WHO WE ARE
Passionate creativity drives us forward
Maureen Nelson
Managing Partner
Maureen Nelson is a writer at heart so has spent her career in various types of communications professions that utilize her practiced skills. Her successes include more than 30 years in public relations, advertising, media buying, marketing and journalism. She is a partner at Pineapple Tweed Public Relations & Marketing, where she executes an interesting variety of account work and is happy to be hands on with the agency’s clients instead of stuck behind a desk and computer monitor. She especially enjoys developing public relations and advertising strategies for clients that need to dust off their communications and helping to position or re-position company brands in the marketplace.
Nelson began her career as a reporter for the Santa Cruz Daily Sentinel before moving to Los Angeles, where she spent time as an automotive journalist, writer and editor at Petersen Publishing. She was Vice President at Hill & Knowlton Public Relations both in Los Angeles and in Honolulu, which at that time was the largest public relations agency in the world. Nelson was instrumental in developing product launches for Mazda Motor of America and Mitsubishi Motors in Los Angeles. While at Hill & Knowlton Honolulu, Nelson helped Hawaiian Airlines introduce its first flight to the West Coast to the media and the public, and also introduced Ross Dress For Less to Hawaii.
Nelson also spent time as a television and radio advertising sales representative, as well as a media buyer for various campaigns in Hawaii. She was the sales manager for KCCN FM100 radio station and National Sales Manager for Cox Radio Hawaii, where she wrote and produced many advertising commercials and promotional campaigns. Nelson is a Certified Journalism Educator and has worked with high school students to help them expand their knowledge of journalism, photojournalism and graphic design.
Piia Aarma
Founder
A master story teller and communication strategist, Piia M. Aarma is president of Pineapple Tweed Public Relations and Marketing, which she founded in 1997 after a successful career in corporate and national level communications. Her experience spans reputation management to newspaper reporting and editing. She has broad industry and functional expertise with specialties in image and positioning, content creation, media relations and crisis management.
Aarma serves on numerous nonprofit boards and is deeply involved in the entrepreneurial community. She is currently a Professional in Residence for the Pacific Asia Center for Entrepreneurship (PACE) at University of Hawaii and a member of its advisory board and serves as a mentor at Mana Up and Blue Startups. A former president of the Hawaii Nature Center’s board of directors, she now serves as an advisor, as a trustee for KCAA Preschools of Hawaii and secretary of the Board of Directors for Hawaii Contemporary. She is a sponsor of the Hawaii Venture Capital Association and Mana Up, a member of Hawaii Green Growth’s Business Sustainability Forum and a former president and member of the Hawaii Pacific Export Council, a federally appointed position. She was elected the 2016 president of The Pacific Club, the oldest business and social club west of the Mississippi, the second woman in the history of the Club to serve as president; and in 2022 received the PRSA Hawaii Chapter’s President’s Leadership Award.
Haley Pickering
Account Manager
Haley Pickering is a dynamic public relations and marketing professional with a proven track record of driving brand growth, media visibility and meaningful client engagement across diverse industries. As public relations and marketing manager at Pineapple Tweed PR & Marketing, she leads integrated communications strategies that combine media relations, social media management, content development and analytics-driven planning to deliver measurable results.
Pickering has successfully managed multi-client social media and communications programs, developing tailored content strategies and editorial calendars that consistently generate 25-40% increases in engagement and sustained follower growth. Her work is grounded in data-informed decision making, with a strong emphasis on media monitoring, performance reporting and cross-functional collaboration.
In addition to her agency leadership experience, Haley brings a strong commercial mindset shaped by her background in luxury retail, where she was recognized as a top-performing sales leader, generating more than $200,000 in 10-week seasonal sales. This experience sharpened her expertise in trend forecasting, client relations and revenue-driven strategy–skills she seamlessly applies to brand positioning and audience engagement in her marketing work.
Her skill set spans strategic communications, media relations, crisis management, content creation, event planning and digital analytics. She is proficient across leading industry tools including Adobe Creative Suite, Google Analytics, Meta Business Suite and Salesforce. She holds a Bachelor of Business Administration in marketing from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa and was a Direct Admit student in the Shidler College of Business.
Known for her strategic thinking, creative execution and collaborative leadership style, Pickering is passionate about building authentic brand narratives and cultivating long-term partnerships that drive both visibility and impact.
Madison Mataxas
Public Relations Consultant
Madison Mataxas is a Public Relations Consultant at Pineapple Tweed Public Relations & Marketing, bringing vision, energy, and storytelling to the job. Using a blend of creativity and tailored professionalism, she develops PR and marketing campaigns that elevate brand visibility and encourage meaningful audience engagement.
With a background in journalism, social media and graphic design, Madison excels at finding the narrative hooks in every client’s story. Her skills include pitch development, social media management and building strategies designed to ensure impactful coverage and clear brand messaging.
Originally from Savannah, Georgia, Madison holds a Bachelor of Arts in journalism and mass media studies. Prior to joining Pineapple Tweed, she gained valuable experience developing social media content, managing media analytics and copyediting. Beyond her professional work, Madison enjoys exploring local culinary spots, staying ahead of digital media trends and embracing the island lifestyle.
Ann Bertholf
SEO, AI SEO Strategist/ Website Development
Ann has over 15 years of experience in digital marketing. Her expertise is in Search Engine Marketing. She and her partner started In-Touch Marketing and Bertholf Ventures in 2010, helping hundreds of clients create successful marketing and advertising strategies and grow their business online, including Oceanic Time Warner Cable, Auto Anything, Hilton Waikiki Hotel, and the City and County of Honolulu.
She worked at Cox Media Group Hawaii for 10 years, beginning as an Account Manager, working on creative campaigns for clients like Mercedes Benz and Central Pacific Bank, and five years as General Sales Manager. She later started their Digital Sales division as Digital Sales Manager.
Ruth Moen
Graphic Designer
Ruth Moen has been designing and illustrating for more than 25 years. A graduate of San Jose State University with a Bachelor of Science in graphic design and a concentration in illustration, her first job was with Shirokiya Department Store illustrating products and designing ads. After a brief stint with a small design firm, she began freelancing for Ogilvy & Mather Hawaii as a designer and art director.
