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Women Running PR Firms
Meet the Atlanta women who are pushing the city's public relations to the forefront.
April 7, 2009
P
ublic relations traditionally has been a field where women not only excelled but also
often were the bosses. It is a field where strategic thinking meets relationship skills where
creativity meets analytical reasoning. Meet several women, who not only possess these skills, but
also either own their own firms or head up nationally owned firms.
Lynne Andrews
President/CEO
Marketing Expectations Inc.
Lynne Andrews has more than 20
years experience producing public relations and marketing communication programs for the health
care, retail/franchise, logistics/supply chain and tradeshow industries.
Andrews has participated in and implemented national publicity campaigns, new product
launches, crisis management and marketing communications programs for national and international
business-to-business, health care and consumer clients. Her client list includes Accuray™, makers
of the CyberKnife Robotic Radiosurgery System; The Dinner A'Fare; COMNEXIA™; Cardinal Logistics
Management; Spa Sydell; the Kaiser Permanente Corporate Run/Walk & Fitness Program; and
Vitronic Machine Ltd.
Awarded the prestigious Golden Flame by the International Association of Business
Communicators for media and marketing excellence, Andrews also has received numerous awards from
the Public Relations Society of America. She is the recipient of the Best of Show award by the
Georgia Society for Healthcare Marketing and Public Relations. The award is the organization's
highest honor for overall marketing communications excellence.
Andrews founded Marketing Expectations Inc. in 1998. She has served as hospital spokesperson
for some of metropolitan Atlanta's largest hospitals and busiest trauma centers, including Grady
Hospital, Kennestone Hospital, Cobb Hospital & Medical Center and Northside Hospital. She also
played a key role in the successful launch in 1994 of PROMINA Health System.
A University of Georgia graduate, Andrews holds a bachelor's degree in journalism with a
double major in public relations and radio/TV/film production.
www.marketingexpectations.com
Nikki Barjon
COO, President, Co-Owner
The R Agency
Nikki Barjon began her career
at Ruder Finn in New York before moving on to independent consulting. A graduate of the University
of Pennsylvania and Temple University, Barjon started The R Agency with Michael Roberts, whose
company, the Roberts Companies, is one of the country's most successful African-American firms,
with assets of more than $980 million, including the largest African-American owned and operated
hotel group, the largest private communications tower company, as well as owning and operating four
television stations and one radio station.
She has offices in Atlanta and St. Louis. The agency's client roster includes former
Atlanta Braves Brian Jordan, former NFL player Ray Buchanan, Ford Motors, Nationally Syndicated
Radio Host, Warren Ballentine (Radio One), Business Guru, Michael Roberts, Crowne Plaza and
Winsonic, a publicly held technology client.
www.theragency.com
Laura Borgstede
CEO - Chief Energizing Officer
Calysto
Laura
Borgstede has 15 years management and public relations experience working with both start-up and
Fortune 1000 technology, wireless and telecommunications companies. Formed in February 1999,
Calysto provides strategic consulting to select clients and guides the firm's operations, business
development and long-term vision.
With Calysto, Borgstede has directed programs for a range of clients in multiple
telecommunications segments. She has overseen the PR programs and strategies for clients such as
Telica (purchased by Lucent), Cbeyond Communications, VocalData (purchased by Tekelec), BroadSoft,
TELLABS, UIEvolution (purchased by Square Enix) and TalkingNets.
Before joining Calysto, Borgstede served as a vice president at Socket Public Relations (now
Blanc & Otus), where her work included the establishment of a regional office in Research
Triangle Park, N.C. For four years, she led global accounts such as ABB Power, Bosch
Telecommunications, IBM Wireless, Ericsson and ADTRAN as well as smaller accounts such as Ganymede
Software (purchased by NetIQ), RangeStar Wireless, Dunn & Bradstreet Software (now GEAC
Software) and Wireless Telecom Inc.
Before joining Blanc & Otus, Borgstede was with Crescent Communications, where she
managed integrated marketing communications programs for companies such as Nokia, Scientific
Atlanta and Digital Transmission Systems. Throughout her career, Borgstede has successfully managed
company and product launches and public relations campaigns, beginning with the first digital
network launch, the first commercial wireless phone and the first wireless data applications.
