CommCore Team

Management Team

Andrew D. Gilman

Andrew Gilman, President and CEO of CommCore Consulting Group, has been a communications strategist, crisis counselor and keynote speaker for more than twenty-five years. Co-author of the best-selling book Get To The Point (Bantam 1990), Andrew is also a lawyer and award-winning journalist. Most recently he was selected as Educator/Trainer of the Year by PR News. He and CommCore were also selected as public relations counsel for the visit of Pope Benedict XVI to Washington, DC.

He frequently is called upon to help senior executives prepare for media interviews, new business presentations, board meetings, testimony before Congressional committees and regulatory agencies, expert witnessing in lawsuits, appearances on TV and radio, road shows, analyst presentations, and investor meetings. Andrew also develops and directs the CommCore training and consulting services. His copyrighted training innovations include the Two-Minute Talking Memo, Art of the Sound Bite and Message Mapping for media interviews.

As a crisis communications expert, Andrew’s experience includes providing advice to the University of Virginia Medical Center in the baby-switching incident and counsel to Johnson & Johnson during Tylenol I. The J&J assignment included coaching Chairman James Burke for interviews on 60 Minutes and in other national media. He also prepared senior Lockheed/Martin executives for Congressional hearings following the Challenger accident. Andrew conducts crisis simulations for General Motors, pharmaceutical companies and industry associations, where he teaches participants how to take control of news events instead of just reacting to the next fact. Andrew created CommCore’s industry leading software product Crisis Plan wRiter, a program that helps clients create a data base and respond in crisis situations.

As a journalist, Andrew has experience as a reporter for trade and consumer publications, as well as a radio reporter and host. On radio, Andrew was a frequent contributor to National Public Radio’s award-winning programs “All Things Considered” and “Morning Edition.” His articles have appeared in The New York Times, National Law Journal, Christian Science Monitor, Risk Management Newsletter and the Washington Business Journal. He has received awards from the Fund for Investigative Journalism and has been nominated for Sigma Delta Chi and National Magazine Awards.

Andrew is often called upon to help professional service firms including law firms, public relations and advertising agencies, and financial services firms to improve their media and marketing programs. He has conducted professional development seminars, and has helped partners and associates prepare for client presentations, “beauty contests” and internal meetings.

Andrew is admitted to the Bar in New York State and Federal Courts. He has delivered Grand Rounds at Yale University, and has lectured at Harvard University, Wharton School of Business, American Bar Association, China External Trade Development Council in Taiwan, American Association of Advertising Agencies, New School of Social Research, American Society of Association Executives, Cable Telecommunications Industry Association and D.C. Bar Association. He is a member of the Board of the Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network. He holds two degrees from the University of Pennsylvania, a Bachelor of Arts degree in History and a Masters of Science in Education. His law degree is from Fordham University. In addition to Get to the Point, he recently contributed two chapters to When Lightning Strikes, a Crisis case study book compiled by Wayne Pines, as well as a feature article in the PR NEWS Media Training Guidebook.
 

Jerry Doyle

Jerry Doyle is principal of CommCore and heads the New York practice. Aside from managing and growing operations, Jerry spearheads marketing efforts and business development for the firm.  He delivers communication skills workshops worldwide.

Jerry works with clients to write content for and manage training programs.  He assists clients by combining the meeting objectives with a training program that helps reinforce the content.  These programs have been developed for financial, healthcare, insurance and technology firms.  In addition to managing hundreds of programs in the U.S., Jerry has conducted seminars in Mexico City, Barcelona, Madrid, London and Prague.

Prior to joining CommCore in 1999, Jerry enjoyed a successful career in healthcare public relations, working for Edelman Public Relations Worldwide and Earle Palmer Brown. During this time, Jerry worked on campaigns and coordinated press events for pharmaceutical clients Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson, Procter & Gamble, Schering-Plough and Wyeth.

Jerry’s articles regarding crisis communications and media relations have been published in The Regan Report, The Advertiser and Media Insider. Jerry has also delivered talks to graduate students and entrepreneurs at New York University, Columbia University, University of Virginia and Manhattanville College on such topics as Effective Financial Presentations and Developing Different Strategies for U.S. and Foreign Press.

