PETERSON RUDGERS GROUP - Key Persons

Job Titles:

• Senior Associate

Alida Miranda-Wolff is a diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) practitioner committed to teaching love and cultivating belonging. She is an Amazon-bestselling author of two books with HarperCollins: Leadership, Cultures of Belonging: Building Inclusive Organizations That Last (February 2022) and The First-Time Manager: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (May 2024). She is the founder and CEO of Ethos, a full-service DEIB and employee advocacy firm, which serves hundreds of clients across the world. She hosts Care Work with Alida Miranda-Wolff, a podcast about what it means to offer care for a living, and began partnering with PRG in 2024 as a senior associate. In 2021, Alida received The University of Chicago's Early Career Achievement Award. She is a graduate of the University of Chicago and holds certificates from the School of the Art Institute (graphic design) and Georgetown University (DEI). She lives in Chicago with her partner, toddler, rabbits, and cats. When she's not working, reading, writing, or parenting, Alida is wild gardening, interior designing, and falling down research rabbit holes.

Job Titles:

• Senior Associate
• Founder of Cause

Angela Paik is the founder of Cause and Effect Strategies, which provides communications consulting, strategic positioning and planning, and leadership and organizational development for educational institutions and other mission-driven organizations. She began work with PRG as a senior associate in 2022. Paik launched her consultancy after developing and leading communications and marketing operations in higher education, most recently as vice president for communications and marketing at Trinity College in Hartford, CT. Her communications leadership experience includes a decade at the Johns Hopkins University Zanvyl Krieger School of Arts and Sciences and several years at Williams College. In those roles, she served on senior administrative teams, advised and supported leaders at all levels, and helped to develop and implement comprehensive strategic plans and complex institutional initiatives. Her experience spans all aspects of communications, including campaign communications, recruitment marketing, media relations and public affairs, crisis management, institutional branding and identity, digital communications, and executive communications. As a consultant, her clients have included the College of Wooster, Johns Hopkins University, Trinity College, the Jewish Foundation of Greater New Haven, the National Association for College Admission Counseling, and the New York Academy of Sciences. She serves also as an affiliated coach with the Kardia Group. Throughout her career in higher education, Paik served in leadership roles in the sector, including as a member of the Consortium on Financing Higher Education's Public Issues Committee, and provided strategic consultation to college presidents and communications and marketing operations at numerous institutions. She began her career as a newspaper reporter, first at The Philadelphia Inquirer, then at The (Raleigh) News & Observer and The Washington Post. Paik earned a bachelor's degree in political science from Dickinson College and a master's degree in journalism from Columbia University. Her beliefs in the transformative power of education and in communications as a means for bridging divides are grounded deeply in the experiences of her family, especially that of her Korean immigrant father and his pathbreaking career as an American photojournalist and newspaper editor.

Job Titles:

• Staff Member

Job Titles:

• Associate
• Communications Consultant

Carmen Marti is a veteran communications consultant specializing in higher education. As an independent contractor for nearly 30 years, she joined teams of all sizes and scopes, lending editorial versatility, personal responsibility, leadership capacity, and creative vision to high-level communications projects. Fueled by successes that include project management of a CASE award-winning publication for the University of Chicago, and writing for the winning UChicago Obama Presidential Center proposal, Carmen continues to add value across university interests, most recently through her execution of an email newsletter and website designed for the dean of the USC Marshall School of Business to improve the school's ranking among peer institutions. Over the four years Carmen served on the Research@Marshall team, Marshall achieved its highest rank ever in U.S. News & World Report, finishing 17th in 2019, up from 20th in 2018, 24th in 2017, and 31st in 2016. Outside higher education, Carmen has managed communications for Resources 2000, a fundraising consultancy, the development of content for Chicago Botanic Garden, the newsletter of the Chicago Annenberg Challenge, and communications consulting for the Coalition for Improved Education in South Shore (CIESS), the American Institute for Indian Studies, and Arts for Learning, an online teaching resource. In her early days as a freelance writer, Carmen was a regular contributor to the Woman News section of the Chicago Tribune newspaper. Before becoming a freelance writer, Carmen worked as an in-house publicist for the University of Chicago News Office from 1991-1995, as an editorial assistant for Inside Chicago magazine from 1989-1991, and as a high school English and humanities teacher at the Harvard School from 1986-1990. Carmen earned a master's degree in English language and literature from the University of Chicago after graduating from Stephens College with a B.F.A. in creative writing and a minor in philosophy and religion.

