Higher Education
About Us
Who We Are, What We Do & Why We Do It
Our Mission
At Pepperland, everything we do is driven by our core values of curiosity, creativity, innovation, integrity, passion, and persistence—qualities that form the bedrock of our team, our culture, and the work we do. These qualities enable us to work towards our mission of empowering our clients to take ownership over their sales and marketing efforts.
Our Core Values
Here at Pepperland, everything that we do is informed and guided by the following core values:
Growth: As a marketing agency, it might sound cliché to say that we are driven by growth, but it’s true! In addition to working every day to help our clients grow their businesses, we are constantly looking to challenge ourselves, improve our skills, and grow into better versions of ourselves.
Innovation: With years of experience behind us, we know what works and what doesn’t. But that doesn’t mean that we’ve lost our sense of curiosity, inquisitiveness, and creativity. We are always looking for new opportunities to be innovative for ourselves and our clients.
Persistence: Sometimes, no matter how well you plan and execute upon a strategy, you will fall short of your original expectations. What makes us different is in how we react to these challenges: With persistence and drive that empower us to regroup, adapt, and pivot in order to get back on course.
Clarity: Marketing, sales, and SEO is all about communication. As such, we understand just how important clarity is to helping you reach your sales and marketing goals. That’s why in everything we do—the content we create, the reports we generate, our everyday communications—we are guided by a drive toward clarity.
Leadership: We refuse to simply coast through work and life doing the bare minimum to be successful. Instead, we strive to be leaders in our field and use our expertise to empower our clients to be leaders in theirs.
Integrity: We’re willing to compromise on a lot, but never on our values.
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Sean Henri
Founder and CEO
Sean is the Founder and CEO of Pepperland, and acts as the lead strategist on the team, helping schools, colleges and universities develop strategies to increase traffic and leads in support of their enrollment goals, and then guiding the Pepperland team in the execution of those plans. Prior to starting the agency, he held marketing leadership roles across a variety of industry verticals and both B2B and B2C companies, exposing him to a broad range of marketing challenges. When not at work, Sean can be found playing with his three young boys, enjoying the outdoors, or volunteering with his son's Cub Scout pack.
Will Purcell
Marketing Strategist
Will joined the Pepperland team with a background in journalism and broadcasting. In addition to previously covering athletic and political events, he served as the Sports Information Director for Millsaps College and worked with the Kansas City Chiefs during the 2014 season. He helps with all inbound and content efforts, and has become our newest Marketing Strategist. Outside of Pepperland, Will enjoys playing golf, college football, baseball, coffee, and dogs.
Kelly Henri
Chief Operating Officer
Kelly keeps the business running behind the scenes with business strategy, HR management and administrative tasks. In addition to her work with Pepperland, Kelly is mom to three wild and crazy boys, and is a pediatric nurse practitioner.
Jessica McCaughey
Senior Enrollment Marketing Strategist
Jess serves as a strategist for enrollment marketing efforts, creatively and strategically developing inbound marketing plans. Prior to joining Pepperland, Jess developed an extensive career in higher education. Starting as a college tour guide, Jess was able to advance into positions such as an Admission Counselor, Assistant Director of Admissions, Social Media Specialist, Associate Director of Visit Experience, and, ultimately, a Director of Undergraduate Recruitment. She has experience with an array of schools, ranging from small to large, private and public, liberal arts to business focused. Jess is passionate about recruiting the right fit student for an institution. Off the clock Jess enjoys traveling, being a dog mom, and gardening.
Michael Boyles
Content Marketing Specialist
As one of Pepperland’s Content Marketing Specialists, Michael is responsible for creating and optimizing content for Pepperland and its clients. Outside of work, Michael lives in the middle of nowhere with his wife, dog, rabbits, and chickens. He spends his free time hanging out with his wife, composing music, playing piano, or listening to audiobooks. He is always open to having comprehensive conversations about marketing, Star Wars, or both.
Eric Bakken
Senior Paid Media Specialist
Eric manages, measures, and optimizes campaigns across all paid marketing platforms at Pepperland. He has worked within the digital marketing field for over 6 years and has experience managing campaigns across many industries. He enjoys staying up-to-date with digital marketing trends and developing campaign strategies. In his free time, you can find Eric discovering new trails while mountain biking.
