Amanda Karfakis

Current

President/CEO at Vitamin
Committee Member at SMPS Chesapeake
Board Member at American Diabetes Association

Past

Director of Public Relations at Planit
Director of Public Relations at Gr8
Marketing Associate at McCormick & Company

Education

Towson University
Universidad de Sevilla

Recommended

5 people have recommended Amanda

Connections

281 connections

Industry

Marketing and Advertising

Websites

My Firm on Face Book

Amanda Karfakis’s Summary

Most PR professionals break into the business after college. Amanda Karfakis got her first break at age 10. Born to a family of Greek immigrants, Amanda grew up in the public eye. She ran the cash register in 5th grade. During her teens, she mastered the art of communicating with the public. Interacting with hundreds of people daily, she found she had magnetism, a knack for making a diversity of people feel comfortable.

After graduating from college, she landed at one of the nation's top 100 design firms, Gr8. Through a fluke of events, including the sudden resignation of direct supervisor, Amanda found herself in charge of Gr8's corporate communications. She was called before Gr8's CEO and told, "You're it, kid. If you want it, you can take over this department and make it happen."

Four months out of college, Amanda was promoted to Gr8's director of PR. There, she managed a department that weathered the firm's tremendous growth and slow collapse. While Gr8 prospered, she worked for local and national accounts. As Gr8 slowly unraveled (and jilted workers took their stories to the press), Amanda gained invaluable crisis communications experience. When Gr8 closed shop in '01, she moved on to Planit. There, she launched and managed the PR department, overseeing its growth into a highly profitable enterprise within her four-year managership.

Today, Amanda has over 15 years' experience in marketing-PR. As Vitamin's president/CEO, she delivers proven business and media savvy to the firm's growing list of clients. "We typically collaborate with clients on more than just marketing programs," she says. "True strength in brand can only be achieved when all functions of a business work together...and properly. We believe in establishing and implementing the best strategies - general business, marketing, or otherwise - to help our clients achieve unparalleled success."