Job Titles:

• Executive Assistant
• Staff

Charlotte Fietz serves as an executive assistant for the Peterson Rudgers Group. Prior to joining PRG in 2022, Fietz worked at a family event space for six years. She started as a part-time cashier and was promoted to assistant general manager. Her experience also includes retail management and working for multiple psychiatric care facilities. Fietz is a senior at Purdue University Northwest working to obtain a B.S. in psychology with a minor in business. She is involved in multiple organizations within the university, including the National Society of Leadership and Success and the International Honor Society of Psychology. She resides in Northwest Indiana.

Job Titles:

• Senior Associate

Colleen Newquist, a senior associate of Peterson Rudgers Group, is a leader in creative strategy, development and execution, and an expert in building and nurturing successful creative teams. Over a 25-year career at the University of Chicago, Newquist restructured and led creative teams in the business school, university communications, and alumni relations and development, contributing to record-breaking increases in MBA and undergraduate applications and the business school's first No. 1 U.S. News ranking, and launching the most ambitious fundraising campaign in the university's history. As a consultant, she continues to provide creative leadership, most recently as Vice President for Marketing and Communication at Loyola University Chicago. As Assistant Vice President of Creative Communications at the University of Chicago, she built UChicago Creative, a 25-person in-house creative agency that regularly competed with and rivaled outside agencies, increasing net revenue from $250,000 to $1.9 million in three years. She wrote the first identity and messaging guide for the University of Chicago, authored its strategic communications plan, and established the voice of the university through undergraduate admissions marketing communications that contributed to a 42 percent increase in applications and top 10 U.S. News rankings. As Assistant Vice President for Alumni Relations and Development communications, she reorganized the 35-person team to better meet the needs of alumni, donors, and the university, and injected fresh creativity into the organization, contributing to substantial increases in alumni engagement and annual giving. She was integral to the launch of the university's $5 billion campaign, leading the teams responsible for the campaign case statement, video, website, annual publication, and live performances at the launch event. A consultant since 2016, Newquist has provided creative content and leadership for the Association of American Universities, Furman University, Ohio State University, the University of Chicago, and Loyola University of Chicago, where over 11 months she restructured the marketing and communications team, redesigned the alumni magazine, and led university communications in support of the men's basketball team's first NCAA tournament appearance in over 35 years. Newquist began her career as a lifestyles editor for The Star newspaper chain in suburban Chicago, from 1987 to 1991. A feature writer and columnist, she received national first-place awards every year. A first-generation college graduate, she is an alumna of Governors State University.

Job Titles:

• Senior Advisor
• Senior Advisor With the

Cynthia Wilbanks, a senior advisor with the Peterson Rudgers Group, is an expert in building relationships that expand spheres of influence for organizations and individuals. With more than 40 years of engagement in public service, Wilbanks has staffed members of Congress, managed a public policy nonprofit, and served as the University of Michigan's vice president for government relations for 22 years. The breadth of her experience extends to university relations as well. She joined the University of Michigan as associate vice president for university relations in 1995 and later served in interim roles as vice president of communications in 2007 and vice president of development for the 2002-03 academic year. Wilbanks was the university's longest-serving executive officer when she retired in 2020. During her time at U-M, Wilbanks leveraged her relationships with legislators across the state to revitalize and renovate campus buildings, including securing substantial investment in the School of Dentistry. She was integral to the university's efforts on behalf of affirmative action and to gaining permission for embryonic stem cell research. She led the institution's involvement in the creation of the University Research Corridor, a consortium of Michigan's three research universities, and served as special advisor to the university president on the development and growth of the corridor, as well as on other economic development activities. Her commitment to creating bridges heightened the visibility of the university and its president. Prior to joining the University of Michigan, Wilbanks served as a staff assistant for US Representative Marvin Esch from 1973 to 1976, and as a county field representative and then district director for US Representative Carl D. Purcell, from 1977 to 1992. From 1993 to 1995, she was president of Michigan's Children, a nonprofit organization focused on creating effective public policy for children and families. In 1994, Wilbanks was a candidate from Michigan's 13th Congressional District. A graduate of the University of Michigan, Wilbanks holds a bachelor's degree in political science and a secondary teaching certificate. An active member of the community, she has served in leadership roles with nonprofit organizations throughout her career, including her current role on the steering committee for the Center for Michigan, a nonprofit, nonpartisan think tank. She has been recognized with multiple honors and awards, including being named among the 100 Most Influential Women in Metro Detroit by Crain's Detroit Business in 2002 and Woman of the Year by Washtenaw United Way in 2017.

