Our Story
The story begins in Washington State University’s largest lecture hall during Freshman Honors Orientation. Amethyst found herself seated behind a boy who all-to-eagerly spun his chair around to meet her and announced with the courage of a college freshman: “Hi, I’m Garrett! What’s your name?” What began as an overtly extroverted introduction became a lifelong partnership between the two communication majors in a sea of STEM students. Collaborators since the first days of university, Amethyst and Garrett have rooted their life’s work in their shared values of: relationships, authenticity, and integrity. From their first days as teenagers on the cusp of a university experience, to a married couple passionate about using their gifts to make a change, the dream of People First Communications was born. Combining their expertise in the fields of communication and development, Amethyst and Garrett are passionate about providing community benefit organizations with the resources they need to thrive.
Amethyst (Am)
Storyteller. Connector. Creative.
Amethyst has been enamored by stories for as long as she can remember. As a child wandering the stacks of her parent’s childrens book store, as a university student researching the ties between vulnerability and creative nonfiction, and as a professional curating stories for the Office of Recruitment at Washington State University. As a recruiter for Washington State University, she was tasked with recruiting special populations, which allowed her to create and execute a multilevel communication campaign that increased the population by nearly 40% over three years. During her work at Washington State University, she rebranded, reimagined, and re-engineered several large-scale campaigns for incoming students. Though, if you ask her, the best part of the job was being paid to make friends across university departments and create collaborative communication plans. More recently, as an advisor for the Fulbright Hungary EducationUSA Advising Center, she facilitated the sharing of information between the center and over 3,000 individuals and created nation-wide programming for high school students. Amethyst is an avid daydreamer, adventurer, and creative looking to make the world a bit smaller through the magic of storytelling.
Email: amethyst@peoplefirstcom.com
Garrett (G), CFRE & PMP
Builder. Planner. Strategist.
Helping community benefit organizations share and fuel their missions is Garrett's professional North Star. He has led fundraising campaigns and cultivated relationships that have secured over $2 million for nonprofits. Before People First Communications, Garrett helped end homelessness for families in the Treasure Valley as Director of Development for CATCH. He is a Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE), Project Management Professional (PMP), nonprofit founder, and has worked with hundreds of nonprofits in various capacities including his service with the Idaho Nonprofit Center as Training and Programs Manager. Garrett earned his master's degree from the London School of Economics and bachelor's degree from Washington State University. He is a reader, foodie, and traveler who is working through the classics and his ever-growing bucket list.
Email: garrett@peoplefirstcom.com