Michelle is an award-winning writer, author, and founder of Sūmèr. Her journey, from the jungles of Central America to the battlefields of the Balkans to the plains of the Serengeti, led her to marry her passion of adventure and writing and start a copywriting company. In 2009, Michelle won the Charleston Business Journal's Forty under 40 award for her business and community leadership. 

Little-known fact about me: I write short stories, which have been published in numerous literary magazines.

Vision for Sūmèr: To grow the company to be an international firm, with offices in Charleston and East Africa.   

With grace and style, Brittany keeps projects flowing, manages client accounts, tends to our blog, and is an emerging new media guru. A graduate of James Madison University with a degree in print journalism, Brittany loves sailing and has an unusual obsession with sharks. Her dream is to live on a sailboat in the south of France, where she hopes to run a fruit shack with her poodle. But for now, she’s enjoying working and living in Charleston.

Little-known fact about me: I'm a seltzerholic. Seltzer is the only thing that can quench my thirst. 

Favorite pastime: Scrapbooking. Whenever I go on vacation, I make sure I bring back anything that would fit into a scrapbook and then create a scrapbook for the vacation.      

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Michelle (referred to as Michelle #2) is the marketing maven behind Life after Launch. 

Vision for Sūmèr: To spread talent, culture, and innovation through the building of global, symbiotic relationships. 

Little-known fact about me: One of my lifelong goals is to be fluent in French.  

With fingers flying across her trusty laptop and one or two dogs at her feet, Melody creates websites that engage, press releases that drive traffic, and landing pages that entice customers to purchase. 

Before her career as a copywriter, she was a teacher in a small town in Wyoming and then moved to Denver to be with the auto technician she would eventually marry. Besides education, she's worked in sales, medical device manufacturing, hospice, and contract administration. This eclectic work history helps her better understand what makes clients and their customers tick.  

Little-known fact about me: I have an odd obsession with the Titanic disaster.  

Favorite part of my job: Creating something that didn't exist yesterday.  

Penny Salater, Editor

Penny is Sūmèr ’s editor extraordinaire. With her bedside Chicago Manual of Style, she prevents pesky dangling participles, misplaced modifiers, and typos while ensuring proper comma usage. She studied in Paris and taught French before uncovering her passion for proper English grammar. A recovering Francophile, Penny now lives in Southwest Missouri with her two Sea-Doos.

Favorite Pastime: I always love to read, but when the weather is suitable, I enjoy the lake: boating, sea-dooing, and swimming off the dock.

Place I'd love to visit: Alaska.  

As a full-time office assistant, Mama Mia works endlessly to ensure a happy work environment. Between playing with her dog friends and taking long naps in the sunshine, she inspires our team with her paper-shredding artwork and encourages us to take frequent breaks to pet and play with her. Mama holds a degree in Basic Obedience. Born in St. John, USVI, she now calls Charleston, SC, her home.

Favorite Pastime: Bothering Brittany while she is trying to type.  

What I love about my job: I'm allowed to nap throughout the entire day.