About
Vice President of Strategy
Heather Gramm
With over 20 years of expertise across municipal, county, and state economic development, Heather holds a wealth of knowledge in transforming communities.
Heather’s career spans a range of economic development focuses, from business and community development to downtown revitalization. After graduating from Hood College with her B.A. in Business Administration, she started her career in economic development, working with the City of Frederick Department of Economic Development. She then transitioned to the Maryland Department of Commerce as Director of Regional Growth and Retention before returning to Frederick in 2017 to serve the Frederick County Office of Economic Development as Deputy Director.
Most recently, Heather served as the Assistant Secretary of Business and Industry Sector Development with the Maryland Department of Commerce.
In this role, Heather oversaw all aspects of the state’s business development efforts, including domestic and international business attraction and in-state business retention and expansion efforts; strategic industry sector development; economic development finance programs; and the agency’s advocacy and support for military and federal assets in the state.
Continuing her dedication to economic development, she became a Certified Economic Developer (CEcD) in 2007 and is a graduate of the Leadership Frederick County (2011) and Leadership Maryland (2017) programs.
In 2012, Heather received the Leading Women Award from the Maryland Daily Record, which honors women under forty for outstanding career achievements. Recipients are chosen based on their professional experience, community involvement, and dedication to inspiring change.
Heather was honored by the Development Counsellors International (DCI) 40 Under 40 Awards in 2015, which celebrate the top forty economic development professionals under forty who show exceptional leadership, dedication, and innovation in their work every day.
Connect with Heather via email or on LinkedIn.
Favorite part of her job: Facilitating collaborations and building partnerships.
Professional superpowers: Problem-solving.
Personal superpowers: Finding things! Heather is the official “finder of lost things” in her family.
Her favorite things: Warm beaches in the summer; the colors and smells of fall; gathering around a campfire with friends; reading books; boating, especially at South Holston Lake; spending time with family; a hoppy IPA; traveling; sticky notes; holiday decorations.
Meet the Team Behind PPR Strategies
Sandy Dubay
CEO and Founder
Sandy Dubay, CEcD (formerly Sandy Sponaugle) is the CEO and Founder of PPR Strategies (previously Platinum PR). As PPR Strategies’ fearless leader, she brings over 20 years of marketing savvy …
Sophie Slawson
Managing Director
Sophie loves helping small-town economies reach their fullest potential. As the Managing Director at PPR Strategies, she leads projects, multitasks like a champ …
Heather Gramm
Vice President of Strategy
With over 20 years of expertise across municipal, county, and state economic development, Heather Gramm is a certified economic developer (CEcD) with a wealth of experience in transforming communities.
Hanna Turner
Director of Client Relations
Hanna enjoys tapping into the uniqueness of our clients, helping them to expand and thrive. She has worked in municipal government communications, economic development, …
Mia Vaccaro
Public Relations Specialist
Hannah Clawson
Senior Content Writer
Content makes the world go around and Hannah is more than happy to help it spin!
As Senior Content Writer, she meticulously crafts all written pieces for PPR’s clientele.
Kayla Sherry
Social Media Coordinator
Kayla, as the Gen Z stereotypes claim, is obsessed with all things social media. Growing up during the early stages of today’s most-used digital platforms has allowed her to become immersed…
Caleigh Bernota
Communications Specialist
Caleigh is a senior at Stevenson University working towards a degree in Business Communications with Graphic Design and Fashion Merchandising minors.