Borgstede holds a bachelor's degree in public relations from Florida State University.
www.calysto.com
Amanda Brown-Olmstead
President/CEO
A. Brown-Olmstead Associates
Amanda Brown-Olmstead
founded her public relations firm 36 years ago and has since served hundreds of clients, achieved
numerous national and international awards and has been recognized as an industry Fellow, a member
of the Georgia PRSA Hall of Fame and held many positions of leadership in the industry.
Being the first woman to head a full-service public relations firm in Georgia and most
likely in the Southeast, Brown-Olmstead has been at the forefront of public affairs issues in
Georgia as well as environmental program development. The firm also has been responsible for
statewide advocacy programs and a variety of political campaigns.
Specializing in network marketing, she has engaged her clients in civic, cultural and social
issue activities. Her interest in conservation and the environment goes back to the '70s, when her
firm was instrumental in bringing MARTA to Atlanta, working with both the citizens group TransFacs
and the Urban Mass Transit Authority. The many activities she has led include the annual
Eco-Benefit fundraiser for the Georgia Conservancy, and she has worked with clients such as W.B.
Johnson Properties on the first energy-saving technology in office buildings and hotels in Florida.
She is a member of the Regional Business Coalition board, the board of Central Atlanta
Progress, the advisory board of the Shepherd Center, the board of the Atlanta Regional Health Forum
Organization, which she founded, the Carter Center Board of Councilors, the executive committee of
the Robinson College of Business at Georgia State, the Women's Forum of Georgia and the national
board of the Alliance for Christian Media.
www.newaboa.com
Karen Canavan
CEO
KC Public Relations Inc.
Karen Canavan
offers twenty years of PR experience as a former vice president with Golin/Harris International and
former owner of Karen Canavan and Associates. In 1999, Canavan joined forces with former
Golin/Harris associate Kristin Cowart to form KC Public Relations, Inc.
Canavan provides strategic direction for a number of clients in the retail, hospitality,
health and wellness, entertainment and non-profit fields including Simon Property Group, The
Mansion on Peachtree, a Rosewood Hotel & Residence, W Perimeter, TOUS, Fresh 'n Fit Cuisine,
Wellbridge Health Clubs, 10 Degrees South, Jack and Dianes, The Buckhead Hotel Council and Brand
Atlanta.
During Canavan's tenure with Golin/Harris, she spearheaded the implementation of national
media tours for Coloplast Corporation with spokesperson and breast cancer survivor Linda Ellerbee,
as well as 15-city tours with the STEP Company with gymnast Nadia Comaneci.
Canavan is a member of the ACVB, GHLA and PRSA. She's the marketing chairperson for the
Buckhead Hotel Council, has handled PR for the Share Our Strength Taste of the Nation event, and
been on the host committee for the Dallas Austin Foundation annual gala.
www.kcpr.net
Carol Cookerly
President
Cookerly Public Relations
Building on her background
as a reporter and public relations professional, Carol Cookerly founded Cookerly Public Relations
in 1991. Under her direction, the firm has grown in staff and billings into one of Atlanta's
leading mid-sized agencies with a client roster more typical of national firms.
Cookerly Public Relations has worked with many high profile clients to promote their
products and services and managed some of the most sensitive issues/crisis situations. Cookerly
leads the company's issues/crisis management practice, employing a highly effective counseling
approach that includes integration with the client's senior management team in the development and
execution of strategic plans that minimize negative impact and maximize image-building
opportunities.
She has directed a broad range of issues and crisis communications programs for companies
that were the subject of regional, national and international headlines. These include programs
focused on discrimination, the environment, health care, mergers and acquisitions, product
liability, corporate financial crises, management restructuring, union activism, insurance industry
matters and government regulation.
Before forming Cookerly Public Relations, she worked with Informatics Software and Hill
& Knowlton as well as Freeman Public Relations. She worked as a television reporter in both
Greensboro, N.C., and Durham, N.C.
A graduate of Duke University with a degree in economics, Cookerly has served on the board
of directors of the Metropolitan Atlanta YMCA for nearly a decade. She was chosen as its 2004
"Volunteer of the Year."
www.cookerly.com
Kathy Cosgrove
Deputy Managing Director
GolinHarris Atlanta
Kathy
Cosgrove is deputy managing director of GolinHarris Atlanta, where she is responsible for managing
a diversified range of accounts and developing new business.
Cosgrove has more than 25 years of experience in public relations, including three years in
which she operated her own firm, Cosgrove Communications. She has directed a variety of programs
for health care organizations, including many hospitals, and health-related causes such as
immunization, tobacco cessation and organ donation. She also has worked on consumer marketing
programs ranging from soft drinks to bread baking and business-to-business marketing.
