November 17, 2009 | 8:30 a.m. - 5:15 p.m.
Concierge Conference Center - NYC

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Speakers

Andrew Gilman
President, CommCore Consulting Group

Andrew Gilman is a former reporter and a lawyer. For the past 24 years, as CEO of CommCore he has coached executives, celebrities and public figures on effective communicatoins in the media. Gilman, winner of the PR News Educator of the Year for 2007 is currently developing new strategies for blogs, web media and Web 2.0. This year CommCore has assisted the Archdiocese of Washington for the Papal visit to the U.S., advised on litigation PR and consults on Renewable Fuels issues. CommCore offices are in New York, Washington and Los Angeles.

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Bud Grebey
Senior Vice President
Consumer Marketing and Corporate Communications

Bud Grebey is senior vice president and the team leader of Waggener Edstrom Worldwide’s Global Corporate Communications Practice. In addition he serves as the general manager of the agency’s operations in New York City. Bud spearheads Waggener Edstrom Worldwide’s strategic corporate communications programs to define, differentiate and advocate a client’s unique value proposition, reputation and brand character. The Global Corporate Practice offers comprehensive, integrated 360-degree corporate communications solutions designed to inspire customer loyalty, increase shareholder value, align stakeholder interests and engage employees.
Bud joined Waggener Edstrom Worldwide in the spring of 2007. He brings to the agency more than 25 years of corporate, agency and government experience in strategic communications, issues management, public affairs and marketing.
Before joining the agency, Bud was vice president of communications and marketing for Sikorsky Aircraft, a division of United Technologies Corp. Before that he held senior communications positions with Webvan.com, Levi Strauss & Company, and Kenetech/U.S. Windpower.
He began his career in Washington, D.C., serving as a press secretary and chief of staff in the U.S. House of Representatives. He also served as a political consultant to the Foreign Ministry of Japan.
Bud holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio.

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Chris Nelson
Senior Vice President/Director,
North American Issues & Crisis Management Network
Ketchum

Chris Nelson oversees Ketchum’s issues management, crisis preparedness, crisis response, and litigation communications capabilities in North America, serving as a senior counselor to clients facing their toughest challenges. He has counseled senior management and corporate communications clients at major financial, chemical, consumer goods, pharmaceutical, retail, food products, telecommunications, entertainment, and tobacco companies.

Mr. Nelson has counseled clients through a number of high-profile crisis situations, including product contaminations and recalls, chemical spills, workplace safety situations, litigation, labor issues, activist attacks, crises in investor confidence, and corporate espionage situations. He has assisted clients in communicating about inquiries from and enforcement actions by each of the major US regulatory agencies, including FDA, EPA, USDA, FTC, and OSHA. He has also helped clients develop comprehensive crisis preparedness plans and executed national and international training programs to ensure his multinational clients maintain a baseline level of preparedness around the globe.

In managing more sustained public issues, Mr. Nelson has helped clients enhance their operations and create communications strategies to present their side of the debate when facing attacks from activists, consumer and community groups, health advocates, and the government. Mr. Nelson has led both domestic and international teams charged with keeping clients out of the “media flashpoints” created by these types of attacks.

Mr. Nelson also serves as one of Ketchum’s healthcare-industry issues specialists, and he consults with healthcare clients throughout the Ketchum network. In that role he has helped some of the world’s best-known pharmaceutical and medical device companies put risks and controversies associated with their products in perspective to balance media coverage. Some of Mr. Nelson’s recent healthcare clients include Aetna, AstraZeneca, Aventis, Eli Lilly, Hoffmann-La Roche, Medtronic, and Wyeth.

In addition to his role as an issues and crisis counselor, Mr. Nelson also serves as a trainer for Ketchum’s Communications Training Network. As such, Mr. Nelson has helped prepare countless clients for challenging interview situations, including senior executives at Accor, Eli Lilly, Feld Entertainment, Hyundai, and Wyeth.

Prior to joining Ketchum in 1998, Mr. Nelson was manager, client services in the Public Affairs Practice at Burson-Marsteller/New York, where he worked on public policy and issues management projects for major clients, including Philip Morris and Kraft, Wyeth, Sears, Pfizer, Mead Johnson, and Colgate-Palmolive. Earlier in his career, Mr. Nelson worked for The Ohio State University Medical Center in its Communications and Public Affairs Department as well as Ashland Chemical in its Public Relations Department.

Mr. Nelson frequently contributes to industry and professional publications and has spoken at numerous industry conferences. He is a member of the board of directors of the Public Affairs Council, and he has served as a guest lecturer on issues and crisis management at the Wharton School, the University of Maryland Graduate School of Journalism, and Ohio Northern University. He has a bachelor’s degree in Journalism with a cognate in Economics from The Ohio State University.