Kaisley Alvarez
SEO Specialist
As an SEO Specialist at Pepperland., Kaisley focuses on all-things Search Engine Optimization, from on-page optimization, technical SEO analysis, keyword research, crawl issue analysis, to content creation and link building. In her free time, she enjoys drawing, crafting projects, and exercising.
Kate Gibson
Editor & Copywriter
Kate is an Editor and Copywriter who strives to create engaging content for her clients. Before joining the Pepperland team, Kate started her career as a production editor working with major university presses, where she acted as a project manager for several high print-volume academic titles. In her free time, she loves to do anything active and is currently training to become a marathon runner.
Greg Rappa
Graphic Designer
Greg is Pepperland’s graphic designer. With more than 6 years of professional experience in web and print design, he’s passionate about creating engaging visuals and memorable digital experiences that are tailored to a target audience. He focuses on developing user-centric designs that drive action and always align with marketing objectives.
Samantha Rivera
Inbound Marketing Specialist
As one of Pepperland’s Inbound Marketing Specialists, Sam is responsible for developing and executing inbound campaigns through email marketing, workflows, and content creation. Before joining the Pepperland team, Sam specialized in social media strategy for a higher education institution. In her free time, Sam is an avid reader and loves to take on DIY projects.
Yor Madrio
Inbound Marketing Specialist
Yor started off as intern and worked his way to become an Inbound Marketing Specialist here at Pepperland. He is responsible for publishing content involving Instagram marketing strategy on our blog and supporting our paid media specialist with Google Ads and Meta Business Suite campaigns.
In his free time, he finds joy in creating music and playing the guitar.
Read some of his blogs below!
Kayron Macon
Web Developer
Kayron brings with him 4 years of experience in web application development. He's passionate about producing industry standard, scalable code, while utilizing his aptitude for design to generate clean, responsive, functioning websites. He's a team player and enjoys collaborating with peers to come up with new ideas and problem solve. In his free time he loves traveling, trying new foods, and gaming.
Natalie Turner
Content Marketing Intern
Natalie is a Content Marketing Intern at Pepperland. Currently entering her junior year at Bryant University, she's set to graduate in May 2025 with a degree in Digital Marketing. Natalie is driven to showcase her creative abilities and gain valuable industry experience during her time at Pepperland. In her free time, you can find her exploring the latest fashion trends, spending quality time with her beloved dog, or indulging in scenic walks.
Penny Humes
Senior Enrollment Marketing Strategist
Penny comes to Pepperland with more than 10 years of experience and a strong record of success in the field of enrollment marketing. She served as the Marketing and Communications Director at a junior-senior high school in Rhode Island; Assistant Director of Marketing for Enrollment Management at a university in Massachusetts; and Associate Director of Admission Marketing and Communications for a college in Vermont. Penny is a lifelong learner and innovative problem solver with a true passion for enrollment marketing. She is dedicated to supporting her colleagues and helping clients leverage digital marketing strategies so they can meet, and ultimately exceed, their enrollment goals. Outside of the office, Penny loves to travel and see new places, plan Disney trips with her husband, and spend time with family and friends.
Samantha Jones
Content Marketing Apprentice
Samantha Jones is a Content Marketing Apprentice at Pepperland. Samantha recently graduated from Central Connecticut State University in spring 2023 with a bachelor's in Broadcast Journalism. In her role at Pepperland, Samantha contributes to multimedia content creation and collaboration. She is passionate about expanding her experience in digital and inbound marketing. When out of the office, Samantha enjoys teaching and practicing yoga, hiking, and spending time with her animals.Read her blog posts below!
Penny Humes
Senior Enrollment Marketing Strategist
Penny comes to Pepperland with more than 10 years of experience and a strong record of success in the field of enrollment marketing. She served as the Marketing and Communications Director at a junior-senior high school in Rhode Island; Assistant Director of Marketing for Enrollment Management at a university in Massachusetts; and Associate Director of Admission Marketing and Communications for a college in Vermont. Penny is a lifelong learner and innovative problem solver with a true passion for enrollment marketing. She is dedicated to supporting her colleagues and helping clients leverage digital marketing strategies so they can meet, and ultimately exceed, their enrollment goals. Outside of the office, Penny loves to travel and see new places, plan Disney trips with her husband, and spend time with family and friends.