LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (January 15, 2026) — Darin Gray, chairman of the board at CJRW, announced today that Emily Dean and Kinyata Gray have been appointed to CJRW’s Board of Directors and will assume expanded leadership roles within the agency.
Emily Dean, formerly the agency’s social media strategy director, has been promoted to Director of Creative Strategy and Operations. In this role, she will oversee the day-to-day operations of CJRW’s award-winning creative team. As part of this transition, Cassidy Gallagher has been promoted to social media strategy director.
Additionally, Wade McCune has assumed the title of Chief Creative Officer. Dean’s appointment is designed to support this leadership structure by enabling McCune to focus more fully on creative strategy, innovation, and client development.
Kinyata Gray (no relation to Darin Gray) has been named Chief People and Operations Officer. She has served as CJRW’s human resources leader since 2023 and will now also oversee the agency’s operations and finance teams, further strengthening alignment across people, process, and performance.
“Emily and Kinyata have made meaningful contributions to CJRW’s success and culture,” said Darin Gray. “I am excited to see them step into these expanded leadership roles and serve on the Board of Directors.”
CJRW is Arkansas’ largest advertising agency and is employee-owned.
