calera, where she serves with the youth and kids ministry.

Wil Raines is an award-winning videographer with over 17 years of news media experience in the Birmingham and Montgomery television markets.

Before joining Direct Communications, he was a photojournalist at CBS 42 Nexstar Media, creating news content for live shots, breaking news and investigative new productions. He also worked as a news photographer for WBRC Fox News, where he shot breaking news and edited content for Good Day Alabama.

Wil studied Communications at Southern Union State Community College and has won some of the most esteemed awards in the journalism profession, including the Edward R. Murrow Award, AP Award for Breaking News, and a Green Eyeshade Award. Raines has also received an Emmy nomination for his work on Stolen Valor. 

Outside of work, he enjoys spending time with his son, River.

Whitney joins Direct Communications as the Office Manager, where she handles the Accounting, Administrative, and day-to-day operations of the office. She brings more than 15 years of administrative experience from a diverse background, ranging all the way from manufacturing and finance to healthcare and non-profit work. She graduated cum laude from the University of Alabama with a degree in Communication and Information Sciences.

Whitney spends most of her free time juggling the activities of three school-age children alongside her husband, Ben.

Rick Heartsill is the founder and senior strategist of Direct Communications.

Rick has served as a counselor to numerous corporate and education executives as well as leading Republican, Democrat, and Independent elected officials for more than 35 years. His work at the state level has extended from Virginia to Texas.

Prior to founding the company in 1991, Rick served in Washington, D.C., as press secretary to Congressman Bill Nichols. In this role he worked on a daily basis with key national and international publications such as the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Associated Press, the Wall Street Journal, the Atlanta Journal Constitution and many others. In this capacity, he traveled internationally with an emphasis on issues related to national defense. Rick also served as chief of staff to Congressman Sonny Callahan. He managed all political, communications, and legislative aspects of the office as well as work on the House Energy and Commerce Committee while in this position.

Before moving to Washington, D. C., Rick worked for six years in radio and television news. He and his wife, Kelli, are the proud parents of three grown boys. When not working, Rick enjoys time at his farm and the mountains of Highlands, North Carolina.