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Johna Burke
Vice President, BurrellesLuce

During a career spanning almost 20 years, Johna Burke has worked both as a public relations practitioner and a provider of services that are vital to the work of communication professionals. For 11 years starting in 1989, she worked for U-Haul International, ultimately becoming head of public and investor relations. Burke joined BurrellesLuce in 2000 and serves as a vice president of the company, the largest media monitoring and measurement firm in the United States. Burke is a highly rated speaker who is often invited to talk about best practices in public relations, and her commentaries on the subject have appeared in PR print and web outlets. She is chair of the Southern Region of the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC).

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Jonathan Kopp
Global Director, Ketchum Digital

Jonathan Kopp is Ketchum’s lead digital communications strategist. He oversees all aspects of digital consulting, digital media/blogger relations, social media, web development and rich media products
and services for Ketchum account teams and clients across the Ketchum global network.

Before Ketchum, Jonathan was a partner at SS+K, an integrated communications agency where he provided strategic counsel and developed integrated campaigns involving public relations, public affairs, issue advocacy, crisis management, marketing and advertising across all traditional and digital media. He joined SS+K in 1995.

In 2007-2008, Jonathan was a member of the Obama for America National Media Team, focused on online and offline communications to engage younger voters. His other clients have included CVS/pharmacy, Pfizer, Goldman Sachs, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Pew Charitable Trusts, Anheuser-Busch, Polo Ralph Lauren, Time Warner Cable, the Environmental Defense Fund, Comcast, the ONE Campaign, DATA, Warner Home Video, Liz Claiborne, the Rockefeller Foundation, Human Rights First, and the National Cable & Telecom Association.

Prior to SS+K, Jonathan practiced telecommunications law and policy in the Washington, DC office of Willkie Farr & Gallagher. Before that, he served as Law Clerk to the Counsel to the President in the Clinton Administration, where he focused mainly on Ethics in Government, US Senate approval of Presidential appointees and aspects of international law for the Legal Counsel to the National Security Advisor. Jonathan was part of the Executive Orders working group on the 1992-1993 Presidential Transition Team. In 1991-1992, he was a member of the national "War Room" opposition research and rapid response team of the Clinton/Gore '92 campaign.

Jonathan is a member of the Advisory Board to aids2031 and the Emory Alumni Board Marketing Committee. He holds a BA, with Honors, in International Studies from Emory University and a JD,
with Honors, from the George Washington University Law School.

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Mo Moorman
Director of Public Relations at Jockey International, Inc.,

As Director of Public Relations at Jockey International, Inc., Mo Moorman wears many hats and probably owns more underwear than most people!
His responsibilities for the iconic American underwear supplier include leading the public relations, experiential and sponsorship elements of the company's marketing mix. The use of video has become an important element of Jockey’s marketing programs. Moorman also assists with the development of domestic and international integrated marketing strategies for the Jockey brand. Prior to Jockey, Moorman held various positions with Pacific Cycle, Inc., the world's largest bicycle supplier and home to the Schwinn and Cannondale brands, among others. He was most recently that company's director of new business marketing and communications. Moorman has also held marketing and communications positions with Johnson Controls and Schenkein Public Relations in Denver.

Moorman holds a Bachelor's degree in English and Creative Writing from the University of Southern Florida, as well as a Master's degree in Integrated Marketing Communications from Northwestern University.
Jockey produces hundreds of millions of pairs of underwear each year and offers more than 2,000 styles of men’s and women’s apparel to more than 120 countries via a host of sales channels. These channels include wholesale, branded retail, licensing, eCommerce, catalog and its party business, Jockey Person to Person. Founded in 1876, Jockey has a rich history as one of the intimate apparel industry’s originators and innovators. From creating the men’s brief, to developing underwear for NASA, to launching the popular 3D‑Innovations™ collection, Jockey continues to elevate the industry and has become a truly iconic American brand.

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Idil Cakim
VP of Interactive Media in GolinHarris’s Dialogue Group

Idil Cakim is a VP of Interactive Media in GolinHarris’s Dialogue Group. She specializes in social media and word of mouth communications and has worked with clients from a wide array of industries, including technology, automotive and healthcare.

Before joining GolinHarris, Ms. Cakim was the Director of the Knowledge Development Group at Burson-Marsteller, focusing on interactive marketing and custom research. She managed Burson-Marsteller's Internet-related proprietary studies, including the e-fluentials.

Between 1998 and 2001, Ms. Cakim served at various posts within the Media and Entertainment Strategies Group at Fulcrum Analytics (formerly Cyber Dialogue), an Internet customer relationship management company, where she advised clients on online branding, content development, business models, customer acquisition and retention strategies.