Job Titles:

• Staff

Job Titles:

• Director of Administration
• Project Manager
• Staff

A seasoned communications, marketing and compliance professional, Diane Brown serves Peterson Rudgers Group as director of administration and project manager. She manages administrative operations of the organization, overseeing a variety of functions as well as tracking and monitoring project deadlines and organization documentation. Brown's communications career includes two periods at the University of Michigan in media relations and compliance, marketing and outreach roles at a regional financial institution, and numerous officer terms on non-profit boards. While an undergraduate journalism student at Central Michigan University, Brown found a love for media relations while working as a student assistant in the Sports Information office. She then completed her first tour at the University of Michigan as an assistant sports information director, creating the first recruiting materials for U-M women's athletic teams and assisting in computerizing the football game-day information. While pursuing a master's in business administration from U-M, Brown turned to a financial career at First of America Bank, ultimately serving as a regional assistant vice president for community outreach and compliance with the Community Reinvestment Act. During her banking tenure, the FOA received high marks from federal compliance reviews, and Brown served as board president for the Housing Bureau for Seniors and Habitat for Humanity of Huron Valley. She also co-founded the Washtenaw HomeBuyers Program and the Central Michigan University Honors Program Alumni Advisory Board. Brown returned to the U-M as the public information officer for facilities and operations, serving as the University's primary spokesperson for crime, emergencies, and construction. Later she became the University's first Clery Act compliance officer, training hundreds of staff, student employees, and faculty regarding their reporting responsibilities. She also assisted the Clery Center as a freelance trainer for several years.

Job Titles:

• Senior Advisor
• Senior Advisor With the

E. Royster Harper is a senior advisor with the Peterson Rudgers Group. Through a four-decade career at the University of Michigan, including 18 years as vice president for student life, Harper elevated the student experience by achieving balanced, productive partnerships between student and academic life, setting a new standard in higher education. A passionate advocate dedicated to developing the whole student, Harper is an expert on student learning and development, from cultivating a more inclusive community to overseeing fundraising and construction projects. As vice president, she was responsible for the services, programs, and facilities that supported all aspects of campus life for more than 41,000 students. Her legacy includes a nationally recognized intergroup relations program, a focus on research and assessment of student learning, establishing of a program for students in foster care that is unparalleled in the nation, and launching an adaptive sports program. During her time at U-M, she led two phases of residential life initiatives, revitalizing housing, recreational sports, the student union, and constructing a multicultural center. Harper also guided Student Life's first fundraising campaign, generating more than $50 million in donations. Harper holds bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of Michigan and a doctorate from the University of Pennsylvania. Before being appointed vice president in 1999, she was senior associate vice president and dean of students. Her previous roles include serving as assistant to the vice president for academic affairs and as assistant to the dean of the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts. Harper continues to be involved in a number of community activities, serving on the Ann Arbor Board of Education, the board of directors of the Ann Arbor Hands-on Museum, and the executive board of the Ann Arbor branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. She is also actively involved in professional associations, including the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators and the American College Personnel Association and is on the board of several major organizations.