At GolinHarris Atlanta, she directs client work for the State of Georgia, Division of Public
Health Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion Branch and Division of Public Health Family
Health Branch. In addition, she works with Piedmont Healthcare and the organization's three
hospitals as well as the Georgia Center for Children, the Centers for Disease Control &
Prevention, and Hazelden, a national alcohol and drug treatment center.
She has won five Silver Anvils, the highest award presented by the Public Relations Society
of America.
Cosgrove was instrumental in drafting the public relations plan for The Atlanta Project as
well as working with the Project; she also worked with The Carter Presidential Center to implement
the state Immunization/Children's Health Initiative.
She is a member of the Public Relations Society of America and the Society for Healthcare
Strategy and Market Development and serves on the board of directors for the Georgia Transplant
Foundation and the Georgia Breast Cancer Coalition Fund.
Cosgrove earned an associate's degree from Ferris State University in Michigan and a
bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of Memphis.
www.golinharris.com
Claudia Brooks D'Avanzo
Founder/President
Creative Communications Consultants
Claudia Brooks
D'Avanzo is founder/president of Creative Communications Consultants, a marketing communications
and public relations firm. A 23-year veteran of the communications industry, she has designed and
executed numerous award-winning programs in the areas of consumer marketing, health care,
hospitality, travel and tourism, sports marketing, retailing, business-to-business and
not-for-profit. In 1999, D'Avanzo expanded the firm with a health care division, Healthcomm,
focusing on health care communications.
As she celebrated the 10th anniversary of her firm in 2008, D'Avanzo found herself wanting
to do more - and reach more - into the community to help others. In April 2009 she launched
Altruistics (www.altruistics.net), a consulting practice offering
marketing and communications services to the nonprofit sector at what D'Avanzo calls a combination
of "community-minded" rates and pro bono services.
Before starting Creative Communications, D'Avanzo was a senior vice president for
Fleishman-Hillard International Communications, a division of Omnicom. During her eight years with
Fleishman-Hillard, she managed the consumer marketing and health care practices for the firm's
Southeast office. She also worked as a senior account manager for Manning, Selvage & Lee Public
Relations and began her career in the public affairs department of Lockheed Martin.
Her work has been honored with numerous industry awards, including 10 Phoenix awards
from the Public Relations Society of America, four Gold and Silver Quill awards from the
International Association of Business Communicators and a President's Citation for Private Sector
Initiatives.
She received a bachelor's degree in speech communications and journalism from Auburn
University and earned a master's degree in English literature from Georgia State University. She is
vice chairwoman of the advisory committee to Auburn University's Department of
Communication/Journalism.
www.creativecomminc.com
Donna Fleishman
President
Cohn & Wolfe (Atlanta)
Donna
Englander Fleishman is president of Cohn & Wolfe Atlanta. The agency was founded in Atlanta in
1970 and, in June 2008, merged with GCI Group to make it a top 10 global agency. It is a strategic
public relations agency dedicated to creating, building and protecting the world’s most prolific
brands.
With more than two decades of agency experience, from crisis management to new product
launches, from brand management to sports sponsorships, Fleishman previously ran the consumer
division of Cohn & Wolfe PR, opened and managed the Southeast office of the world’s largest
independent PR firm, and had her own agency for 13 years. Fleishman began her career as a political
speechwriter and head of the public information office of the Georgia House of Representatives.
A native of Miami Beach, Fla., and a graduate of the University of Texas with a degree in
journalism, Fleishman has provided PR counsel to such brand leaders as Atlantic Station,
Chick-fil-A, Cousins Properties, Darden Restaurants, Georgia Aquarium, IHG, Lowe’s, Marriott, Royal
Caribbean Cruise Lines and UPS.
www.cohnwolfe.com
Elvira Guzman
Chief Executive Officer
Elvie G PR / Dot Connect Corp
In 2006, Elvira Guzmán
founded Elvie G PR because she felt there was a need for urban PR and marketing in entertainment. A
full-service public relations boutique based both in Hollywood, Calif., and Atlanta, Elvie G
specializes in brand development for artists, comedians, actors and athletes as well as special
events.
In addition, she runs Universal Talent Connect, a talent booking agency, and College Special
Events Booking Agency, which she co-founded with a college friend, Kareem Couch.
