OUR PEOPLE
Meet the crew that makes it all happen.
Hank Wells is the guy who started Sam Hill way back in 1995. Trying to avoid getting a “real” job after graduation from the University of Virginia, he had no idea how many social chairs, brides, and event planners would become loyal clients, and is thankful for each and every one. Outside the office, he and his wife Shannon love taking their two kids hiking and camping in the Blue Ridge. You can also catch him on the bike trails, slopes or in a band playing twangy music on his upright bass. He had Adrian Duke play at his wedding and although life is pretty complete for him, he still remains in relentless pursuit of the perfect Italian sub.
Originally from New Orleans, Andrew spent a large chunk of his childhood growing up in Paris, France. He’s a great guy and fun to work with, but tends to sound somber the Monday after a New Orleans Saints loss. Andrew and his wife bring their two children back to Louisiana as often as possible. It’s where they got married in March 2009 with the Jangling Reinharts performing at the reception. On any given day you can find him on the tennis court improving his skills from when he played at Washington & Lee University (’03), or listening to Stone Temple Pilots whenever possible.
Katie began her career at Sam Hill after graduating from the University of Virginia in 2003. She then booked The Jangling Reinharts and Horizon for her wedding in 2008 and she returned in late 2014 on a mission to make the client experience as smooth as possible. Katie knows the biz; she’s worked extensively in event planning and customer service at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, St. Joseph's Villa, and Echelon Event Management. She also operates her own wedding planningcompany on the side. Katie enjoys spending time with her husband Tim and young sons Owen and Oliver, walking her dogs Penny and Annie, traveling, reading, and cheering on Virginia basketball.
Originally from New York, Mike considers Fredericksburg, Virginia, to be his hometown. That’s where he accumulated more than 25 years of music performance experience and a lengthy marketing background. (Not only can Mike locate the most demographically appropriate music, he’ll find the 220 volt outlet behind stage.) No one is really sure just how old Mike is, though he attributes his “youthiness” to preservatives and Yellow Dye #5. Mike and his wife, Julie, are proud parents of growing triplets, and while Mike might not be gigging any longer, don’t let his “Dadness” fool you, he can still play a mean bass.
After Madison graduated from Christopher Newport University in 2018 she jumped right into the event industry where she coordinated and managed the event experience at Historic Mankin Mansion and Dover Hall. Event details and organizing timelines are her jam, but give her a calligraphy pen or a new recipe and she's found her happy place - what's life without balance? On the weekend you can find her and her husband, Andrew binge-watching The Office with their (sweet but loud) cat, Pickles. When she's not behind the scenes of an event, she's front and center on the dance floor, especially if they're playing Stevie Nicks, Adele, or Chris Stapleton.
What do a roller derby girl and a Production Assistant for music festivals have in common? Just one thing, she's our booking manager, Lauren! Born in Jackson, MS, and raised in Peachtree City, south of Atlanta, she's spent her career focused in the music, event planning and PR world (although there was that one time she owned a praying mantis company). Lauren loves traveling with her husband, Ross and two kids, Gavin and Pennie (a.k.a. the four amigos). On their yearly trip, they spend time in their camper or jetting off to ski in Missoula. Although, her most epic trip was "winging it" in Thailand for nine days with her husband. When she's not traveling for work, she's hanging out with her dog Cheese, spending time outside with her fam, or listening to anything punk rock.
Summer grew up in Charleston, SC and went to the University of South Carolina for her degree in Hospitality Management. Jumping into the booking world at Sam Hill was an easy transition, not only because she's been planning weddings since college but because she's a pro at playing the piano and guitar for private events or on stage in church. On her days off, she's serving up barista-quality coffee, listening to Frank Sinatra (her most listened-to artist on Spotify), or traveling to one of her favorite cities like Tokyo, Tanzania, or Paris. Growing up in a family of seven, Summer and her husband Eric (and their cat, Apollo!) believe that family is everything, so they spend all of their free time with both sides - the more, the merrier!
Felicia grew up in Uniontown, PA, just south of Pittsburgh. She moved to the D.C. metro area for college and has called Leesburg, VA home for much of her adult life. She holds a BS in both Marketing and Finance from the University of Maryland. Felicia found UMD to be the perfect fit, especially considering the opportunities in the D.C. metro area and with the eastern shore of Maryland being a second home to her throughout her childhood. After spending a decade as a financial consultant, Felicia discovered a true passion in private events. She came to Sam Hill with 15 years of experience in the wedding and private events industry, mostly as a planner. Outside of Sam Hill, Felicia is a devoted mom to her son. In her free time, you can find Felicia cheering on the Terps, dancing whenever she gets a chance, and taking Zumba classes as often as possible. A lover of Latin music, she enjoys any genre and song that gets her on the dance floor. She also sips iced coffee year-round and has a knack for picking out the perfect, fun accessories!
Originally hailing from Birmingham, England, Andrew has quite the academic and professional journey under his belt. He earned his degree from the University of Birmingham before heading to Lipscomb University in Nashville, where he became the first graduate degree in his family - talk about paving the way for future success! With a background in artist management at Three Lions Management and Hard 8 Working Group, as well as experience as a Music Agent at Creative Artists Agency and a Team Lead at TikTok, Andrew's career has taken him on some exciting twists and turns. His passion for adventure doesn't stop there - Andrew is also a proud father of two daughters, Lucy and Piper. Even though he's now stateside in Nashville, you'll still find Andrew on the soccer field coaching or cheering on his favorite team, Aston Villa. And while American football might not be his forte, he once scored a Super Bowl ticket through a Coca-Cola promotion - although, sadly, he couldn't use it due to his UK residency. But that hasn't stopped him from keeping the winning bottle cap as a cherished memento!