Job Titles:

• Associate

Job Titles:

• Associate
• Content Strategist and Creative Director

Josh Buoy is a content strategist and creative director with more than 10 years experience producing digital video for leading organizations in higher education, nonprofits, technology, and politics. A graduate of the University of Michigan, Buoy co-founded Filmic Productions, U-M's first student-run creative video agency, where he led a team of more than 20 student filmmakers to produce some of the university's most iconic marketing campaigns and promotional content. In 2014, he co-founded Snowday, a creative video studio in Brooklyn that produced CASE and Webby award-winning work for international brands. In addition to U-M, Buoy has partnered with Google, Spotify, Android, New York University, Wayne State University, the Association of American Universities, and the American Academy of Arts & Sciences (among other institutions) to help share their stories through video. His experience runs the gamut from national PSAs to new student recruitment content to development campaigns to short-form documentaries. Josh began working with PRG in 2020.

Job Titles:

• Co - Founder
• Partner

Julie A. Peterson is co-founder and partner of Peterson Rudgers Group. Prior to launching a successful consulting practice in 2015, Peterson spent more than 30 years in higher education leadership roles, as well as teaching and presenting on strategy, leadership, communications, and issues management. She has led communications for a wide range of topics across higher education, including academic medical centers, college athletics, student life, fundraising campaigns, admissions and student recruitment, civic engagement, diversity and inclusion, and the launch of new academic programs. As Vice President for Communications at the University of Chicago from 2007-15, Peterson was responsible for transforming the external visibility and reputation of the university among a broad range of audiences in the United States and around the world. Her work helped to elevate the university in the U.S. News rankings from 15 to 4, more than triple student applications to the College, strengthen faculty recruitment, and dramatically increase fundraising. The university's homepage (www.uchicago.edu), developed under her creative leadership, won two prestigious Webby awards in 2014. She led the communications for the university's successful bid to win the Barack Obama Presidential Library to Chicago's South Side. Before joining the University of Chicago, Peterson served as interim vice president for communications at the University of Michigan, overseeing all aspects of both internal and external communications. As associate vice president for media relations and public affairs at Michigan from 2000 to 2007, she managed emerging public issues, guided communications for university strategic priorities and initiatives, and became a senior adviser to the president and executive leadership team, providing critical leadership for a number of important challenges including the Michigan affirmative action lawsuits that went to the Supreme Court. Prior to that, she served 6 years as the news director at the University of Michigan and 10 years at Indiana University as managing editor of the news service and as a public relations representative for the business school. Peterson holds a BA in journalism and psychology with high distinction from Indiana University and an MBA in marketing research from IU's Kelley School of Business. She has taught in the University of Chicago Civic Leadership Academy and Chicago Booth's Advanced Management Program as well as its Executive Program for Emerging Leaders. She has served on the UChicago Diversity Leadership Council, the public affairs committee of the Association of American Universities, the public issues committee of the Consortium on Financing of Higher Education, and the founding council of Futurity.

Job Titles:

• Associate

Laurie Davis has been a storyteller for more than 30 years; first as a community journalist and then as an editorial leader in higher education. In her 18-year career at the University of Chicago, Davis led a bi-monthly print publication and later managed the news flow for the University News Office's website. Using strong editing and writing skills to tell the stories of UChicago's community of faculty, students, and staff, Davis promoted the learning, teaching, and research experiences of those individuals. She also created content to promote UChicago academic and institutional programs and initiatives, including the Oriental Institute Museum, The Renaissance Society, UChicago Arts, the Chicago Innovation Exchange, Diversity and Inclusion, Argonne National Laboratory, and UChicago Promise, among many others. In her role as Director of Alumni and Development Communications, Davis wrote and edited content for the University of Toledo Foundation, focusing on fundraising efforts to support the University. As the sole writer for the UToledo Alumni eMagazine, she raised the University's reputation by highlighting the institution's degree programs and how they shaped young students into community leaders. Davis previously worked for 10 years as a journalist and editor with Star Newspapers in Tinley Park, Illinois. She earned a bachelor's degree in communication studies from Northern Illinois University.