Although the agency boasts several well-known celebrities, probably its best known is Steve
Harvey. Guzmán started working with one of the Kings of Comedy when she was 18 and attending the
University of Southern California.
Guzmán began as an intern for him at 100.3 The Beat, a local radio station. Three
months after her internship began, she was named the assistant producer of his radio morning show.
While working full time for Steve Harvey, Guzmán continued taking 18-20 college units a semester
and went to summer school in order to finish early. She graduated from USC in 2005 with a double
major in political science and law in society.
Over the eight years that Guzmán has worked with Steve Harvey, she has had several titles,
including executive producer, segment producer, stage manager, stage producer, production manager,
event coordinator, chief Web developer, assistant producer and now pr and marketing director for
Steve Harvey, The Steve Harvey Radio Network and The Steve Harvey Suit Collection.
www.elviegpr.com
Ellen Weaver Hartman, APR, Fellow PRSA
President
Fitzgerald+CO Public Relations
Ellen Weaver
Hartman, APR, Fellow PRSA, is president of Fitzgerald+CO Public Relations, which is part of the
global communications company, IPG.
Hartman has almost 30 years of experience in global corporate and investor communications,
consumer branding and strategy and business to business. She has worked for some of the
world's most well known brands, including Cox Enterprises, Cox Communications, Manheim DRIVE, Cox
Radio, MasterCard, CheckFree, BellSouth, Kraft, Popeyes, Avon Products and Coca-Cola. She has
expertise in media relations and crisis management, including such situations as food borne
illnesses, labor issues, workplace violence, legal issues and financial mismanagement.
Before joining Fitzgerald+CO, Hartman was vice president and chief communications officer
for AFC Enterprises, where she managed all internal and external communications.
Previously, Hartman also was president of the Atlanta office of Weber Shandwick Worldwide, a
senior vice president for both Fleishman-Hillard and Manning, Selvage & Lee and worked for The
Coca-Cola Co. in financial communications.
Hartman serves on the boards of The Carter Center, the American Institute for Managing
Diversity, the Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregiving, Georgia State University's School of
Hospitality, Elon University's School of Communications and the Public Relations Society of
America/Georgia Chapter, where she was president in 2001. She also is a member of the Arthur Page
Society for senior level communication professionals, the International Women's Forum, Les Dames
d'Escoffier, the Women's Foodservice Forum and the Multi-Cultural Foodservice Hospitality
Alliance.
Hartman is a graduate of the University of Mississippi with a bachelor's degree in
journalism.
www.fitzco.com
Bunnie Jackson-Ransom
President/CEO
firstClass Inc.
Bunnie Jackson-Ransom,
president and CEO of firstClass Inc., has been the driving force behind this full-service public
relations and marketing firm for more than 33 years.
At firstClass Inc., she has worked on accounts ranging from sausages to shoes and patients
to politicians. Among the clients she has worked with are: The National Conference of Black Mayors,
Waste Management Inc., Burger King Corp. and the Trumpet Awards.
In addition, Jackson-Ransom has managed the careers of several performing artists, and from
1978 through 1988, she was the chief administrative officer of a conglomerate company under the
umbrella of Atlanta Artists.
Jackson-Ransom has received numerous awards and honors, including being listed in both Who's
Who in American Women, Who's Who in Georgia, and Who's Who in Black America. Most recently, in
January 2008, she received the Ground Crew Award in community service from SCLC.
Jackson-Ransom is a member of the National Council of Negro Women; Atlanta Association of
Black Journalists; executive committee of the Atlanta Branch of the NAACP; the Azalea Chapter of
The Links Inc. and the Metropolitan Atlanta Coalition of 100 Black Women.
She is a past president of the Metropolitan Atlanta Coalition of 100 Black Women and a past
chairwoman of the Georgia Human Relations Commission.
Educated in the public schools of North Carolina, she received a bachelor of science in
business from North Carolina College and a master of science in business from North Carolina
Central University.
www.fclassinc.com
Karen G. Kaplan
Senior Partner/ General Manager/SVP
Fleishman-Hillard Atlanta
Karen Kaplan brings more than
25 years of strategic communications and leadership experience to her role as general manager of
Fleishman-Hillard Atlanta. Since joining Fleishman-Hillard in 1997, Kaplan has helped clients
integrate multiple communications disciplines and align them with organizational vision, values and
bottom-line financial goals. Her client roster includes J&J, Newell Rubbermaid, Microsoft,
UnitedHealthcare, AT&T and the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC).
