The Warren Group

Principal / Owner

A trusted advisor and dynamic strategist to private and public sector leaders, Melissa Warren is the principal/owner of The Warren Group, the next evolution of Faiss Foley Warren (FFW) Public Relations, for whom she served as Managing Partner for nearly two decades. 

Her deep knowledge and connection to the people and issues that drive business and societal change in Las Vegas and Nevada makes her a valuable asset to both legacy and emerging industries that rely on her expertise, innovation, candor, commitment, and her award-winning team of public relations professionals.

At The Warren Group, Melissa attracts, develops, retains and leads top PR talent and an impressive list of long-term, hallmark clients, many of them Southern Nevada’s leading companies, developers, retail centers, government agencies, municipalities and nonprofits. 

Leading by example with an unparalleled work ethic, Melissa is directly responsible, in large part, for the firm’s growth, success and evolution over the past several years. She is simultaneously the firm’s primary rainmaker, its top producer and principal/owner. Under her leadership The Warren Group has earned its reputation for good work through sustained effort from a seasoned and experienced staff. Today, many of the firm’s long-term, blue-chip clients are still with The Warren Group, underscoring the firm’s reputation for excellence and results-oriented public relations.

Her professional passion is The Howard Hughes Corporation and its award-winning master-planned community of Summerlin which she has proudly represented for more than 30 years.

As a treasured community-connector, Melissa uses her talents to initiate public/private partnerships for a number of local businesses, civic, and nonprofit organizations. Her passion for Las Vegas is evident in her community service. She is past chairman of the board of Make-A-Wish Foundation® of Southern Nevada, a long-time member of the advisory board for Nevada Ballet Theatre, a former member of the board of directors of the Public Education Foundation as well as the Clark County School District Partnership Office. 

In 2020, she was invited to join the prestigious International Women’s Forum of Nevada, the statewide chapter of this global organization. She is a former member of UNLV Women of Excellence and has received numerous honors, including 2011 Women to Watch by In Business Las Vegas; 2010 Women Who Mean Business, Las Vegas Business Press; and numerous Pinnacle Awards over two decades for her work from Public Relations Society of America, Las Vegas.  In 2015, she was named Senior PR Practitioner of the Year by the Public Relations Society of America, Las Vegas chapter.

Avid Raiders, VGK and Aviators fans, Melissa and husband, Clark, are proud parents of two grown children, Walker and Mackenzie, their spouses, Michelle and Rory, and grandson, Noel.  

Senior Account Executive 

An organizational virtuoso, McKinzie Cogswell is the driving force behind the successful promotion of many of Downtown Summerlin’s high-profile events, including its annual Holiday parade, Parade of Mischief, Lunar New Year and Wellness Festival, to name a few.  New to her roster of spectacular events in an expanded role as art producer, is the Summerlin Festival of Arts, now in its 25^th year.  

McKinzie also represents Las Vegas Ballpark, overseeing the publicity of all non-baseball events at this award-winning Triple-A baseball stadium that opened to public and critical acclaim in 2019.  

Throughout her career with TWG, McKinzie has overseen publicity efforts for retail giants Fashion Show and The Grand Canal Shoppes at The Venetian. She was an integral player in the opening of the $1 billion Red Rock Casino Resort and Spa and the $2 billion The Shoppes at The Palazzo. Further solidifying her retail expertise, she also oversaw select General Growth Properties (GGP) corporate projects including national social influencer programs and has worked with such national brands as Henri Bendel, Tory Burch, Furla, Topshop, Forever 21 and Jimmy Choo, to name a few.

McKinzie’s work has been recognized by the PRSA Las Vegas Chapter Pinnacle Awards.  In 2017, her work for Downtown Summerlin’s Holiday Parade took home top honors as Best of Show.

She is a graduate of the University of Montana School of Business with a major in Business Marketing. McKinzie and husband, Tim, are parents of two busy and active children, Paizley, a dancing phenom who is already making a name for herself in the dance world, and Karsten, who is at home on the ice as a junior hockey player. 

Senior Account Executive

With a keen eye toward the big picture, Amy is a highly seasoned public relations expert who combines public relations and marketing communications strategies to multiply the effectiveness of PR, utilizing both traditional and new media tactics in addition to high-profile events. Her love of the written word and knack for a strong news hook catapults clients onto the pages, channels, and websites of national, regional and local news outlets. 

Amy began her career in public relations at the worldwide PR agency, Burson-Marsteller in Washington, D.C. She went on to work on Capitol Hill for nearly a decade, rising to serve as press secretary/ communications director and chief of staff for a veteran member of Congress from Nevada. She then joined The Brand Experience to lead a multi-million-dollar experiential marketing center on Capitol Hill. After relocating to Las Vegas in 2006, Amy managed the development of similar projects across the U.S. and in China before joining a boutique Las Vegas PR agency where she handled PR for transportation, technology, law, and higher education clients.

In 2014, Amy joined The Warren Group and currently oversees the PR efforts for The Neon Museum; the Plaza Hotel & Casino and its award-winning steakhouse, Oscar’s; the nonprofit Delivering with Dignity; the downtown Las Vegas apartment communities shareDOWNTOWN; and Nevada’s start-up incubator, StartUpNV. She has previously assisted with marketing downtown Las Vegas, represented the Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada for more than a decade, and coordinated PR for various restaurants and other local businesses. 