Job Titles:

• Senior Associate

Job Titles:

• Staff

Job Titles:

• Chief Communications Officer
• Senior Associate

A chief communications officer for more than 25 years, Lisa Lapin has provided leadership and expert counsel to major universities and non-profits on organizational vision and strategy, external and internal affairs, branding and marketing, reputation management, and communications strategy and resourcing. She has managed professional teams and advised the C-suite, non-profit organizations, trade associations and commercial start-ups. Lapin joined PRG in February 2024 as a senior associate. Most recently as vice president for communications at the J. Paul Getty Trust, the world's largest cultural and philanthropic organization dedicated to the visual arts, Lapin led award-winning strategic communications programs that quadrupled Getty's annual global reach to more than 900 million people. Overseeing the non-profit Trust's communications programs, she implemented Getty's first organization-wide brand management, and expanded digital content and owned-media capacity, growing her team from 14 to 43. Leading marketing, media relations, internal communication, and public affairs, she raised the regional, national, and international profile of Getty and its Conservation Institute, Research Institute and Getty Library, grant-making Foundation, and two world-renowned fine art museums in Los Angeles. For a decade Lapin served as Stanford University's chief communications officer, providing central strategic communications leadership and counsel as vice president for university communications for one of the world's leading research institutions. A member of the Stanford cabinet, Lapin advised on university strategy and executive communications, including its campus-wide strategic planning process, as well as public relations, crisis and reputational management, brand management, and media relations. Serving as the principal university spokesperson, she also oversaw the Stanford News Service, implemented Stanford's first central social media platforms and multiple web redesigns, managed internal and constituent communications, and established the university's first centralized branding and marketing program. Lapin led communications at the University of California, Davis, for nearly a decade. As assistant vice chancellor for University Communications, she oversaw external and internal communication strategies, marketing, crisis communications, and development and alumni communications at the 35,000-student public research university. She advised the University of California systemwide office on overarching audience strategy, advocacy, state relations and broad public communications campaigns. Lapin launched her career as an award-winning journalist and editor, including 15 years at major daily newspapers, including the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, San Jose Mercury News and The Sacramento Bee. She covered state and federal politics, education, environment and science, and breaking news. She served in newsroom management as assistant metro editor and city editor. Her coverage of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake shared a San Jose Mercury News Pulitzer Prize. Lapin serves on the board of the Naval Postgraduate School Foundation and is a member of the Los Angeles Travel and Convention Board Marketing Steering Committee. She served on the Board of Trustees of the Council for Advancement and Support of Education, where she also chaired the CASE Commission on Communications and Marketing. She was a member of the Association of American Universities Public Affairs Council and is a member of the American Marketing Association, the American Alliance of Museums and the Arthur Page Society. Lapin holds an MLA from Stanford University and a BA in journalism from the University of Southern California. She lives in Pebble Beach, where she volunteers as a docent for the California State Parks.

Job Titles:

• Co - Founder
• Partner

Lisa M. Rudgers is co-founder and partner of Peterson Rudgers Group, and has more than 30 years experience in higher education, strategy, marketing, public affairs, issues management and leadership coaching. She has served as in-house counsel to seven university presidents. Previously, Rudgers was the University of Michigan's vice president for global communications and strategic initiatives. She served a total of 12 years in that role, and was responsible for developing communication strategies to enhance U-M's visibility locally, nationally and internationally. As an executive officer at the University of Michigan, Rudgers was a member of the cabinet-level leadership team and served as senior counselor to the president and other executive officers. She directed and managed the global communications division, including marketing, public affairs, internal communications, news, social media, photography, and presidential communications as well as the university's top-ranked public radio station, Michigan Radio. Rudgers played a crucial role in leading the public outreach messaging and related strategies surrounding the university's historic defense of its admissions lawsuits up to the U.S. Supreme Court. She directed communication supporting many presidential and university initiatives, including the president's international delegations to China, Brazil and India. She was one of the creators of the University Research Corridor, aligning the three largest research-intensive universities in the state to spark greater collaboration and economic prosperity. Her communications strategies supported U-M initiatives in diversity and inclusion, entrepreneurship, library digitization, sustainability and the arts. U-M efforts under her leadership also included revamping the university's web presence called the Gateway, now with more than 20 million visits each year. She led the development of the Michigan Difference and Victors for Michigan fundraising campaign themes. She established the university's first global communications initiative including the Global Michigan web portal in five languages and U-M's Weibo presence. She launched the university's first social media office and spearheaded a university-wide branding initiative and visual identity program recognized as best in class by the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education (CASE). She has managed several presidential transitions, including the introduction of U-M's Mary Sue Coleman and Mark S. Schlissel. Rudgers established her own consulting firm from 2007 - 2011, Lisa Rudgers & Associates, working with university presidents and other key leaders to develop strategic communications plans including institutional positioning, messaging and branding, assessment of in-house communications resources, media relations and issues management. She also held an appointment as special counsel for communications at Michigan Law. Previously, Rudgers has served as assistant vice president and director of public relations at Michigan State University, marketing director and director of news and communications at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and account executive at Media Logic Inc., a marketing and public relations firm in Albany, N.Y. Rudgers is a graduate of St. Bonaventure University.