Before joining Fleishman-Hillard, Kaplan served as public affairs director for Solvay
Pharmaceuticals. She established the company's first comprehensive communications strategy and was
responsible for all facets of corporate, brand and internal communications. From 1994 to1996,
Kaplan helped build the Atlanta office of Edelman Public Relations Worldwide, where she managed
health care, consumer and corporate clients. For more than a decade, Kaplan held the top management
position in a Florida-based nonprofit corporation, a role in which she led numerous consumer
education campaigns for leading pharmaceutical manufacturers, including GlaxoSmithKline, Pfizer,
Abbott, Aventis Pharmaceuticals and Johnson & Johnson.
Kaplan began her career as a journalist, covering local government and education for a daily
newspaper in Maryland. She then served as a senior writer and public affairs specialist for AFSME,
the nation's largest public employee labor union in Washington, D.C., where she was responsible for
strategic media and coalition-building campaigns.
She is a graduate of the University of Maryland, where she earned a bachelor's degree in
journalism.
www.fleishman.com
Liz Lapidus
Owner/President
Liz Lapidus Public Relations
Liz Lapidus
started her public relations company in 1997 and represents many of the city's top restaurants,
retailers and developers. Her clients have been featured in the New York Times, Wall Street
Journal, Gourmet, Lucky, Food and Wine and more.
Outside of the office she is an avid equestrian, art collector and frequent traveler.
She is on the boards of directors of Dad's Garage, Atlanta Steeplechase and The Atlanta
Contemporary Art Center and is actively involved with Chastain Horse Park, Michael C Carlos Museum,
New Leash on Life, Project Open Hand and more.
www.lizlapiduspr.com
Amanda Leesburg
President
Leesburg PR
Amanda Leesburg has spent her career working directly with the media, representing clients
in the entertainment, environmental, corporate and consumer industries.
She has worked with such clients as Delta Air Lines, the Delta Air Lines Pilots Association,
Lanier Worldwide, Visa, Atlanta Chamber of Commerce, Tenet Healthcare, Microsoft Corp., Cingular,
PetSafe, the Home Depot and Equifax and served as a publicist for Turner South, Discovery Home
Channel, Animal Planet and Discovery Health. She has also worked for nonprofit organizations such
as The Captain Planet Foundation, The Upper Chattahoochee Riverkeeper, The Tiger Woods Foundation,
Reef Ball Foundation, Celebration of Excellence, Georgia Campaign for Adolescent Pregnancy
Prevention and Performing Arts Program for Youth.
Before launching her own company in 2002, Leesburg worked for several public relations
agencies and organizations in Washington, D.C., and Atlanta, including Ketchum, Edelman, PBS
Television and Dowling Langley & Associates.
Leesburg, a native of Birmingham, Ala., received her B.A. in speech communication from the
University of Southern Mississippi.
www.leesburgpr.com
Melissa Libby
President
Melissa Libby & Associates
Before founding
Melissa Libby & Associates in 1992, Melissa Libby had a successful career in hotel public
relations, promoting upscale and casual restaurants. Since starting MLA, Libby has opened more than
150 restaurants and served hospitality and retail clients through publicity, event planning and
implementation, marketing, strategic planning and crisis communications.
Libby is also active in the community, and is on the executive boards of Les Dames
d'Escoffier and Adopt A Golden Atlanta. She is an advisory board member of the University of
Georgia's Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication and is a member of the American
Institute of Wine and Food, Georgia Organics, James Beard Foundation, National Restaurant
Association, Public Relations Society of America, and Greystone Garden Club. Libby has produced two
cookbooks featuring local Atlanta chefs, Atlanta Cooks (2001 Longstreet Press) and Atlanta Cooks at
Home (2006 CityBooks Publishing).
Libby is an original member of PRConsultantsGroup, a nationwide group of PR agencies
providing public relations and marketing communications services to a range of clients.
www.melissalibbypr.com
Tara Murphy
Founder/President
360 Media
Tara Murphy is the founder and
president of 360 Media, a leading Atlanta-based public relations boutique that specializes in the
entertainment, lifestyle and hospitality industries. Since establishing the firm in 1996,
Murphy has worked with many of city's top events, including the Music Midtown Festival, Atlanta
Dogwood Festival, Jazz Fest, and the New Year's Eve Peach Drop at Underground Atlanta.
