Jiyeon Juno Kim

Managing Director & Founder

Born and raised in Seoul, South Korea, Juno set off for the wider world to pursue her passion for travel and storytelling. She traveled the world as an award-winning travel blogger and photographer at Runaway Juno, witnessing the everyday life in dozens of countries. During her years as a digital nomad, she successfully led and executed media campaigns on a global stage as well as strategized content creation and SEO for leading travel brands. With her deep passion for storytelling, she’s brought traditional life from the Borneo rainforest, the Moai statues of Easter Island, and the cultures of Arctic Alaska closer to home. She’s dedicated to delivering the message that everyone has a story to tell. Juno founded Asian Women’s Empowerment and hosted annual conferences to encourage women to tell their stories and follow their passions in life. 

After a decade of travel, she and her husband relocated to Anchorage (Dena’ina ełnena), Alaska in 2017. Juno is continuing her mission of storytelling in her newly adopted home. She founded Ovibos Consulting to help brands tell their unique story. 

As a big fan of musical theater, if Juno had a walk-up song, it would be “Defying Gravity” from the musical, Wicked.

Erin Kirkland

Business Development Manager

Storyteller and avid adventurer Erin Kirkland grew up in the Pacific Northwest, living, working, and playing among the bountiful forests and rugged coastlines. She and her family eventually worked their way to Alaska, where Erin and her husband James raised two sons. Erin’s efforts to promote family travel in the 49th state became a lifelong mission, and her website AKontheGO.com was well-known around the world as the resource for Alaska visitors traveling with children.

Erin wrote a regular column for the Anchorage Daily News, was a contributor for Alaska Magazine, and co-hosted the Alaska Travelgram radio show for intrepid family explorers. She also authored two guidebooks about seeing Alaska through the lens of kids, and has edited other guides for other well-known publishing outlets.

Erin joined the Ovibos team in 2023 and is the wordsmith for all things content, from social media to blog posts or website copy. She also assists the entire ‘herd’ with project management. In her spare time, Erin is establishing a small homestead on Washington’s beautiful Olympic Peninsula now that she and James are officially ’empty-nesters.’

If Erin had a walk-up song, it would be George Harrison’s “Any Road.”

Julia Virnstein

Marketing Manager

Julia is a seasoned public relations and communications strategist with more than two decades of experience helping organizations clarify their voice and align messaging with purpose. She’s led high-performing teams across education, government, and nonprofit sectors, delivering results in everything from crisis communications and brand storytelling to marketing campaigns and stakeholder engagement.

Known for her strategic mindset and creative spark, Julia brings calm to chaos and momentum to big ideas. Whether she’s leading a planning session or crafting messaging for a major initiative, she’s all about making complex things clear and meaningful.

Spending most of her adult life in Denver, Colorado (ancestral land of the Arapaho, Ute, and Cheyenne peoples), Julia is now based in Edmonton, Alberta (Amiskwaciwâshahikan, Treaty 6 territory). She’s currently pursuing a degree in Native Studies at the University of Alberta with a commitment to supporting decolonization through her work and learning. When she’s not diving into school or strategy sessions, she’s probably hiking a new trail, listening to a podcast, hanging with her dog, or planning her next adventure. Often doing all at the same time. 

Julia’s walk-up song is Charlie XIX’s 360. 

Courtney Nestler

Brand Manager

Courtney Nestler is passionate about bringing people together and showcasing the GOOD in every project she takes on. With a creative mindset and a focus on collaboration, she thrives on thinking outside the box and delivering fresh, innovative marketing ideas. Whether it’s capturing the heart of a community event or crafting a new strategy, Courtney is dedicated to helping organizations stand out and make a lasting impact through creative, authentic storytelling.

As the founder of Bright Light Solutions, Courtney started the company in 2014 as a social media marketing firm, which has since evolved into a specialized festival and event marketing company. A 2004 graduate of the University of Florida with a BS in Public Relations, Courtney has worked across multiple industries in marketing, communications, public relations, and sales. Her career has allowed her to serve as a board member for various nonprofits and organizations, from domestic violence advocacy to ending homelessness among veterans, she enjoys supporting and engaging with her community. 

Originally from Palatka, FL, and married to a US Coast Guard helicopter rescue swimmer, she and her family are currently stationed in Jacksonville, FL. Courtney is always on the move and ready to bring fresh perspectives to new projects. Outside of work, she enjoys exploring nature, whether hiking in the mountains or enjoying a peaceful day at the beach—nature is where she feels most at home.

If she had a walk up song, it would be “Don’t Stop Me Now” by Queen.

