Powers, Stephens Take on Expanded Roles
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (April 29, 2026) – mhp.si, one of the state’s largest and oldest full-service marketing agencies, today announced the promotions of Rachel Powers, APR, to Director of Public Relations and Lauren Stephens to Strategic Communications and Engagement Manager, strengthening the agency’s leadership across integrated communications disciplines.
Powers joins the agency’s management team after just over a year with mhp.si, where she has demonstrated strong leadership and strategic insight. In her time at the agency, Powers also earned her Accreditation in Public Relations (APR), a gold standard of excellence in strategic communications. In her new role, she will lead the agency’s public relations team, guiding client communications across sectors, and continue to serve as a core member of the agency’s crisis communications team.
Stephens has been promoted to Strategic Communications and Engagement Manager after stepping into an expanded role integrating strategy, organic content, user-generated content and influencer outreach. Over the past six months, she has led this function, aligning content with business objectives, elevating execution and building trust across teams and clients. In her new role, she will lead all organic social strategy and oversee the agency’s organic content team.
“These promotions reflect the strength of our team and our continued investment in integrated communications,” said Kristen Nicholson, APR, VP of Strategic Communications. “Rachel and Lauren embody the leadership and strategic thinking that define mhp.si.”
Powers started at mhp.si in 2024 and brings more than 15 years of experience across broadcast journalism and corporate communications. She spent a decade in television news, producing award-winning content and leading newsroom teams before transitioning into healthcare communications. She has been recognized by the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) as a Rising Star and holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism and mass communication from the University of Iowa.
Stephens started at mhp.si in 2023 and has experience across agency and in-house roles, supporting brands at the local, national and global level and currently working with Onyx Coffee Lab, Rock Dental Brands and Little Rock Convention & Visitors Bureau. She previously worked at Rogers & Cowan (R&CPMK) in New York, supporting luxury, lifestyle and entertainment brands such as HGTV, NBCUniversal, Loreal Professionals, Kardashian Beauty Brands and others. She began her career as an entertainment reporter for HollywoodTeen’Zine in Los Angeles. A Conway, Ark. native, she holds a bachelor’s degree in public relations from the University of Central Arkansas and is a member of PRSA.
About mhp.si
A national award-winning marketing agency, mhp.si is a fully-integrated communications firm providing clients with data-driven strategies for performance marketing, advertising, public relations and online/digital. The firm has more than 150 team members across its family of companies and a presence in eight markets nationally. It has two locations in Arkansas, with an office in Little Rock’s Riverdale and one in Bentonville. Over its 53-year history, the agency has represented local, national and international clients. mhp.si is a longtime member of the prestigious American Association of Advertising Agencies and has been recognized as one of the nation’s fastest-growing companies by Inc. magazine for seven years. A Google Premier Partner, the agency is listed among the Best Places to Work in Arkansas. The company is praised for its innovation and entrepreneurship by The Silicon Review and Entrepreneur Magazine’s Entrepreneur 360™. In 2020, mhp.si earned recognition from Adweek magazine as No. 2 on the short list of top 5 agencies over 20 years old and a No. 60 ranking among “fresh-thinking and fearless leaders” on the Adweek 100: Fastest Growing Agencies list. Learn more at mhp.si.