Ms. Cakim is the author of numerous industry briefs and articles on online corporate communications, targeting valuable customers on the Net and e-commerce. She has also been a public speaker on issues regarding online crisis communications, word-of-mouth, ethnic minorities' use of the Internet, and e-CRM. She has been widely quoted in trade journals and newspapers such as CNet news, DM News, CBS Market Watch, Min's New Media Report, San Jose Mercury News, Chicago Sun Times, Harvard Business Review, and the New York Times.

Idil Cakim is a blogger who regularly writes about online communication and word-of-mouth marketing trends. She is a contributor to GolinHarris’s The Next Fifty Years blog (www.nextfiftyyears.com). Previously, she wrote for the e-fluentials blog (http://blog.efluentials.com) and the Guidewire Group (www.guidewiregroup.com). She holds an M.A. in Communication from the Annenberg School at University of Pennsylvania and a B.A. in Sociology from Bryn Mawr College. Ms. Cakim is a member of the World Future Society and serves on the board of Word of Mouth Marketing Association (WOMMA).

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Christopher J. Tennyson
Senior Vice President and Partner
Fleishman Hillard Inc.

Chris Tennyson brings more than 30 years of corporate and agency experience to his work as a senior vice president in Fleishman-Hillard’s Special Situations Group in New York. He has provided crisis communications counsel to leaders in diverse consumer, leisure, entertainment, sports, banking, manufacturing, service, real estate, public-sector, and healthcare industries.

Mr. Tennyson specializes in the areas of strategic communications counsel, crisis communications assessments and preparedness planning, litigation support, regulatory issues, and financial relations.

Before joining Fleishman-Hillard in 2006, Mr. Tennyson was a principal in a Detroit-based public relations firm, provided crisis communications counsel on dozens of high-profile takeover battles, legal challenges, civil rights disputes, referendums, accidents, and corporate controversies. Prior to that he served for 15 years as senior vice president, corporate affairs, for The Taubman Company, a $5 billion investment and real estate development company. Taubman’s international holdings included Taubman Centers, Sotheby’s Holdings (NYSE:BID), the quick-serve restaurant chain A&W Restaurants, the regional department store Woodward and Lothrop, and the Michigan Panthers of the United States Football League. He led the communications components of the Sotheby’s and Taubman Centers IPOs and coordinated the company’s efforts to secure development approvals for new real estate projects in communities across the nation.

Mr. Tennyson began his public relations career with the international public relations firm Hill and Knowlton. As a vice president in the company’s New York office, he directed H&K’s issues advertising unit and supervised a broad range of programs for such respected brands and organizations as Procter & Gamble, Consolidated Edison, Rockefeller Center, Inc., Benneton, Monsanto AstroTurf, ITT Grinnell, Oberlin College, IBM (personal computer launch), Russell Reynolds Associates, the Louisville Development Committee, the Shrine of North America, and the U.S. Olympic Committee.

After graduating from Syracuse University, Mr. Tennyson taught English and American history and was the varsity lacrosse coach at Cheshire Academy, a prep school in Cheshire, Connecticut. He also served in the communications and development office of the University of Hartford. Mr. Tennyson currently serves on the Syracuse University College of Arts and Sciences Board of Visitors and the Cheshire Academy Board of Trustees.

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Laura Kane
Vice President, External Communications
Aflac, Inc.

Laura Kane is Vice President, External Communications for Aflac, Inc. where she serves as the primary corporate spokesperson and is responsible for communications initiatives that enhance and protect the corporate reputation. Kane has over 25 years experience producing integrated marketing communications in corporate, agency and media settings for national brands. Kane has worked at Disney ABC, Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce, EuroRSCG, National Geographic and Viacom.

Some of her accomplishments include: leading the communications initiatives around the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce’s successful effort to remove the confederate symbol from the Georgia flag; writing ABC, Inc.’s first eCommerce plan and creating online stores; managing Aflac’s communications efforts around say-on-pay, launching Viacom’s Viewer’s Choice II, ESPN’s Japan Sports Channel and NHK’s TV Japan. In 2008, Kane was inducted into PR News Hall of Fame at the National Press Club. She and her teams have won recognition and awards in several industry competitions.

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Reid Walker
Vice-President, Global Communications Lenovo International

One of the world's most innovative personal computing companies, with a business model built on innovation, operational excellence, customer satisfaction and a focus on investment in emerging markets. Formed by Lenovo Group's acquisition of the former IBM Personal Computing Division, the company develops, manufactures and markets reliable, high-quality, secure, and easy-to-use technology products and services worldwide. Lenovo has major research centres in Yamato, Japan; Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen, China; and Raleigh, North Carolina.

Personal:A graduate of St. John's College with a degree in philosophy and mathematics, and certified as a Six Sigma quality training Green Belt.  Reid Walker is vice president of global communications and sponsorships for Lenovo International, publicly traded on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange (LNVGY).  With nearly $16 billion in sales annually, Lenovo is the world’s third largest PC maker.  As communications lead for the corporation, he is responsible for media relations, employee communications (25,000 employees), as well as global sponsorships and alliances such as the 2008 Beijing Olympics, NBA and Formula One partnerships.   Reid has held communications leadership positions at companies such as General Electric and the NASDAQ Stock Market.