Murphy also has a track record in the music industry with her leadership of the PR for
companies such as Ichiban Records, NMC Records and Concert Southern, where as an independent
contractor, she successfully managed PR and promotions for what would become Atlanta's largest
outdoor entertainment event, Music Midtown.
Now with seven employees, the agency has expanded its services by adding lifestyle and
hospitality clients to its roster. Some notable 360 clients have included The Voodoo Music
Experience in New Orleans, W Hotel Midtown, G-Capp's Jane Fonda 10 Year Roast, Cousins Properties,
Jessicashops.com, radio personality Bert Weiss of Q100 and nonprofits such as The Frank Ski Kids
Foundation and March of Dimes.
A graduate of Elon University in Elon, N.C., with a bachelor's degree in corporate
communications and a minor in business, Murphy has also added an array of pro bono clients to 360's
roster, including Rock For Relief, a hurricane benefit for victims of Katrina, UNICEF's The Tap
Project and Chayil, a domestic violence recovery organization.
Murphy was named by
Atlanta Woman
magazine as "One of the 25 Power Women to Watch" in 2006, and has been active on many boards
and in many organizations, including the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences,
Essential Theatre, the March of Dimes' Georgia chapter communications committee and the Sullivan
Center.
www.360media.net
Claudia Patton
Executive Vice President/GM
Edelman-Atlanta
As the executive vice president and general manager of Edelman's
Atlanta office, Claudia Patton leads 40 professionals in an array of practice areas, including
consumer brands, corporate crisis and issue management, sports and entertainment marketing, and
tourism and lifestyle. Under her leadership, the office has managed dozens of award-winning public
relations campaigns, including programs for Georgia-Pacific, Southern Co., HEAD/Penn Racquet
Sports, The Home Depot, Char-Broil, Tiffany & Co. and UPS.
Patton founded The Headline Group and grew it into one of the Southeast's top-ranked
independent public relations firms. In 2002, Chicago-based Edelman purchased the agency.
Among Patton's clients were Tiffany & Co., HEAD/Penn's Intelligence tennis racquets and
GL Resources.
As the American Cancer Society's Atlanta City Unit president, Patton has helped devise and
implement the organization's fundraising efforts. In addition, she is a board member/membership
chairwoman for the Piedmont Park Conservancy, is on the board of WABE-FM/WPBA-TV and led the public
relations/advertising unit of the United Way 2007 fundraising campaign.
A former schoolteacher, Patton holds a degree in education from Ohio University.
www.edelman.com
"CR" Cataunya Ransom
Co-Founder
Mosnar Communications Inc.
"CR" Cataunya
Ransom is the lead publicist and co-founder of Mosnar Communications Inc., a luxury PR firm. She
serves as principal partner along with her husband, Kyle Ransom.
She is also the chief editor for Mosnar Communications Inc. Blog, a Google News source
circulation. She received the Premio Dardos Award for her outstanding blogging skills and is ranked
in AdAge Power 150 of Top Media and Marketing blogs.
Ransom, her husband, and Andrea Gwyn, founded a nonprofit charity, Automatic Life, Inc.,
which is focused on raising support for minority organ donor awareness.
www.mosnarcommunications.com
Meg Reggie
Principal
MR-PR
Meg Reggie has
29 years of corporate, government, medical and consumer brand communications experience. She began
MR-PR in 2004, and her client list includes Spanx by Sara Blakely, Blue MedSpa, OH 2 Medical Spa,
Versace, Jeffrey Atlanta, Atlanta Institute for Facial Aesthetic Surgery, Atlanta Dental Spa,
Judith Ripka at Tassels, Spa Sydell, Domino's Pizza, L.A. Stein jewelry, and T. Women's
Clothing.
A former television news reporter/anchor and prime-time show host, Reggie most
recently was vice president of consumer brands at Edelman Atlanta, where she worked with Fortune
100 companies. As director of marketing and public relations for Atlanta Magazine, Reggie launched
the 1997 redesign of the monthly lifestyle publication and implemented a targeted communication
plan, resulting in a measurable increase in advertising and circulation.
Before Atlanta Magazine, Meg served for 10 years as a spokeswoman and media relations
specialist for Georgia Power. She was director of public relations for Georgia Baptist Medical
Center and earlier was press secretary to Louisiana Gov. Edwin Edwards, and founded state's
Association of State Communicators, an organization of all state agency public information
officers.
