Colorado PR Team

Whether steering clients through systemic collapses, international scandals or unanticipated crises, Michelle Lyng is Colorado’s go-to communications professional, always challenging the status quo.

Michelle is the founder and CEO of Novitas Communications, an award-winning, full-service public relations firm based in downtown Denver. She founded Novitas during the Great Recession of 2008 and quickly became best known for her work in issue management, corporate communication and crisis communication in highly regulated sectors, including education, oil and gas, real estate, technology, healthcare and financial services.

Michelle has over 25 years of experience in strategic communications and reputation management, executive positioning, community engagement, issue management, corporate communication, and crisis communication. She advises a wide range of clients, from Fortune 100 companies to start-ups and nonprofits, on responding proactively and reactively to emerging communications issues. She has helped implement organization-wide communications strategies to uphold a reputation when the stakes were highest, and secured media coverage for her clients in the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, Reuters, USA Today, Washington Post, CNBC, CNN, MSNBC, FOX News, among many other national and local media outlets.

Under Michelle’s leadership, Novitas has won numerous awards, including the PR News Agency Elite Top-100 Award, the PRSA Silver Anvil Award of Excellence, the Gold Bulldog Award for Best Public Affairs Campaign, the Ragan Award for Best Public Affairs Campaign and the PRSA Colorado Chapter Gold Pick Award. Today, Novitas is ranked by O’Dwyer’s Public Relations News as the fastest-growing public relations firm in Colorado, offering innovative and strategic communications services to a wide range of national and international clients.

Michelle earned a Bachelor of Arts in Business from Illinois Wesleyan University.

Fun Fact: A thirteenth-generation American, Michelle’s family built the oldest wood-frame home in the United States, “The Balch House,” in Beverly, Massachusetts. It’s now a historic museum!

Jaime Gardner joined Novitas Communications in September of 2021 as Business Development and Communications Director, and became Executive Vice President in March of 2025. She has owned High Plains Communications, LLC (HPC) since 2008, a small consulting firm based in Eastern Colorado, specializing in communications and public relations consulting, community relations/outreach, and regulatory consulting, and also manages the mom blog, Juggling Normal.

Mrs. Gardner has over 25 years’ experience working in the public and private sector. For eight years she was Executive Director of the Colorado Resource Alliance, a membership-based regulatory monitoring service serving counties, trade associations, individuals and companies interested in natural resource policy. She organized and administered the Front Range Energy Career Expo, a high school energy education and college/career fair event, in 2009 and 2010, and briefly served as Executive Director of the Houston-based Consumer Energy Education Foundation, providing energy education for middle school and high school students as well as Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) based scholarship opportunities, in 2013.

Prior to that, Jaime worked in a variety of positions for the Department of the Interior and the Bureau of Land Management, both in Colorado and Washington, DC. Jaime has worked in the Office of the Secretary of the Interior and the Office of the Director of the BLM, and was a Public Information Officer for BLM in the Colorado State Office, covering issues in recreation, energy, Congressional and state government relations, community relations, and law enforcement. During her time in Washington, Jaime managed the Secretary’s Office of Alaska Affairs. Early in her career, Gardner worked as a project manager and “troubleshooter” for Lucent Technologies, both in Denver, Colorado and Huizen, Netherlands.

Blaise Patrick Tracy has served the business community for more than 25 years delivering results in the areas Communications, Marketing, Public Relations, and Community Engagement. He has provided leadership and guidance for individuals, small organizations, and fortune 500 companies - including DirecTV, Children’s Hospital Colorado, National Veterinary Associates, and DaVita Healthcare. Overall, his work has been publicly recognized with multiple awards, including Gold Quill and Silver Quill honors in print, digital and video.

Jessie Koerner has over a decade of strategic digital communications and public relations experience. She has worked with private businesses, public agencies and nonprofits, and on election and legislative campaigns to successfully impact policy and behavior change.
She’s managed communications and government affairs for oil and gas, acted as campaign spokeswoman for two successful 2016 statewide ballot initiatives, and developed digital strategy empowering audiences to plan for the end of life.
Jessie earned her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Furman University and her Master of Arts in Global Health and International Security from the University of Denver. She’s a Denver native and competitive equestrian.
Fun Fact: Jessie is a proud and unapologetic horse girl. Today, she owns four horses: Finale, Parker, Fitz and Ace!

Clare O’Halloran brings a strong background in marketing, recruitment, and community engagement to her work at Novitas, where she supports clients across a wide range of communications needs. She earned her degree in Marketing from the University of Denver and has worked across industries including education, healthcare, and consumer brands, giving her a well-rounded perspective and a creative, strategic approach.
Originally from Des Moines, Iowa, Clare brings a collaborative mindset and a genuine enthusiasm for thoughtful, effective communication. She enjoys helping teams tell their stories in ways that feel clear, authentic, and meaningful.

With 26 years of public policy and community problem solving experience, John Brackney is an expert in community engagement, relationship building and community investment. Today, John helps businesses and organizations become more productive and efficient through mentorship and relationship building. In his role at Novitas, he supports team members’ personal and professional development, engaging them on strategic growth goals, corporate culture and relationship building.

John was elected for a first term as Arapahoe County Commissioner in 1996. In 1999, he was re-elected to a four-year term and served as chairman in 2000. He then served as chairman of the Arapahoe County Public Airport Authority (Centennial Airport), and as president of the Arapahoe County Water and Wastewater Authority. Director of Public Policy at the South Metro Denver Chamber from Jan 2003-April 2004. Later on, he served as the President and CEO and member of the Board of Directors of the South Metro Denver Chamber from April 2004 to March 2014.

As a life-long resident and native of Colorado, he managed state legislative races while attending law school. He enlisted in the Colorado Army National Guard in 1991 and graduated from Officer Candidate School in 1993. In 1995 he became a Company Commander of the 147th Combat Support Hospital, then later served as a Captain at the National Guard State Headquarters. He was honorably discharged in 2003 and received the Meritorious Service Medal twice.

Fun Fact: John has run every day, for the past 2500 days, outdoors and in shorts. That’s almost seven straight years! In snow, sleet or rain, you’ll find John outdoors, enjoying Colorado’s trails.

Virginia Garcia Ovejero Pivik has provided Spanish language insights and communications for more than 20 years. Her vast experience includes public relations, media relations, writing, editing and serving as a spokesperson for the Latino community in Denver and Colorado.

Since 2017, Virginia has been working in close collaboration with CDOT on the Central 70 Project serving as the media specialist producing, writing, and overseeing TV, radio, print, and social media campaigns. She writes scripts, leverages media interviews, hosts media open houses for Latino representatives and more. In this role, she is also responsible for press release transcreations and distributions among the Hispanic media outlets.

Her bilingual experience as a spokesperson, transcreator/translator of campaign communication ensures best practices in conveying messages to the Hispanic community that are culturally and linguistically sensitive. Virginia provides added value for Novitas Communications clients working the Hispanic communities.

A Native Coloradan, Jared Petsche is a graduate of Colorado State University with a Bachelors of Arts in Philosophy and minor studies in History, Religious Studies & Entrepreneurship. Since graduation he has worked in the film/media industry, state government and with the surrounding Denver communities’ many non-profits.

Jared’s nonprofit board service includes Open Media Foundation, Colorado Film & Video Association and AdClub.