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Ralph Norton
Partner
Corporate

Ralph W. Norton is a partner in the Corporate Practice Group of Davis & Gilbert. He has broad experience in the practice of corporate and securities law, including corporate finance and SEC reporting compliance. Mr. Norton has handled public offerings and private placements of securities and has represented issuers, placement agents, venture capitalists and underwriters in these transactions. He has also advised corporations and individual executives in connection with business formation and structure, shareholder arrangements, compensation arrangements and a variety of corporate transactions.

Mr. Norton is an alumnus of the Securities and Exchange Commission, where he was a branch chief in the Commission's Northeast Regional Office and supervised the review of registration statements filed by small business issuers. Mr. Norton's Securities and Exchange Commission experience also included several years as a staff attorney in the Enforcement Division.

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Rob Merritt
APR
Sr. VP/Director
Cramer-Krasselt Public Relations

Rob is the senior leader of the public relations practice at Cramer-Krasselt in Chicago, and has more than 25 years of public relations experience. Rob has expertise in a broad range industries, including restaurants, retail, telecommunications, professional sports, utilities, healthcare, and financial services. Rob’s brand experience includes Sealy, AirTran Airways, Cub Cadet, Zippo, the Coleman Company, Peak One, Mastercraft Boats and Skis, Payless ShoeSource, Checkers/Rallys, Sonic Drive-Ins, the Kansas City Royals, Moen and CITGO, just to name a few. Rob is nationally accredited by the Public Relations Society of America, is a member of the Counselor’s Academy, and is on the board of the Chicago chapter of PRSA. Rob speaks frequently on client service and satisfaction, and the evolving role of public relations.
Cramer-Krasselt Public Relations is part of Cramer-Krasselt, the third-largest independent marketing and communications agency in the U.S.

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Stacy Gratz
Social Media Marketing Manager
H&R Block

Stacy Gratz is the social media marketing manager for H&R Block, where she develops strategy, planning and execution of H&R Block’s integrated social media marketing programs.

Ms. Gratz has been with H&R Block for almost 3 years during which she has managed social media as well as paid search. Prior to working with H&R Block, she spent three years as an account executive at the interactive agency VML, where she designed and managed interactive marketing initiatives for several B2B and consumer clients. She began her career in marketing at Wired Magazine in New York City. Stacy earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from New York University.

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Steven Cody
co-founder and managing partner of Peppercom

As managing partner and co-founder of Peppercom, Steve is responsible for overall agency direction and management, new business development, new product development and agency marketing. Since founding the agency in 1995, he has been instrumental in Peppercom's rise from a two-person start-up to its current position as one of the nation's best known mid-sized strategic communications firms. Along with strategic consultant Dr. Richard Harte, Steve has written a book on Pain-based Selling, “What’s Keeping Your Customers Up at Night?” published by McGraw-Hill. He was also one of the CEOs featured in Donald Trump’s recent book “Trump: The Way to the Top.”

Over the past 12 years, he has directed Peppercom’s rapid evolution into one of the country's hottest mid-sized agencies. In naming Steve an Agency All-Star, Inside PR said of him, "Cody has pioneered the concept of partnering, developing programs for clients that not only create breakthrough publicity but bottom-line revenue as well." More recently, Steve has spearheaded the development of Peppercom's Pain-based Selling service offering, which connects clients to their customers in totally new ways.

Steve has been named a finalist for Ernst & Young's "Entrepreneur of the Year" and is a frequent guest lecturer at the Association of Management Consulting Firms, the American Marketing Association, the PRSA Counselors Academy, Ragan Communication Seminars and other leading industry events. Steve has appeared on CNBC and APRadio, and has been featured/profiled in publications ranging from Investor’s Business Daily and The Asbury Park Press to BtoB Marketing and PR Week. He is a member of the PRSA Counselors Academy’s executive committee, a member of the Corporate Communication Advisory Board of Barush College, a member of the College of Charleston’s Advisory Council and the Arthur W. Page Society.

Prior to founding Peppercom, Steve was president of Brouillard Communications, a division of J. Walter Thompson. Before that, he had been executive vice president and general manager of Earle Palmer Brown. Steve is a tennis enthusiast, recreational runner voracious reader of non-fiction, biographies and historical novels, rang in ’08 by climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro and has been trained by Stephen Rosenfield at the American Comedy Institute, has studied acting and improvisational theatre at The Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre and regularly performs stand-up comedy and improv. He and his wife, Angie, have two children, Christopher and Catharine. The agency is named after the family dog, Pepper.

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