Matthew R. Tidwell, APR Experience Morningstar Communications – Overland Park, KS Vice President Currently lead new business acquisition efforts and provide senior level client service for Morningstar Communications, a full-service marketing communications firm. Specialize in industries including healthcare, advanced energy, and financial services. Great Plains Energy / KCP&L – Kansas City, Missouri Director, Corporate Communications 2006 - 2009 Managed the corporate communications department at Great Plains Energy, a $3 billion energy firm and parent company of Kansas City Power & Light (KCP&L). Led a staff of six communicators and served on the leadership team for the company’s Public Affairs Division. Directed all internal communications and also supervised customer communications. KCP&L was named one of the top two best Midwestern utilities in the communications category in the 2008 J.D. Power & Associates annual customer satisfaction survey. Sanofi-Aventis Pharmaceuticals – Kansas City, Missouri Senior Manager, Communications and Corporate Relations 2001 – 2005 Served as Head of U.S. Industrial Affairs (IA) communications and community relations for Sanofi- Aventis, the world’s third largest pharmaceutical company with revenues of more than $20 billion. Duties included serving as chief communications counsel to the Kansas City leadership team directing communications to external audiences as well as to a base of more than 800 employees in Kansas City. Served as chief spokesperson for the company in Kansas City and also supervised a local community relations program providing more than $250,000 annually to charitable organizations. While with predecessor company Aventis Pharmaceuticals, duties included serving as the communications head for the Global Product Development and Supply (PDS) division. This position supported the Senior Vice President of PDS and involved planning and executing communications to support products transferring from the R&D pipeline to the manufacturing and marketing divisions. Other assignments included leading the company’s communications efforts around its Indy Racing League sponsorship as well as directing communications involving manufacturing plant divestitures in Cincinnati, Ohio and San Juan, Puerto Rico. Joined the company in 2001 as Communications and Community Relations Head for the North America IA region before that organization was disbanded in a 2004 reorganization. Marketing.Comm – Overland Park, Kansas 2000-2001 Public Relations Director Served on the agency management team and supervised client projects for this full-service advertising/marketing company. Primary clients included John Deere Construction Equipment, Caterpillar, Kansas City, Kansas Public Schools and the Kansas City, Kansas Board of Public Utilities. Boasberg\Wheeler Communications Kansas City, Missouri 1996 - 2000 Account Vice President Served on the agency management team and supervised client projects for this full-service independent public relations firm. Primary clients included Sprint, Sprint PCS, Big 12 Conference, Hoechst Marion Roussel (HMR), and Harmon Industries. For HMR, directed the agency team supporting product communications for Cardizem CD, the company’s top-selling hypertension product. Projects included supporting the brand through numerous media relations efforts and managing agency support of response to negative news coverage surrounding calcium channel blockers in 1997 and 1998. For Sprint PCS, accomplishments included advancing the brand through consumer events, sports sponsorships (National Football League and Indy Racing League) and community relations projects (Sprint PCS “Speak Out for Breast Cancer Awareness” campaign); For the Big 12 Conference, supervised creation and production of public service announcements that ran on regional and national television broadcasts; For Sprint, supervised agency team supporting internal marketing efforts including the formal unveiling of Sprint’s new $950 million corporate campus. • Association Management Services, Inc. — Prairie Village, Kansas 1992 - 1996 Executive Vice President Co-founded this full-service association communications and management firm in August, 1992 and supervised its growth over that time to include six association clients and six full-time staff. Managed growth of clients and served as Executive Director for small national medical associations including the American Academy of Environmental Medicine and the Association of Medicine and Psychiatry. • SLACK, Incorporated — Thorofare, New Jersey Special Projects Network SLACK is a $20 million association management and medical communications company with publishing (medical journals and books), medical meeting management and special projects divisions. 1990 - 1992 Marketing Director / Convention Newspapers Based in Kansas City and served as the first Marketing Director of SPN's convention newspaper division. Duties included supervision of all marketing initiatives, prospecting for new clients (primary territories were Washington, D.C. and Chicago) and supervising client service on-site at major conventions nationwide. • Atwood Convention Publishing — Overland Park, Kansas Atwood Convention Publishing was the nation's largest convention newspaper publishing company. 1987-1990 Marketing Manager Managed marketing efforts for Atwood, including supervising the marketing staff, prospecting for new clients and renewal of current accounts. Responsible for landing several large convention accounts upon joining the marketing department, including the SERVISTAR Hardware Corporation, the McDonald's Corporation, the International Communications Industries Association and Meeting Planners International. Also served as the company's Public Relations Coordinator. Joined the company in August of 1987 as Associate Editor. • Leiweke and Company — Kansas City, Missouri Summer 1986 and December 1986 Account Service Primary client included the Kansas City Friends of the Zoo. Other projects included assistance with marketing of Kansas and Missouri Special Olympics benefit basketball; the University of Kansas athletic Matthew Tidwell, page three programs; the NAIA National Basketball Tournament; the Kansas City Spirit Festival; and Friends of the Zoo's Zoomin magazine. • The University of Kansas, Department of Athletics — Lawrence, Kansas 1986-87 Sports Information Department — Student Assistant • The Arkansas City (Kansas) Traveler (circulation: 8,000) Summer, 1983 and 1984 -- Sports Reporter Recognition IABC, Kansas City Chapter, Bronze Quill Award, “Great Plains Energy-Aquila Transition Communications Campaign” PRSA, Kansas City Chapter, PRISM Silver Award: “Great Plains Energy Annual Report” PRSA, Kansas City Chapter, PRISM Silver Award: “KCP&L EEI Edison Award video” Telly Award: “Harmon Industries: NYC Transit Authority Speed Enforcement Training Video” IABC, Kansas City Chapter, Award of Merit: “The Sprint PCS ‘Speak Out for Breast Cancer’ Awareness Campaign with Christie Brinkley” PRSA, Kansas City Chapter, PRISM Award: “Hoechst Marion Roussel – New Year’s Resolution for a Healthy Heart Video News Release” PRSA, Kansas City Chapter, PRISM Award: “Sprint PCS – Wireless Safety Week Media Relations Campaign” IABC, Kansas City Chapter, Bronze Quill Award: “Hoechst Marion Roussel -- Once Daily Medications and the Sandwich Generation Video News Release” PRSA, Kansas City Chapter, PRISM Award: “The Sprint NFL Good Sports Essay Program” Recent Affiliations Adjunct faculty member, Washburn University, Mass Media department Adjunct faculty member, Henry Bloch School of Business and Public Administration, University of Missouri-Kansas City Member, Kansas City Missouri Advanced Energy Task Force Member, Board of Directors, Shawnee Mission School District Education Foundation Former chairman, Kansas City Big 12 Host Committee Former member, Board of Directors, Greater Kansas City Sports Commission and Foundation Member, Board of Directors, Ozanam Former member, Board of Directors, Public Relations Society of America, Greater KC Chapter Co-Chairman, PR/Promotions, 1998 NCAA Women's Final Four Host Committee Education Syracuse University — Syracuse, New York 2007 graduate. M.S., Communications Management, S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications limited residency, independent study program -- one of the premier advanced degree programs for working marketing communications professionals in the United States. The University of Kansas — Lawrence, Kansas 1987 graduate. B.S., William Allen White School of Journalism and Mass Communications. Campus participation included University Daily Kansan (beat reporter covering men’s basketball), the Kansas Relays Student Committee and the Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity. Wyandotte High School — Kansas City, Kansas 1983 graduate. Member, National Honor Society and designated a University of Kansas “Kansas Honors Program” student..