Deana began her career as a public relations specialist at Hirons and immediately assumed an upward trajectory. Now a 26-year veteran of the agency, she serves as chief executive officer and is the first woman to serve in this role in the agency’s 48-year history. Hirons is headquartered in Indianapolis with offices in Chicago and Detroit.

Deana is best known for her work in crisis communications and issues management and routinely volunteers her time to provide training on these critical topics. Deana also developed the proprietary Rural Reach program at Hirons, which uses a unique matrix of strategies and tactics for companies, organizations and government agencies that need to communicate with rural populations across Indiana and around the country. 

Deana is passionate about mentoring young professionals and believes, as does Hirons, that the cultivation of a talented workforce is vital to Hirons’ culture and essential to its clients’ success. 

Under Deana’s skilled leadership, Hirons is one of the largest advertising, public relations and digital agencies in the Midwest and serves public- and private-sector clients. Deana was central to Hirons becoming a certified ESOP (employee stock ownership plan) company in 2013.

Hirons is also a Women’s Business Enterprise, as recognized by the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC); the states of Illinois and Tennessee; the commonwealth of Kentucky; and the cities of Indianapolis and Detroit.  

Committed to both business excellence and civic responsibility, Deana was named by IBJ Media, parent company of the Indianapolis Business Journal, as a member of their three most recent Indiana 250 lists, which recognize the most influential and impactful leaders across the state of Indiana. She was also named a 2018 Woman of Influence by the Indianapolis Business Journal and is a 2024 recipient of the May Wright Sewall Leadership Award from the Indianapolis Propylaeum. Deana received the 2025 Excellence in Engagement Award from the Great Lakes Women’s Business Council (GLWBC), and most recently, she received the 2026 Elmer Davis Award from the Franklin College Pulliam School of Journalism and the 2026 Friend of the Indiana High School Press Association Award. 

Deana serves on the boards of the Indiana Chamber of Commerce, Indy Chamber, Central Indiana Women’s Business Center, Crossroads of America Council Foundation, Greater Indianapolis Progress Committee, Madam Walker Legacy Center, Indiana Conference for Women, OneZone Chamber of Commerce, and Aspire Economic Development + Chamber Alliance. She is an active member of the National Association of Women Business Owners and serves on their National Advocacy Committee. She is also chair of WBENC’s Central Indiana WBE Forum and serves on the GLWBC’s Indiana WBE Advisory Committee. Deana formerly served as the 2024-2025 board chair for the Crossroads of America Council, Scouting America and was the first woman to chair the board.

Deana is accredited in Public Relations by the Public Relations Society of America. She holds a master’s degree in public relations from Ball State University and a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Franklin College, where she now serves as a trustee and chairs the board’s Development Committee. She previously led the PR program in an adjunct capacity from 2020 to 2023.   

Deana resides in Indianapolis with her sons, John and Will; her partner, Michael Roman; and her American bulldog rescue, Athena.