Marie S. Keister, President, MurphyEpson
Marie's award-winning work includes facilitating civil discussions of potentially controversial issues, establishing innovative public communications plans, and teaching individuals and organizations how to gather public input in an atmosphere where everyone has the chance to be heard and respected. She has two decades of experience in bringing diverse stakeholders together, and has facilitated and served as guest speaker at numerous local and national conferences, presentation panels, strategic planning sessions and advisory committees.
Marie built a business case and regional, state and congressional support for the I-270/US 33 Northwest Interchange in Dublin, Ohio. Beyond rebuilding a major highway interchange, this project involved developing a 30-year strategy for addressing traffic congestion in and around it. Marie provided strategic counsel on the public and stakeholder involvement, facilitated a community-based advisory group and funding steering committee, and helped plan and execute public meetings at key timeline milestones. Outreach included a project e-newsletter, targeted stakeholder e-mails, project website, media outreach and briefings for city and county officials in multiple jurisdictions. The outreach also included briefings for CEOs of local and regional corporate employers, funding agencies and other stakeholders. The project is now underway and this communication plan continues to be an invaluable component of the project.