Kathy Cain is the co-founder, principal, and chief strategist of Zehno Cross Media Communications, a national leader in creating web and print marketing communications for educational organizations.

Kathy draws daily on her insight, experience and unparalleled interpersonal skills to help Zehno and its clients build winning, long-lasting brands. With an extensive background in both corporate and not-for-profit work, she brings impressive depth of synergy and creativity to marketing communications challenges and opportunities. Kathy’s ability to grasp immediately the big strategic picture while overseeing the impeccable implementation of the finest details is an unusual and highly productive combination. It has earned a sterling international reputation for her — and for Zehno.

After serving as an award-winning art director at Tulane University, Kathy and her partner Paulette founded a new kind of firm in 1984, focused on addressing the communications opportunities of clients — particularly in the education and not-for-profit sectors — while emphasizing design excellence. The thriving business enjoyed steady and impressive growth.

Kathy works with clients to identify goals and implement results-driven strategic plans and creative concepts. Then she serves as a communications advocate and champion over the long term, helping to build consensus, keep stakeholders focused, and ensure that brand and messaging remain consistent, recognizable and inspiring.

Unsurprisingly, she is in great demand as a speaker at industry conferences and workshops, usually focusing on the strategic importance of consistent branding and visual identity. She has conducted highly rated sessions at national and international gatherings for organizations including:

• Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC)
• Law School Admission Council (LSAC)
• Council for the Advancement and Support of Education (CASE)
• National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC)
• National Society for Fundraising Executives (NSFRE)
• University and College Designers Association (UCDA)

Kathy’s work has also been featured in the international design publications How and Print and the Russian design magazine Pekrama. Kathy was also a U.S. Delegate to the Icograda World Design Congress in Havana, Cuba, the largest and most comprehensive design event in the world with participation from national design associations in 49 countries. Check out photos from that trip.

Kathy spends much of her non-Zehno time design consulting with her contractor husband, Brad, as he continues to work on restoring homes flooded by Hurricane Katrina. Their latest restoration project is working on a 100+ year old home near City Park where they now reside. She enjoys getting together with her son, Chris, who as a child aspired to be a professional chef but chose engineering as a profession. Together they work on some serious creative and engineering concoctions in the kitchen. Kathy tries to schedule as many trips to San Diego as possible to visit her daughter, Ashley, a student and research assistant at UCSD. Kathy’s best thinking begins each day with a 6-mile track around the neighborhood with her dog, Sadie.