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PRofiles 20P R of Success Stories of Emerging Leaders in Public Relations PRofiles P R of Success Stories of Emerging Leaders in Public Relations Sponsored by Heyman Associates, Inc. and produced by Graduate Students in the Advertising & Public Relations Department, University of Alabama, Editor: Bruce K. Berger, Ph.D. Designers: Kelly E. Backus, Breeanna C. Beckham, Blaire E. Boswell, Richard A. Rush Jr. & Elizabeth W. Toups University of Alabama 2008 Table of Contents I. Preface .............................................................................................................6 II. Introduction .....................................................................................................8 III. Profiles of Professionals Shannelle Armstrong Manager, U.S. Communications, McDonald’s Corporation ..............13 Fred Bateman President and Founder, The Bateman Group ......................................21 Jeffrey (Jeff) Beringer Senior Vice President, Digital Practice Leader, GolinHarris ................29 Shonali Burke Vice President, Media and Communications, American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals ..............................................37 Robert (Bob) Christie Vice President, Communications, Dow Jones & Company ..............45 Howard Clabo Manager, Media Relations, FedEx Services .........................................53 Liliana Esposito Senior Vice President, Mercury Public Affairs........................................61 Christopher (Chris) Finnegan Vice President, Communications, Discovery Communications, LLC ..........69 Megan Frank Vice President and Director, Public Relations, Allianz Global Investors ......77 Andrew (Andy) Hilton Director of Public Relations, ITT Corporation ..................................................85 Brian Hoyt Vice President, Corporate Communications & Government Affairs, Orbitz ..................................................................................................................93 Thomas (Tucker) McNeil Director, Leadership Communications, MeadWestvaco Corporation .....101 Sreejit Mohan Director, Public Policy and Communications, Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals .............................................................................................109 Nick Ragone Senior Vice President and Director of Client Development, Ketchum .....117 Romina Rosado Managing Director, Europe, The NewsMarket .............................................125 Kash Shaikh Marketing and External Relations Manager, Proctor & Gamble ...............133 Stacy Simpson Vice President, Communications Office, InterActiveCorp ........................141 David Warschawski Founder and CEO, warschawski ...................................................................149 Bari Watson Director of Athletic Marketing and External Affairs, Belmont University ...157 Rebecca Winter Corporate Director of Brand Communications, JCPenney Company, Inc. ................................................................................................165 IV. Principles of Professional Leadership .................................................................173 A. Themes of Leadership ................................................................................174 1. Leading by Example 2. Learning from Mentors 3. Keeping Public Relations Relevant B. Characteristics of Leaders .........................................................................179 1. Creativity 2. Integrity 3. Passion 4. Motivational Abilities 5. Fundamental Skills 6. Diverse Backgrounds Preface The development of excellent leaders in public relations is important to the success of the organizations they serve and to the future and reputation of the profession. In a recent national survey, public relations practitioners said that strong role models--in the work place, classroom, home or elsewhere--exerted the greatest influence on their own leadership values, practices and beliefs. Role models, then, represent a potentially rich source of leadership insights and development for public relations students and young professionals. This book is rooted in that possibility. We tell the stories of 20 women and men, ages 28-40, who are successful and emerging leaders in the field. They are a diverse group who work in a variety of organizations and public relations practice arenas. They were selected based on awards or recognition they have received, or the recommendations of leaders in the practice. Though they represent just a few of the many success stories in public relations, we wanted to try to “bring them life” so that other young professionals and students might benefit from their experiences, insights and passion for the profession. The book was researched, designed, written and produced by public relations and advertising graduate students as a class project at the University of Alabama. The students read and discussed articles and books about leadership, developed an interview guide, conducted and recorded 60-minute interviews with page 6 the 20 professionals, collected additional biographical data and wrote the 2,500-word chapters. They also analyzed the interview transcripts to determine whether the professionals shared similar perceptions and insights about success and leadership. This analysis is summarized in the last section of the book. To the 20 professionals who gave so generously of their time, insights and encouragement in these interviews, thank you. One quality shared by many excellent professionals is “giving back,” and you have demonstrated that quality. To the students who participated in the class project, thank you. I’m extremely proud of your individual and collective accomplishments this semester. This book is testament to your dedication, energy, skills and aspirations. To student and professional readers of this book, we hope these stories will inspire and encourage you. Bruce K. Berger, Ph.D. Professor of the APR 592 Graduate Project Course April 2008 page 7 Introduction A Brief Letter to the Readers: This book depicts some of the characteristics and qualities of 20 young, successful leaders in the public relations field by presenting their stories that were generated from in-depth interviews conducted by advertising and public relations graduate students at the University of Alabama. The interviews were then analyzed for common themes or patterns regarding professional skills, values and experiences. We hope that these stories will inspire others in the field. “Profiles of Success” resulted from a partnership between business and academia when Heyman Associates of New York and Dr. Bruce Berger of the University of Alabama agreed to work in conjunction to develop a deeper understanding of leadership in public relations. Dr. Berger and CEO of Heyman Associates, Bill Heyman, sought to understand how leadership plays a role in the practices of both the individual professional and the public relations industry as a whole. Dr. Berger’s graduate students were given the opportunity to assist in developing this insight by interviewing 20 young, emerging public relations leaders. Those individuals profiled in the book were selected by Heyman Associates based on their previous honors and accomplishments in public relations, as well as through recommendations by seasoned professionals page 8 who recognized their talents. “Profiles of Success” strives to expand upon the knowledge of leadership and its role in the public relations field. This book goes beyond depicting the key characteristics and themes of excellent leadership in public relations; it provides students and young professionals with 20 potential role models for success. Regardless of one’s degree of experience in the field, this book offers a fresh perspective on a timeless subject in an attempt to identify and promote those practices that benefit the profession through quality leadership. On behalf of all the advertising and public relations graduate students at the University of Alabama, the editorial team would like to thank Heyman Associates for supporting us through this endeavor and giving us the opportunity to work on an important research project. In particular, we would like to thank Bill Heyman and Dr. Berger for entrusting us with the responsibility of producing this book. The process served as an exceptional learning experience, in that for an entire semester we were immersed in discussing and analyzing leadership skills, which in turn enabled leadership qualities to be embraced and evolved within our own skill sets. Embarking into the professional world with the knowledge developed from this experience will no doubt enhance our capabilities in our individual careers. As a result of this experience, we have developed a more thorough understanding of what characteristics make a leader and their implications in the public relations field. The magnitude of leadership in public relations rests solely upon the individual shoulders page 9 of each practitioner, but this book attempts to exemplify leadership attributes in 20 profiles that tell the story of those already having chosen to carry that responsibility. These 20 public relations professionals have given us an example on which we can model our futures as professionals. Our hope for others is that, by reading these chapters, some lessons in leadership are learned. The Editorial Team: Shannon E. Creamer Meredith B. Hall Bessie H. Lapeyrouse Abby R. Orr Melissa R. Tauscher page 10 Moving Leadership Forward Shannelle Armstrong Manager, U.S. Communications,