JOHN MACDONALD, PRINCIPAL

John MacDonald has written so many letters grossing near or more than a million dollars, he’s lost track of the number. His award-winning writing has been recognized on multiple occasions by the Direct Marketing Association of Washington and the American Association of Political Consultants.

Whether it is through his skills in writing, art design, account management, vendor relations, production, or data, John uses all tools at his disposal to build multi-million-dollar fundraising programs from scratch. John’s track record of success also includes writing blockbuster fundraising letters for such notables as Vice President Mike Pence, Judge Jeanine Pirro, Ambassador John Bolton, Speaker Newt Gingrich, Governor Sarah Palin, Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard, Pete Hegseth, Ben Shapiro, Kash Patel, and Donald Trump Jr.

John graduated summa cum laude from Millersville University of Pennsylvania with a B.A. in History and holds an M.A. from Cornell University in History. John has also served as Volunteer Faculty at the Leadership Institute where he has taught the Direct Mail School.

A historian of direct mail, John spends his free time reading back issues of Postage and Direct Marketing Magazine. He lives in Berryville, VA with his wife Kristin and attends mass at the nearby Holy Cross Abbey.

EMMA NEWCOME, EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT

As the Executive Assistant at Columbian Advertising, Emma ensures the agency’s smooth operations. Known for her strong communication skills and good relationships with vendors, Emma excels in maintaining strict project timelines with exceptional organization, driving cost savings through competitive bidding, and keeping expenditures low without compromising quality. In addition, she handles accounting tasks, utilizes design software for projects, and coordinates essential processes to keep everything on track.         

Emma graduated from Virginia Tech with a B.A. in Political Science, a B.S. in Criminology, and a minor in Foreign Affairs. While at Tech, she served as the Fundraising Officer for the campus chapter of Epsilon Sigma Alpha, a role for which she was recognized as a “NextGen Experience Fundraiser” by St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, TN.

A Winchester native, Emma enjoys exploring downtown with her family and hiking around the Shenandoah Valley in her free time.