NextUp’s Rising Stars

Kindrah Kohne is an Account Manager for Nestle Purina PetCare. In her current role, she helpsher retail partners grow their Pet category through product mix, promotional strategies, omni activations and collaborating with cross-functional teams. She has 7 ½ years of experience across sales, marketing and analytics within the Nestle organization. Prior to her professional career, she was a student athlete at Penn State, which laid the foundation for who she is as a leader in the workplace. She is passionate about bringing her authentic self to work, developing others in their roles and, of course, pets! In her free time, she loves to hike, read while snuggling with her cats, play soccer and spend time with family and friends. 

Ebony Peterson graduated from Delaware State University with a BS in Marketing, and also obtain her MBA from Wilmington University. She has been working at Altria for almost 9 years, where her experience has been within sales and brand marketing. Through her experiences she has been able to really lean into her passion of connecting people with brands and creating meaning brand experiences. Outside of work, Ebony enjoys creative writing, collecting vinyl records and traveling whenever she gets the chance. 

 Michelle has over 11 years’ experience in Sales, currently as Senior Account Manager in Dallas, TX for Altria. Senior Account Managers are tasked to lead teams, create innovative ideas, and make real impact in a fast-paced and continually evolving environment. Aside from Michelle’s sales experience she also has experience with the Trade Marketing team and leading Employee Resource Groups (ERGs), such as Sí! – Hispanic Employee ERG and Rise – Altria’s Network for Employees and Families with Disabilities.  

Michelle has led transformation efforts with onboarding new hires and making them feel included and part of the culture from their start date, developing programs for people leaders focused on strategy, advanced analytics, influencing, and effectively leading teams, and replacing rules that were in place for close to 20 years. Additionally, Michelle has been a key stakeholder in successfully launching new innovative brands and marketing plans into market and building relationships with critical top trade partners.  

On a personal note, Michelle lives in Celina, TX with her 3 dogs (Oreo, Rutila, and Snow). She enjoys hiking, traveling, and learning about different cultures.