Taylor grew up in Charlottesville and arrived on the scene at Sam Hill in 2012 after serving as general manager of a boutique cooking supply store. When she's not serving as a de facto caterer and planner for family and friends, Taylor spends her free time taking photos, painting, supporting her local ALS chapter, and planning out her next getaway - “somewhere where there’s lots of mountains!” She will always be a lifelong fan of live music and saw her first concert (Widespread Panic) at 13.
Dave grew up in Southern New England, which makes him a lifelong Boston sports fan. It was the music from Virginia, however, that truly captivated him throughout high school. This passion led him to Shenandoah University and Conservatory in Winchester, VA, setting the stage for an exhilarating career in the music and entertainment industry in Charlottesville. Whether he’s in the studio producing records with artists, designing and engineering sound for musical theater, mixing front of house for electrifying shows, or traveling with Virginia Basketball as their broadcast radio engineer, Dave’s dedication shines through. For over 20 years, he has seamlessly blended his love for music, sports, sound, and working with a dedicated team of people into every facet of his life. When he's not immersed in his work, you can find Dave tending to his garden or enjoying precious moments with his family, often involving music, sports, or trips to the beach.
Erik is Sam Hill’s go-to guy on anything and everything numbers related. Erik learned how to harvest all that brain power by way of JMU and UVA, and honed those skills at Charlottesville Area Community Foundation as their Accounting Manager and SNL Financial as a Revenue and Tax Compliance Accountant. Erik’s not all about numbers though - he’s a dedicated husband to his wife Kara and father of two daughters, Parker and Quinn. If he’s not spending time with family, he’s watching UVA basketball or outside - fly fishing, camping, trail running, skiing and wakeboarding - just to name a few interests. Although, when you’re born in Waynesboro, VA and your back door is the Blue Ridge Mountains, it’s hard not to spend time outside.
A Sam Hill employee from 2005 to 2018, Charlie is back in the fold to help the Finance Team keep the numbers in line after stints as a project manager for a digital marketing firm and a signage shop and a year as a stay-at-home dad. When he's off the clock, Charlie loves spending time with his wife Jess (married in 2010 to a soundtrack provided by The Jangling Reinharts), his two kids (Ben and Fiona), and two dogs (Maddie and Daria). You can find him going to shows, digging through crates of records, watching sports (Virginia basketball and the Chicago Bulls and White Sox in particular), reading, running, and hiking somewhere in the big, beautiful Blue Ridge.
After growing up in Richmond VA, earning a business degree at UVA's McIntire School of Commerce, and working in brand development at Capital One, Andy joined Sam Hill Entertainment as a bright-eyed 24 year-old in the summer of 2001. Over the past 20 years, Andy has helped clients book over 10,000 events, including more than 5,000 weddings. An avid fan of the Atlanta Braves and UVA sports teams, Andy enjoys traveling with his wife and three children, coaching his kids' little league teams, and doing his best to remember all of the 100+ Phish shows he's attended over the past 28 years.
Growing up in a small town on the outskirts of Warrenton, Virginia, Mike was that little kid that loved to go to summer art programs and spent countless hours studying music theory. He also enjoyed taking electronics apart, so no one was surprised when he went on to get a music degree and study the digital arts at Longwood University (’01). His life passions are music, cinematography, animation, and spending time with his wife, daughters, and two cats. In his spare time, Mike is guilty of working just a bit more. His mantra is that when you love what you do for a living, you never really work a full day.
Meg made her way from Minnesota to Nashville where she graduated from Belmont University with a double major in music business and finance. While in Nashville she worked at Big Machine Label Group supporting a roster of 20+ artists, including Taylor Swift, Tim McGraw, and Reba McEntire. After over a decade in Nashville, Meg and her family were enchanted by the Blue Ridge Mountains. She now lives in the Charlottesville area with her talented musician-husband, Eric, and their two super cool kids, Ruth and Jack. In her downtime she’s mountain biking, snowboarding, hiking, or playing any sport requiring a racket or paddle (Pickleball anyone?!). From work to play, much of her life inspiration comes from her hero Brene Brown, “I want to be in the arena. I want to be brave with my life…” and that’s why she’s an essential part to our Sam Hill team.
Wenda is our in-house Salesforce sensei! Originally from Louisville, she’s a glass-ceiling-shattering graduate of the University of Chicago’s Math department, where in a class of 70+ men, she was one of three women. After three decades in Tucson, she now calls Charlottesville home, captivated by the area’s pollinator gardens and tree canopy. Her software career started as a technical writer, designing help systems and user manuals to make technical topics accessible to anyone. She’s spent the second half of her career channeling her affinity for software into building solutions on the Salesforce platform. A proud mom to her daughter, Sidney, a veterinarian, and son, Andrew, a Montessori teacher, Wenda is a confident believer in the promise of the younger generation. In her free time, she enjoys playing guitar, speaking Spanish, and sewing. She loves exploring live music and is a loyal fan of "da' Bears!" Wenda finally found her dream team at Sam Hill, where she can combine her favorite things: teaching, music, and Salesforce.
Liz was originally from Savannah, GA but grew up in the "sweetest place on earth," Hershey, PA. And her first job? Well, of course, it was at Chocolate World! When Liz started her path in Human Resources in 2013 by way of USC and Cornell, she found her calling and became fully dedicated to continuing the development of her coworkers and providing the best culture and professional environment for them. When she does take some "me time" she spends the day watching live music (any Dead Heads?!), biking around the oceanfront, practicing yoga, renovating her home with her husband Jeff, and being the best dog mom to their charcoal lab, Slater. Liz has called home to many places over the years: Columbia, SC (go Gamecocks!), Denver, Palm Springs, Laguna Beach, Sacramento and DC. Wherever Liz travels, she has never met a stranger, and for now, she's calling VA Beach home.