Our Team
Cecilia Russo Turner
In 2008, Cecilia Russo Turner founded Cecilia Russo Marketing, LLC to help businesses and organizations increase their visibility locally, nationally, and globally through reputation management, consultation and fundraising strategies.
Throughout her 27-year career, Cecilia has managed and participated in philanthropic activities, raising millions of dollars for nonprofit charities and civic improvements in communities throughout Savannah and the Lowcountry and Southeast region of our State. CRM provided strategic direction, public relations, and major gift solicitation for the most successful campaign ever held by the Veterans Council of Chatham County: the World War II Memorial, ‘A World Apart,’ erected on historic West River Street and dedicated in November 2010.
Additionally, Cecilia has enjoyed a successful and strong list of small business and corporate clients while also serving as a fundraising consultant and advisor for organizations such as Tour de Georgia, Susan G. Komen Savannah Race for the Cure®, Leadership Southeast Georgia, SAFE Shelter, Inc., American Red Cross of Southeast and Coastal Georgia, Benedictine Military School, Savannah Technical College, and America’s Second Harvest Food Bank of Coastal Georgia. Cecilia was the co-founder of Savannah’s Fashion Night Out through Vogue’s Conde Nast in 2013.
She was recognized as the Volunteer of the Year by Junior Achievement of Savannah in 2013 and named Entrepreneur of the Year by the Savannah Chamber of Commerce in 2018. She is a 2016 graduate of Leadership Southeast Georgia and a proud alumna of St. Vincent’s Academy and the University of Georgia.
Cecilia’s civic volunteer efforts include board positions on the United Way of the Coastal Empire, Rotary Club of Savannah, Horizons Savannah, and the Savannah Technical College Foundation. Previously, Cecilia actively served on the boards of the Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Coastal Empire and Senior Citizens, Inc and Kiwanis Club of Skidaway Island. She is married to Bob Turner, and they have five grandchildren.
Cynthia Cradduck
Cynthia Cradduck is the Managing Partner at Cecilia Russo Marketing, where she oversees business development, manages the staff, and coordinates reputation management strategies for clients, media relations, and online SEO public relations. She also serves as the executive administrator to Leadership Southeast Georgia.
Cynthia is a graduate of Georgia Southern University with a Bachelors in Communications focusing on Public Relations, and L.E.A.P. certified, as a PR professional in Leadership, Experience in Communication, Academics, and Professionalism training. Cynthia is a graduate of the 2020 United Way of the Coastal Empire Young Leaders’ Board Readiness Program. She has also received a certification from the Dale Carnegie LIVE online training program, Getting Results Without Authority, and a graduate of the Savannah Speechcraft for Professional Women course sponsored by Toastmasters International.
In 2018, Cynthia received national recognition as a 40-Under-40 leader by Georgia Trend Magazine and was named a Rising Star in Business by Savannah Magazine and Savannah Morning News in 2017. She served as Vice President of the Georgia Jaycees and is a past president of the Savannah Jaycees.
And locally, Cynthia serves as a Savannah Area Chamber of Commerce Ambassador and supports several nonprofit organizations, including the Ronald McDonald House of the Coastal Empire, One Love Animal Rescue, the Fresh Air Home on Tybee Island, and her church of Wesley Monumental United Methodist Church. She is married to Aaron Cradduck, and they have a son, Emerson.
Tara Nobles
Mary Kathryn Griffin
Mary Kathryn Griffin is the Client Growth Director at Cecilia Russo Marketing and brings nearly five years of experience in community and economic development. Starting her career in her hometown of Claxton, Georgia, as the Director of the Claxton-Evans County Economic Development Authority, Mary Kathryn led many community development initiatives, secured grant funds to further develop an industrial park, and helped to recruit and retain industry in Evans County. Along with acting as the Director for Claxton-Evans County Economic Development Authority, Mary Kathryn represented Coastal Georgia as a Regional Project Director at the Georgia Department of Economic Development, covering a 10-county region. She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Mass Communication from Georgia College & State University, where she also studied Political Science and is a graduate of several leadership development programs including Young GameChangers, Leadership Evans, and the Lynda Brannen Williamson Foundation Women’s Academy. She holds a certificate of completion from the Georgia Academy for Economic Development and participated in several courses through the Carl Vinson Institute’s Georgia Certified Economic Development Program. Mary Kathryn has lived in several cities across Georgia, recently making her home base in Savannah. She spends her free time with family, friends, and four-legged children, Riley and Rolo. She loves the natural beauty of Coastal Georgia, spending time outdoors, learning about the rich and complex history of the Lowcountry, and listening to music.
Suzanne Smith
Suzanne Smith joined the Cecilia Russo Marketing team as a Public Relations Coordinator in 2017 and specializes in pitching and coordinating media coverage, campaign research, report generation, and Search Engine Optimization (SEO). She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing from Georgia Southern University. Suzanne served as Chairman for a 2019 Leukemia Lymphoma Society (LLS) Man of the Year, helping to raise more than $26,000 for LLS. Through various donation drives and hands-on volunteer opportunities, Suzanne is always looking for ways to help her community. A native of Cartersville, GA, Suzanne made her home in Savannah in 2006. She is married to Chris Smith, and they have two children, Tinsley and Walker. When she’s not working or chasing her kids around, she enjoys cooking, baking, and reading.
“I engaged Cecilia and her team very soon after we launched our business. I needed the word out that I was in a new place and reinforcement/broadcast of my brand. I learned to just be quiet and trust their methods and direction. Four years in, our work is consistently, positively covered in the press, on a monthly basis.”