Winner: Sandra Alstadt, Director of Utility Communications and Crisis Communication Command Leader, Entergy Corporation
Sandra Alstadt is a risk-taker. In an industry where spontaneous judgment calls often prompt a series of unfortunate events, she possesses the take-charge ability and, quite
literally, anticipates the calm before the storm.
As crisis communication command leader for Entergy Corporation, Alstadt was the woman in charge when Hurricanes Katrina and Rita devastated the Gulf Coast last year. The
company's location in the eye of the storm meant that, in addition to the chaos and personal tragedies, the corporate headquarters had to be moved, not to mention the usual
communications challenges that go along with a crisis of that magnitude. But Alstadt kept her cool and directed her team of 30 storm communicators accordingly, following the 200-
page crisis plan she had helped write prior to the disaster. But, as all good communications professionals know, following a preconceived plan doesn't always work; that's where
her knack for risk-taking comes in.
Alstadt made the dicey decision to open the power restoration process to media evaluation, thus chancing opportunities for harsh criticism and negative publicity. But there
was no criticism to be had, as her sound judgment call to be completely transparent didn't reveal a rotten underbelly of her operation; on the contrary, the media witnessed only
positive efforts to restore power to 1.1 million homes, assuage weary customers (who, coincidentally, painted "thank you" signs for crew members), rally employees and reassure
stakeholders.
Thus, Alstadt's communications make-up of strong leadership (how else could one direct an army of employees dispersed by the storm?), innovative thinking (kudos for the
nontraditional media relations approach), creativity (helicopter rides over the city for members of the media offered a new perspective) and tireless energy (18 hours a day, seven
days a week, anyone?) make her a one-woman show of crisis communications greatness.
Contact: [email protected]
Honorable Mention
When it comes to crisis communications, no result is a good result. Ashley McCown, EVP and director of agency relations for Simon McCown & Co., knows this for a fact, and
she delivers on it. When real estate investment firm Beacon Capital Partners had to come up with preemptive crisis plans and strategies, McCown spearheaded the initiative to no
avail - literally. Thanks to her foresight and accessibility, Beacon has faced no actual or potential crises to date regarding any of its properties or investments - a true
testament to McCown's ability to plan for the worst and bring out the best.