Job Titles:

• Senior Associate

Marisa A. Quinn brings a depth of experience in the public and non-profit sectors, focusing primarily on working with leaders in higher education at the intersection of strategy, public affairs, policy development, strategic planning and communications. Before joining PRG in 2023 as a senior associate, she spent 22 years at Brown University. While there, she served in a variety of roles that supported the effective leadership of the University's most senior officers, including as assistant to President Ruth J. Simmons, vice president for public affairs and university, and most recently as chief of staff to Provost Richard M. Locke. Marisa began her career as a legislative aide to US Senator Claiborne Pell on the Subcommittee on Education, Arts and the Humanities. She subsequently served as policy advisor to New Jersey Governor James J. Florio, public affairs specialist at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, and chief of communications and public information at the Rhode Island Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. She graduated from the University of Rhode Island with a bachelor's degree in political science and earned a master's degree from the Eagleton Institute of Politics at Rutgers University. Appointed in 2015 by Governor Gina Raimondo, Marisa currently serves as chair of the Rhode Island Ethics Commission; she also is a member of the Board of Directors for Trinity Repertory Company.

Job Titles:

• Senior Advisor
• Member of the Boards of Trustees of the Kavli Foundation

Mary Sue Coleman, a senior advisor of the Peterson Rudgers Group, is a national leader in higher education. She is president emerita of the Association of American Universities, president emerita of the University of Michigan, and former president of the University of Iowa. Launching her career as a biochemist at the University of Kentucky, where she served on the faculty for 19 years, Coleman went on to become a vocal advocate for increasing the number of women professors as a university administrator. She served as vice chancellor for research and graduate education at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill and provost at the University of New Mexico before serving as president of the University of Iowa from 1995 to 2002. From 2002 to 2014 Coleman was president of the University of Michigan, where she led the defense the University's affirmative action policies in seminal Supreme Court cases, focused tremendous effort on the state's economic vitalization including helping to create the University Research Corridor, and oversaw a groundbreaking partnership with Google to digitize the university's 7 million volume library. In 2010, President Obama enlisted her to help launch the Advanced Manufacturing Partnership and she was named co-chair of the National Advisory Council on Innovation and Entrepreneurship. She was president of AAU from 2016 to 2020. She returned to U-M to serve as interim president in 2022. Coleman is currently a member of the boards of trustees of the Kavli Foundation and the Society for Science. She formerly was a trustee of the Mayo Clinic, University of Denver, Gates-Cambridge Scholars Program; member of the board of governors of the NCAA; and a director at Johnson and Johnson, Meredith Corporation, Gaylord Container Corporation, and the Iowa branch of Norwest Bank (now Wells Fargo Bank). Coleman earned her undergraduate degree in chemistry from Grinnell College and a PhD in biochemistry from UNC. She is a member of the National Academy of Medicine and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Time magazine named her one of the nation's 10 Best College Presidents in 2009 and the American Council on Education honored her with its Lifetime Achievement Award in 2014.