Amy is also active in the local community and professional organizations including the Las Vegas chapter of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA). She served two terms on the board of directors for Dress for Success Southern Nevada and as the organization’s chairperson for PR / marketing. 

She and husband, Jason, are avid Vegas Golden Knights fans and parents to their young daughter, Addison, a fun-loving and precocious student at the Alexander Dawson School at Rainbow Mountain. 

Senior Account Executive

Lisa Robinson combines big-picture strategic counsel and detail-oriented tactical support to exceed the needs of the client with a keen ability to stay ahead of the trends without losing focus on the fundamentals of PR. Lisa is a gifted writer with the uncanny ability to convey client messages with pinpoint accuracy.

A 23-year Southern Nevada resident, Lisa joined The Warren Group in 2013 and currently leads the  team on several of the firm’s major accounts including Cox Communications and the Downtown Vegas Alliance. In addition, she oversees a variety of the agency’s nonprofit clients including Signs of Hope and The Shade Tree. 

Lisa’s work on behalf of her clients has been recognized throughout her career with a multitude of awards from the Public Relations Society of America, including dozens of Pinnacle Awards, the highest achievement.

Prior to joining TWG, Lisa was director of corporate communications, leading all public relations and marketing efforts, for two Las Vegas hotel/casinos – The Four Queens Hotel & Casino and Binion’s Gambling Hall. She was director of marketing for the Fremont Street Experience (FSE), a five-block long entertainment destination in downtown Las Vegas and instrumental in leading the new product launch of Viva Vision, the biggest big screen on the planet, garnering millions in media coverage and driving visitation to the venue.

Her passion for PR is matched by her passion for social justice and community involvement. Lisa currently serves as an advisor to the Board of Directors of the Downtown Vegas Alliance, a nonprofit corporation comprised of business owners and operators vested in creating a vibrant, diverse, and sustainable urban core. She is a cum laude graduate of Vanderbilt University and holds a master’s degree from the University of South Carolina.  

Lisa and husband, Gary, are parents to two sons, Curtis, who attends UNR, and Randal, a senior at Green Valley Christian School.  Together, the family enjoys sports of all kinds, with special loyalty to Vanderbilt football, Vegas Golden Knights and the Las Vegas Raiders. 

Marketing Specialist

A seasoned marketing strategist who builds creative, integrated campaigns that grow measurable business value for clients, Karen Wofford is skilled in direct marketing, strategic planning, event planning  and public speaking.  In her more than 30 years of experience in advertising, marketing, public relations and communications, Karen has worked with an array of clients including private and publicly held real estate development corporations. 

Joining The Warren Group in 2017, Karen oversees Realtor Outreach, Community Outreach and special event programs for the 1500-acre Inspirada master plan community. Inspirada has been recognized as one of the Top 10 Best Selling Master Planned Communities in the nation from 2016 – 2019 and ranked as #1 Best Selling Master Plan Community in Henderson from 2016 to present. She also brings her expertise to a number of TWG clients including Tri Pointe Homes, Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Foundation, Pulte Del Webb Lake Las Vegas, The Midby Companies, and Touro University Nevada.

Karen launched her career as marketing manager for The Howard Hughes Corporation’s master-planned community of Summerlin from 1990-1997, where she was responsible for integrated marketing, advertising, public relations, brand management and daily operations of the marketing department, managing a $7 million budget. She also served as marketing director for Newland Communities, overseeing marketing for the revitalization of the 61-acre Symphony Park in Downtown Las Vegas.

Karen is the recipient of numerous PRSA Pinnacle Award. She attended the University of Nevada Las Vegas. Karen and husband, Mike, are parents of two young men, Justin and Ryan, who are launching their own professional careers in Colorado and Chicago, respectively.

Social Media Director

A social media powerhouse who's committed to helping companies share their good news, Marsha MacEachern Tempesta is The Warren Group’s social media director.  She brings her years as a broadcast reporter and producer to TWG, overseeing social media programs and video projects for several clients, ballot initiatives and special projects.

 Her video content has been featured on KTNV’s “The Morning Blend,” KVVU-TV news broadcasts, Vegas Magazine’s “Vegas Gives” event promo, as well as at the Thomas & Mack Center, the Fashion Show runway, Viva Vision at Fremont Street Experience and the City of Las Vegas’ Downtown.Vegas website. 

Marsha’s award-winning work has been recognized by PRSA Las Vegas Chapter Pinnacle Awards as the “Best Online/Social Media Campaign,” and she contributed heavily to the firm’s recognition by Las Vegas Business Press' list in its “Best Advertising Agencies and PR Firms.” 

A Leadership Las Vegas graduate, Marsha has served as a board member for the Las Vegas Contemporary Art Center in addition to volunteering for Dress for Success Southern Nevada, the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Southern Nevada Chapter and ALS of Nevada. 

Marsha holds a bachelor’s and master’s degree from Emerson College in Boston. Prior to joining TWG, she served as the PR manager for Brandeis University and Avid Technology. She worked for several years as a broadcast reporter and producer throughout New England, including New England Cable News (NECN).  

She and husband, Shawn, are big Red Sox, New England Patriots and Vegas Golden Knights fans and are teaching their two young sons, Colin and Mario, to follow suit!