Suzanne Oyenarte

Content Marketing Manager

Suzanne Oyenarte brings energy, creativity, and a love of storytelling to every project she touches. With a background in radio and theater, she has a deep appreciation for the power of voice—whether it’s crafting the perfect Google Ads campaign or helping a brand truly connect with its audience. Suzanne is passionate about helping businesses grow and thrive through smart, strategic digital marketing that gets results.

Her journey began behind the mic, enjoying a 15-year career in radio where she produced and voiced countless commercials. In 2017, she shifted her talents to the digital space, specializing in Google Ads campaign strategy and management. Since then, she has helped a wide range of businesses—from local shops to national brands—stand out online and succeed through thoughtful, data-driven marketing.

Originally from the suburbs of Atlanta, Suzanne now lives in Jacksonville, FL, with her husband and their two kids, Rowan and Sage. When she’s not deep in campaign strategy or exploring new marketing trends, she’s likely cooking up a delicious vegan dish, out in the garden, or on an outdoor adventure with her family.

If Suzanne had a walk-up song it would be Canned Heat by Jamiroquai.

Katie Later

Project Specialist

Katie Later brings curiosity, heart, and a sharp strategic mindset to every brand she supports. Originally from Winterport, Maine—the only Winterport in the world—she carries a grounded sense of place into her work and a storyteller’s instinct possibly shaped by having Stephen King as her neighbor for a period of time. His novels are still her go-to for a good scare and a quick trip back to Maine, at least in spirit.

After moving from Maine to Savannah, GA, and eventually Jacksonville, FL, Katie has built a career spanning six years of hands-on marketing for a wide range of businesses.

Outside of work, Katie can usually be found digging through antique stores or flipping through crates at local record shops. An old soul with a self-proclaimed music-snob streak, she’s happiest around anything with a little history, a lot of character, and a good story behind it.

If Katie had a walk-up song, it would probably be something on vinyl—likely You Can Call Me Al by Paul Simon.

Cris Stone

Digital Specialist

Cris Stone is a native of Salcha, Alaska, who now resides in Palmer, Alaska (by way of Los Angeles and San Antonio) with her husband, daughter, son, and two cats.

She has a degree in Web Design and another in e-Commerce plus taught blogging classes for various Adult Community Education programs for five years.

Cris has been the founder and content creator of lifestyle blog, Kiss My Tulle, for over 15 years and has also worked as a social media manager and freelance web designer.

She’s a big fan of french fries, 80’s One-Hit Wonders, and any show involving serial killers. Cris’s walk-up song would be Demi Lovato’s “Confident”.

Keenan James Britt

Web Manager

Originally from the Michigan-Ohio border, Keenan followed the advice ‘Go West, young man!’ to pursue his career in Alaska, where he now resides with his family in Palmer.

Keenan trained in anthropology and paleontology in college and volunteered on archaeological digs in Belize, Jordan and Alaska. He is a current board member of the Alaska Museum of Science & Nature.

A passionate computer programmer, Keenan has worked as a web-manager and digital marketing specialist for several organizations around Alaska. However, he enjoys taking time away from the screens to visit his bovine friends at the Musk Ox Farm in Palmer.

A former can-can dancer for the Far North Follies’ stage-production “That’s Valdez!”, Keenan’s walk-up song was, of course, the French Can-can.

What is Ovibos?

Imagine a big and sturdy mammal standing strong on the freezing Arctic tundra, oblivious to wind and snow. That’s the musk ox. Ovibos is the genus name of the musk ox, an ancient mammal that persevered through the Ice Age. It’s called oomingmak (or umingmak) by Alaska Native Peoples. Musk ox live in herds. When the herd is threatened by predators, the adults face outward to form a semicircle around the calves and juveniles. The underfur of musk ox, known as qiviut, is the warmest fiber on earth. Qiviut is one of the unique adaptations of musk ox which make it possible to survive the freezing Arctic winters. 

Why the name ovibos?

The characteristics mentioned above are the principles we want to follow as a company. We want to be sturdy; withstanding any challenges blocking our success. We want to be protective of our clients and invite them into our ‘herd’. We strive to be timeless; applying ideas and practices that last a long time. We are strong but we have a soft side that’s the most valuable, just like qiviut.

Friends of the Musk Ox

We are proud to support our friends at the Musk Ox Farm, a facility dedicated to educating the public about the animal, qiviut production, and the domestication of musk oxen, located in Palmer, Alaska. Ovibos Consulting will donate a portion of our earnings each year to support the Musk Ox Farm and their mission. When you work with us, you’re also helping the future of the musk ox, so thank you!

Introducing our adorable “adopted” musk oxen