Reggie supports about 24 charitable events each year that benefits organizations such as
Jeffrey Fashion Cares, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, the Georgia Breast Cancer Coalition, and
Warrick Dunn Foundation's Home for the Holidays and Meals on Wheels Atlanta. She has served on the
board of directors of Breast Friends Inc., DIFFA Atlanta, the Atlanta Press Club and The HAY Fund.
www.mrpratl.com
Mary Reynolds
Founder
The Reynolds Group
Mary Reynolds has
more than 19 years of experience in public and media relations, operations, investor relations,
marketing, training, development and recruiting. She has developed and implemented local, regional
and national business strategies, including public relations, new store openings, company launches,
community affairs, crisis control, media training, and integrated internal and external marketing
plans.
The Reynolds Group's client base has doubled in the past three years, and the agency is
viewed as one of the Southeast's preeminent restaurant and hospitality resources. The firm's client
list includes all segments of the hospitality industry, from the award-winning, fast, casual, salad
restaurant concept, Dressed, to the St. Regis Hotel, a landmark of luxury throughout the world.
She is active in the culinary community, and is a member of Les Dames d'Escoffier, the
American Institute of Wine and Food, The James Beard Foundation, Women's Chefs and Restaurateurs,
and the Southern Foodways Alliance. Reynolds serves as a mentor on the Women's Food Service Forum
Roundtable and is a chairwoman for Flavors, a culinary benefit for the American Liver Foundation, a
member of the national leadership committee for Share Our Strength's Taste of the Nation and a past
board member of the Georgia Restaurant Association.
Before launching The Reynolds Group, Reynolds served as vice president of Equity Group
Investments LLC, and Dave & Buster's Inc. She also was vice president of training and
development for the Peasant Restaurants Inc., directing its national expansion from seven to 42
restaurants, and an executive with the Buckhead Life Restaurant Group in Atlanta and a joint
venture partner with Carrabba's Italian Grill.
www.thereynoldsgroupinc.com
Kitsy Rose
President
Kitsy Rose PR
Kitsy Rose and Melissa
Hightower both owned self-named public relations firms but decided to combine forces in 2007 under
the name Kitsy Rose PR in which they specialize in retail and lifestyle clients.
Before forming her own company in 2006, Rose spent eight years in agency PR working for KC
Public Relations, where she managed campaigns for boutiques and retail centers such as Simon Malls
and clients such as Westin Hotels & Resorts and Wellbridge Health Clubs. Rose graduated with a
degree in journalism from the University of Alabama and supports organizations such as the Susan G.
Komen for the Cure and Share Our Strength.
Before launching Hightower Public Relations, Melissa Hightower was the public relations and
marketing manager for bridal designer Melissa Sweet and was also a personal shopper for New
York-based Henri Bendel. She graduated with a degree in fashion design and marketing from Bauder
College and supports Atlanta Pet Rescue and Adoption as well as the Susan G. Komen for the Cure.
www.kitsyrosepr.com
Neva Rountree
Founder
The Rountree Group
Neva
Rountree established her firm in 1985 and has twice won the Public Relations Society of America's
top award, the Silver Anvil. She served as vice president of Carl Byoir & Associates, then the
world's third-largest public relations agency, where she led national and regional accounts before
starting her own agency.
Rountree's firm was named one of "25 Hot Smaller Agencies" by inside PR and received awards
in creativity in public relations by the magazine for three years. President of IPREX, a worldwide
consortium of independent public relations companies, Rountree co-founded and was the first
president of Leadership Sandy Springs and is a board member of Northside Hospital Foundation. She
is a former president of PRSA/Georgia, the country's third largest chapter and was named to its
Hall of Fame, Phoenix Society.
She was named as an inaugural member of the Grady Fellowship in 2008, one of 60 people among
the 20,000 living graduates of the University of Georgia's Journalism College and is president of
its alumni association and its Advisory Board.
Rountree has bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of Georgia.
www.rountreegroup.com
Sherri Fallin Simmons
President/CEO
Duffey Communications Inc.
Sherri Simmons
is president and CEO of Duffey Communications Inc., one of the oldest, independent full-service PR
firms in the Southeast. She runs the agency with Chief Operating Officer Arlene Large.
Throughout her career at Duffey, Simmons has led her team in the areas of corporate
communications, brand building, public affairs, crisis communications and business-to-business
marketing. Before joining Duffey, she worked at for five years at Waffle House Inc., directing
internal communications, corporate marketing, franchise relations, advertising and government
relations.
