University of St. Thomas

Director, Public Relations & Social Media  -  Communications, Public Affairs & Storytelling  -  SVP, Creative Director  -  Brand Marketing  -  Influencer Outreach  -   Entertainment Marketing

Advise clients including the American Marketing Association; CASE Construction Equipment; EcoEngineers, Lexico, Wisher Vodka, Global Brigades; the Gardeneers, And, Public Narrative, a non-profit dedicated to teaching other NPO’s how to spotlight their mission via storytelling, strategic-communications planning and flawless PR execution.     

•	Created a communications effort for the Friendship Center to showcase the food pantry’s mission and elevate the organization’s profile with potential donors via PR, social media, email, newsletter and web site copy.
•	Helped the Friendship Center more than double donations at community events via smart on-site storytelling. 
•	Facilitated training sessions at Public Narrative to elevate communications of NPO advocacy efforts.  
•	Led the creation of a national and local-events-specific crisis-communications response plan.   
•	Developed Central Standard’s brand legend, company voice and media-relations messaging track. 
•	Authored a strategic-communications plan for Central Standard, implemented the strategy, created a comms calendar, and message trained the distillery’s co-founders to deliver branded messaging via media coverage.

M PR & Communications

Chief Storyteller & Client Solutions Officer

•	Strategized and implemented a paid-, earned- and owned-marketing communications PR approach that drove a billion-plus U.S. media impressions in 2016. 
•	Kick-started riding season 2017 and showed America how simple (and fun) it is to learn to ride a motorcycle by offering all residents of Ryder, N.D. – population 84 – the chance to take a motorcycle-riding-safety course.     
•	Elevated H-D’s new-product and anniversary PR approach via a multi-embargo strategy and mainstream PR focus. This more than doubled coverage year-over-year for the 2016 new model launch.

Harley-Davidson Motor Company

Lead of Public Relations, focused on media relations and communications strategy development 

•	Oversaw strategic approach and content creation of Harley’s multi-channel social media efforts, anchored by HD’s 6.8-million-fan Facebook page. 
•	Launched the brand onto Facebook Live with a behind-the-scenes factory tour; onto Periscope through a virtual ride around the world and onto Pinterest via the Naughty (not Nice) List Holiday campaign. 
•	Drove the negotiation of a 75-year deal (through 2090) with the City of Sturgis to garner PR coverage for the 75th rally; Created PR opportunities for Bill and Karen Davidson, the great grandchildren of one of H-D’s co-founders.  
•	Launched H-D’s military ‘Learn to Ride’ offer via a Riding Academy class on the deck of a U.S. aircraft carrier.
•	Worked with the Harley-Davidson Foundation to PR the launch of our support of the Wounded Warrior Project.   
•	Created H-D’s first social media recall engagement plan. Produced company’s most-engaging, organic social media content to launch the brand’s partnership with Wounded Warrior Project. Drove a redesign of H-D’s Instagram content approach.

Director of Public Relations & Social Media, specializing in content creation & earned media

•	Elevated our earned media public relations approach to broaden coverage and consumer reach. 
•	Enhanced H-D’s entertainment efforts and created a multi-tiered red carpet approach that doubled press coverage and quadrupled social media engagement. The hook? Let everyday fans walk the red carpet and interact with H-D product after the stars entered a premiere.

Director of Consumer Influence leading PR, social media content & entertainment marketing 

Work with top global consumer clients to develop and execute fully integrated PR / social media efforts. Drive brand growth, deliver consumer engagement and conceptualize big ideas as senior strategic client / creative lead. Manage 10-plus member creative / account teams, as well as client budgets in excess of $2.5 million.

Weber Shandwick

Senior Vice President / Creative Director

Senior Vice President

Vice President

Director

Edelman

Senior Account Supervisor

Fox & Associates

Director of Accounts

Supervised staff of seven and managed all aspects of this boutique firm; Clients included Jewel-Osco, United Healthcare of Illinois, Chicago Public Schools and the City of Chicago.

Fox and Associates

Drove media coverage for clients including ITW, the Miss America Pageant, Spiegel and World Food Prize, (the Nobel Prize equivalent for agriculture).

Healy Communications Inc

Account Executive

Doubled responses to Voices’ newsletter, while securing media coverage for annual Kids Count child well-being report and the Stand for Children, a march on Washington, D.C.

Michael Roach