# Kriste Goad

> Kriste Goad is the Nashville founder and Chief Fire Starter of fuoco, a marketing and communications agency she began as a consultancy in March 2017. A former reporter, speechwriter and agency marketing executive, she hosts How It’s Done and serves as EO Nashville’s communications chair for 2026-2027. Her agency ranked No. 2,975 on the 2023 Inc. 5000.

- **Role:** Founder and Chief Fire Starter at fuoco
- **Organizations:** fuoco, EO Nashville, Can’d Aid (board service reported in 2022), ReviveHealth (former), Hall Strategies (former), Auburn University
- **Education:** Bachelor of Arts in Journalism, Auburn University
- **Known for:** Founded fuoco in March 2017 and expanded it into an agency team., Led fuoco to No. 2,975 on the 2023 Inc. 5000., fuoco received PRWeek’s 2022 U.S. Boutique Agency of the Year honorable mention.

## Career timeline

- **1987-1991** — Studied at Auburn University; earned a BA in Journalism.
- **1994** — A January 24 Nashville Banner article by Goad on the city seal is cited by Nashville’s Metro Clerk.
- **—** — Moved from newspaper reporting to speechwriting for the governor of Tennessee, then corporate communications and agency work.
- **2014** — Listed as ReviveHealth’s chief marketing officer in a conference faculty biography.
- **2017-03** — Founded fuoco as a marketing communications consultancy.
- **2019** — Expanded from independent consulting into an agency with employees, according to her 2026 account.
- **2022-03** — fuoco received honorable mention for PRWeek’s U.S. Boutique Agency of the Year award.
- **2022-03** — Joined EO Nashville, according to her LinkedIn profile.
- **2023-08** — fuoco ranked No. 2,975 on the Inc. 5000.
- **2024-05** — How It’s Done received Swaay.Health’s Agency Podcast of the Year recognition, as listed on her LinkedIn profile.
- **2025-04** — fuoco received the Swaay.Health Agency of the Year award.
- **2026-04** — Began EO Nashville board service, according to LinkedIn.

## Achievements

- Founded fuoco in March 2017 and expanded it into an agency team.
- Led fuoco to No. 2,975 on the 2023 Inc. 5000.
- fuoco received PRWeek’s 2022 U.S. Boutique Agency of the Year honorable mention.
- fuoco won Swaay.Health Agency of the Year in 2025.
- Hosts How It’s Done, recognized as Agency Podcast of the Year in 2024.
- Listed as EO Nashville communications chair for fiscal year 2026-2027.

## Latest updates

- **2026-07** — Appeared on The Spark to discuss agency ownership, staffing lessons, business development and an AI operating system.
- **2026-04** — LinkedIn dates the start of her EO Nashville board membership to April 2026; the chapter lists her as 2026-2027 communications chair.
- **2026-03** — Discussed coordinating trust, credibility and authority signals through fuoco’s Media Engine Optimization approach.

## Links

- Website: https://growwithfuoco.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristegoad
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/GoadKriste
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kristegoad/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kriste.goad

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/kriste-goad
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-06