Meet Agnes Stevens, a one-of-a-kind RLF colleague who serves as Vice President and head of RLF’s business to consumer practice group, known for her infectious energy, flair for encouragement and genuine dedication to mentoring junior colleagues at RLF. Her signature optimism, typically heard in her trademark phrase, “We are doing GREAT work for clients!”, and her selflessness in spotlighting achievements of her fellow RLF co-workers makes her a standout presence on our team. 

If you’ve ever gotten into a quick chat with Agnes, you know that those five minutes can easily stretch into a half hour of laughter, industry insights and unexpected wisdom on her vast knowledge of the public relations and communications field. As one of the mentors in RLF’s mentor program, she guides colleagues, helping them grow while providing support for their personal career goals. Thoughtful, endlessly supportive and fascinating, Agnes isn’t just a colleague or Vice President at RLF—she’s the glue who makes our work environment feel more energized for clients every day. Read below to get to know more about Agnes—the vibrant and encouraging force behind some of RLF’s most thoughtful PR strategies. 

What three words would you use to describe yourself as a PR professional?
Thorough, client-focused and engaged.  

What keeps you drawn to and interested in the PR industry?
The industry itself is a way for me to learn a lot about a lot of different things. It gives me permission to get to know our clients’ worlds in ways that I wouldn’t have if I were not doing public relations. It’s like being a reporter—you have permission to ask questions, dig in and really understand. 

 If you could tell your younger self just starting your career one piece of advice, what would it be? 
Working for daily papers, a big corporation, a PR firm, a state agency, and doing personal consulting was a great training ground for me. I didn’t intentionally set the course that I’m on, but it’s been a good one. I would tell my younger self to learn as much as you can in whatever job you’re in because every experience you have is going to be beneficial to you in some way.  

 How have you seen PR change/adapt since you’ve been in the industry? How has RLF changed with it?
I’ve been in the industry for a long time, and I‘ve seen technology change substantially. When I first started working in communications, I was working at a daily paper that still used a manual typewriter. The actual tools I use to do my work have changed dramatically, but the core of the work is the same: being accurate, being timely, being respectful of the people that you are working with—whether it’s a client or a colleague—meeting deadlines and asking the questions that’ll lead to an interesting story, whether that is a story that you’re writing as a journalist or an award nomination you’re putting together for a client.  

 What’s your best tip or trick to keep up with the busy pace of working at a PR agency that often involves juggling multiple projects at the same time?
The most important thing is to look ahead of where you are and see where you need to be; and build your to-do list to accommodate not only today’s deadlines, but also tomorrow’s. 

 How do you stay current with trends and shifts in the PR and media landscape?
I might not read an article all the way through, but I scan a lot of headlines and check the leads of a whole lot of different things whether it’s mainstream news or social media—all of that is relevant because no matter if I’m reading it on LinkedIn, The New York Times, or WRAL, my clients likely are too. I want to be current, and I think it’s also useful for me, and certainly for RLF, to be involved in industry organizations like Worldcom PR Group and PRSA. Hearing the highlights from people who may have gone to a seminar or presented at a conference are helpful to me as well.  

What professional accomplishment, big or small, are you proud of? Why?
I’ve been very fortunate in my career. I was an English major in college, and I thought I would be a teacher or a professor. But starting out of college I ended up as a reporter. And I had to learn how to really be a reporter on the job.  

After I’d been doing reporting for a couple of years, a position as one of the editor roles opened. I didn’t get it. Afterward, I spoke with the editor and asked how to better position myself so that next time a role pops up, I’m the clear candidate. And that’s what happened—I got the role the second time. I didn’t even know how to be an editor, but I quickly learned. Mainly, I was doing the basic tasks such as deciding which stories need to go where, choosing headlines for stories, keeping track of what the layout of the page is, etc.  

From that job, I went on to work for one of the big banks in Charlotte—even though I’d never worked in corporate America at all, and I ended up staying there long enough to make it from an entry-level position to VP in corporate communications. After that, I went to work for a PR agency in Raleigh and then did some personal consulting such as part-time communications work for the ABC Commission, which later grew into a full-time job. I guess the takeaway is that I am proud of all of these career milestones, and there’s not one in particular that’s more significant than the other. But I think it gets back to what I noted before about paying attention, learning and adapting in whatever landscape you’re in because that will translate to your next role.  

How do you see the PR/communications industry evolving in the next 5-10 years?
I think the industry is in a really good position right now because the catalyst of AI is creating a real demand for credible information on a variety of platforms. So, I think compared to more traditional public relations, the AI dynamic is creating an urgency for public relations to be more robust than ever.  

 You are pretty active in the Raleigh community—could you tell me more about ways you get involved? In what ways do your strong communication skills shine here?
I am and always have been active in my community whether that’s in Raleigh, Charlotte or elsewhere. I like giving back, and I like being able to do work that makes a difference. For my neighborhood, I’ve been involved with our local neighborhood organization, the Society for Preservation of Historic Oakwood for a number of years; I served as communications chair and also served on the board in years past.  

At Christ Church, I have been active on several committees and led a few of them as well. Again, the communications skills have been something that I leaned on for those endeavors. I enjoy being engaged with the communities that are important to me, and I’ll always use communications when I’m in a volunteer capacity. It doesn’t necessarily mean that I’m going to draft your newsletter for you, but I can help pull together talking points and figure out what the right strategic approach is to get to a goal.  

As a member of RLF’s Leadership team and head of our business to consumer practice group, how would you describe your leadership style?
I feel as though I am a collaborative leader. I understand that the responsibility is something that might have my name attached to it, but all the great ideas are not coming from me; they’re coming from the collective experiences of everyone within the organization and on the team. 

 You are a key mentor among the mentor program operating within RLF. How do you approach conversations with mentees, and what have you learned in the process of being a mentor? 
I really like being a mentor. I enjoy hearing from colleagues who are early in their careers and what their specific priorities are. I also enjoy brainstorming with colleagues on some ways to get to point A a little bit faster, depending on what they want to do in their careers. One of the things that’s been most helpful to me was when I became aware that no one else is in charge of my career except for me. That said, it’s important for me to make sure that my colleagues and junior colleagues understand that they are empowered in their careers and helping them in any way is really important to me.  

 Are you seeking a PR agency in Raleigh, a PR agency in Charlotte or a PR agency in Greensboro? RLF Communications is highly respected, award-winning PR agency with teams in all three markets, serving clients throughout the state, across the country and globally as a Worldcom partner.  

This series, Meet the PR Experts of RLF Communications, showcases the people who make our work possible. To learn more about how our experienced team of award-winning journalists and storytellers, corporate communications executives and public policy veterans can help you achieve your business goals, drop us a note.