She also served as the state director of program development for Sen. Paul Coverdell and was
responsible for the late senator' state activities, including advocacy outreach, events, public
appearances, regional offices, field staff and grass-roots activities. She began her career working
as a legislative aide for then-Georgia state senator and Senate Minority Leader Coverdell in the
Georgia General Assembly
Simmons earned her bachelor's degree at the Henry W. Grady College of Journalism at the
University of Georgia; she serves on the Grady College's board of trust.
www.duffey.com
Carolyn Sloss
Director of Public Relations/Promotions
Allied Advertising, Public Relations
Carolyn Sloss
holds the title of director of public relations and promotions for the Atlanta office of Allied
Advertising, Public Relations, an entertainment and lifestyle agency. In the position she has
held since January 2001, Sloss supervises one of Allied's largest field offices, with a total of 16
publicist/promotion specialists.
She is the lead publicist for Walt Disney Pictures and oversees regional publicity and
promotions for Allied's clients, such as Paramount Pictures, Universal Pictures, Sony Pictures
Entertainment, 20th Century Fox Entertainment, Focus Features, Lionsgate, Weinstein Co. Summit,
Overture, the Discovery Channel, TNT and TBS. She has also led the publicity and marketing
campaigns behind the opening of W Atlanta-Buckhead and W Atlanta-Midtown.
Before joining Allied, Sloss was the public relations manager at Planet Hollywood.
She is a native of St. Petersburg, Fla., and graduated from Auburn University with a
bachelor's in journalism.
www.alliedadvpr.com
Caren West
President
Caren West PR
With more than
10 years of public relations experience, Caren West has executed campaigns in international,
national, regional and local markets and has worked with a diverse range of clients including: The
Recording Academy, Diesel, Skirt! magazine, domino magazine, Cole Haan, The Echo Project, 99X,
Rival Entertainment, PASTE magazine, the Music Midtown Festival, Classic Chastain concert series,
the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre at Encore Park, Breadwinner Inc., TY
KU, Gerber Group, Soda Salons, and the Tour de Georgia.
West's specialty is working with clients who are entrenched in and obsessed with pop
culture. From music and fashion to food and events, West and her team work with forward-thinking
companies, artists, events and brands to establish brand and market alliances while reaching a
broader demographic of consumers, media and influencers in order to get the right people in the
right places and/or talking about the brands. West has executed events as large as music festivals
with 300,000 attendees and as small as intimate dinners and private after-parties for celebrities.
Formerly, a weekly entertainment columnist for The Sunday Paper in Atlanta, West has also
has been interviewed live on CNN and CNN International, WGCL-TV, WAGA- FOX 5, WNNX-FM, WZGC-FM,
STAR 94 and WVEE-FM.
CWPR's current clients include: Jeffrey Fashion Cares 2009, Gerber Group, the Bureau,
P'cheen International Bistro & Pub, Citysearch, the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Skirt!
magazine, LUX salon, Soda Salon, The Seen Gallery, TY KU, Halo, Dragonfly Salon, Camp Bisco VIII,
Jessica Tonder, Danneman's Coffee in the Old Fourth Ward, Dog Meet Baby, and Sweetwater 420
Fest.
www.carenwestpr.com
Ellen Adair Wyche
Founder/CEO
The Wyche Group
Ellen Adair Wyche
started The Wyche Group in 2004 after serving in a variety of professional and volunteer public
relations roles in corporate, civic and agency settings.
"Building community" is a key element that defines her career because she is known for
assisting clients and causes in developing strategy, product identity and brand awareness through
means that foster long-term support of institutions and companies and their motives and mission.
A graduate of Emory University who has been rooted in the Atlanta community since 1977, she
has more than 30 years of experience and relationships working with diverse institutional,
corporate, educational, arts, and entertainment causes. She jump-started her business when she
received a call from author John Grisham seeking someone to lead the Atlanta premier of his movie
"Mickey," a love letter to Little League baseball. The Wyche Group's client base now includes real
estate, publishing, entertainment and emerging technology companies as well as artists, authors,
and not-for-profit institutions.
Wyche has been involved in several civic causes, including better start livin,' a concert
benefiting the Alzheimer's Association with noted Nashville composer Monty Powell that raised
$250,000.
www.thewychegroup.com