Job Titles:

• Senior Associate

Job Titles:

• Associate
• Freelance Writer

Sakena Washington is a freelance writer and a member of the writing team for the Goalkeepers, an initiative of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. She previously served as the director of communications for the office of the provost at Carnegie Mellon University. There, she provided vision and direction for key communications and priorities, including speeches, presentations, and web content. She also has years of experience working with website owners across the university to help them manage their online content and think strategically about business goals, audience, accessibility and user experience. Washington earned her bachelor's degree in English from Clark Atlanta University and her MFA in creative writing from Antioch University. Her essays have appeared in Huffington Post, Rewire, and Brevity. Sakena began partnering with PRG in 2021.

Job Titles:

• Associate
• President of Green Room Speakers

Sarah Gershman is president of Green Room Speakers, a speaker training company based in Washington, DC. She specializes in helping leaders communicate complex information with greater clarity, generosity and impact. Gershman is an adjunct professor of communications at the McDonough School of Business at Georgetown University and the School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University, where she lectures to students from around the world. Her unique approach combines more than 20 years of classroom teaching with a strong background in theater and the performing arts. Gershman has coached executives and staff at a variety of campaigns, organizations, companies, and agencies. Her clients have included Microsoft, Eli Lilly, Lockheed Martin, General Dynamics, Gulfstream, GDIT, Booz Allen Hamilton, Kaiser Permanente, Hertz, PhRMA, OATH, Govini, The Office of the Secretary of Defense, the U.S. Department of Justice, SBSB, the U.S. Department of Commerce, the U.S. General Services Administration, the U.S. Department of Treasury, the Equal Employment Opportunities Commission, One, the World Bank, the Robin Hood Foundation, the American College of Cardiology, ARC, the Red Cross, Washington Women in Public Relations, Finnegan, Women in Technology, KCCT Architects, the Media Trust, Hickok Cole Architects, RAND Construction, HOK, the Truman National Security Project, the Hudson Institute, the Smith Richardson Foundation, WALRAA, WWPR, Perseus, LLC, The Embassy of Canada, the International Republican Institute, the National Democratic Institute, InsideNGO, the International Foundation for Electoral Systems, Christopher Consultants, MGAC, and Brookings. Gershman has a master's degree in social work from Columbia University and a master's in Judaic studies from the Jewish Theological Seminary. Gershman received the Wexner Graduate Fellowship and graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the Johns Hopkins University.

Job Titles:

• Senior Advisor

Job Titles:

• Partner

Job Titles:

• Associate

Susan Guibert is an award-winning media relations and strategic communications professional with more than 17 years' experience in higher education, having worked for two nationally recognized institutions, the University of Notre Dame and the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. She began partnering with PRG in 2021. Guibert has led national and international media relations and strategic communications teams in Europe and Asia, with specific focus on earned media placements in business, economics, finance, marketing, and entrepreneurship outlets. Guibert has cultivated a vast network of relationships with journalists, editors, and producers in print, electronic, and digital media, including the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Inc. Magazine, Financial Times, Economist, and all major television networks. In her role as Executive Director of Media Relations and Communications for Chicago Booth School of Business, Guibert successfully reimagined and rebranded Booth's signature annual event "The Economic Outlook," resulting in record-breaking attendance for five consecutive years in Chicago, New York, and Hong Kong, and led the international media events for two Nobel Prize-winning economists. At the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Guibert led the organization and execution of Chicago Booth's panel discussion, and was a member of the leadership team that successfully opened Booth's new campus in Hong Kong. Guibert earned her B.A. in American Studies and M.A. in Communication Arts from the University of Notre Dame. She also is author of three children's books, published by Corby Press.

Job Titles:

• Associate

Toni Shears brings to PRG more than 30 years' experience telling the stories and raising the profiles of higher education and nonprofit organizations. She has broad expertise across the full spectrum of print, digital, and social marketing communications. She excels at synthesizing complex or technical information into clear, accessible summaries and tailoring messages to target audiences. As the managing director of communications for the University of Chicago Becker Friedman Institute, she developed and executed a strategic communications plan that raised awareness of a new institute, building and engaging an audience of more than 14,000 with a robust schedule of e-newsletters, videos, events, and media relations. She played a key role in managing the renaming and rebranding of the institute. Recognizing an opportunity to preserve and promote the rich legacy of University of Chicago economics, she strategized and steered the development and installation of a mini museum highlighting that history.