He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business and Finance Administration from Mount St. Mary’s College in Maryland.

Nicholas F. (Nick) Peters

For more than three decades Nick Peters has been a national award-winning journalist, and a senior executive in media solutions for the public relations and corporate and marketing communications needs of Fortune 500 companies, top agencies and major associations. At CommCore he is Washington, DC-based Senior Vice President, responsible for business development and managing major accounts and campaigns.

Previously, Nick was SVP Marketing & Strategy for On The Scene Productions in Los Angeles headquarters, providing client counsel, and due diligence and implementation for TV, radio and Internet-based digital media product development and strategic partnerships. 

Nick spent the prior 18 years at Medialink in a variety of senior management roles, including oversight of all live and taped broadcast and streaming operations, consultative sales and marketing, and executive committee involvement in corporate governance. 

In the Crisis field, most notably in 1993 he managed the Medialink teams that executed the broadcast components of both Pepsi’s successful crisis response to a nationwide copycat tampering hoax involving cans of soda, and General Motors’ response to an NBC News broadcast alleging unsafe pickup trucks.  More recently he has worked with a coalition of labor, pension rights organizations, and the National Council of Public Employee Retirement Systems on responses to attacks from groups seeking to roll back public sector pension plans in the face of state budget cuts exacerbated by the national economic crisis since 2008.

Nick is currently of communications counsel as an advisory board member to the Grassroots Business Fund, a global provider of business financing to entrepreneurs in poor countries around the world.

In 1999 Nick conceptualized, oversaw development of, and managed the public relations industry's first website dedicated to the delivery of downloadable multimedia files to online news operations. This initiative became a joint venture between Medialink and Business Wire from 2000 to 2003 before being taken-in house by each company and re-branded.

As a journalist he was a producer and news writer at CBS News in New York, working directly for Dan Rather, Christopher Glenn and Charles Osgood. Previously he was News Director, executive producer and on-air anchor at WHYY-FM (NPR) Philadelphia, where his department won a dozen national and state awards for excellence in radio journalism from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, Columbia University, the Sigma Delta Chi Association of Professional Journalists and the Associated Press. He was also a multiple award-winning print reporter for major daily newspapers in Indianapolis, Raleigh and Philadelphia.

Nick is a Big Brother with Big Brothers Big Sisters of the National Capital Area.  He lived in France for 7 years, and is fluent in spoken and written French. He is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania with a degree in Political Science.

Dale Weiss

Dale Weiss is Senior Vice President and heads the Dallas practice. Dale Weiss’ twenty five-year career has spanned media, public affairs and communication training.  The companies he has worked with include General Motors, Coca-Cola, Sanofi-Aventis, Cephalon, Galderma, Consumer Reports, and Pfizer. His government clients include the U. S. Department of State where he has worked on media and presentation skills for Ambassadors-Designate. Dale has been affiliated with CommCore since the 1990’s,  counseling clients on presentation skills, crisis preparedness, media and meeting facilitation skills for corporate CEOs and executives in a wide range of positions including the marketing, technical, medical, and scientific disciplines.  Dale has special expertise in the health care field preparing pharmaceutical companies for regulatory challenges such as FDA Advisory Committee panel meetings.  In addition, he has vast experience in other areas of health care including new drug launches, crisis planning, regulatory speaker training for medical professionals, and media training specifically for health care issues. 

Dale also spent time as a vice president of corporate communications for a global pharmaceutical company.  In this strategic role he directed communications programs across the world to help drive sales, enhance the company’s reputation, and further open the lines of internal communications. 
Dale began his career as a television anchor and reporter working in local markets and filing regular reports for ABC and CNN.  While a journalist, Dale held several managerial positions including Executive Producer and News Bureau Chief. 

He then moved to Washington, DC where he was Director of Communications/Advertising for one of the national political parties.  During this time he worked with Members of Congress and two White House Administrations in communications and message development. Dale received his journalism degree from the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University.  

Amy Doman

Amy Doman is the Vice President of Administration for CommCore. She manages the day to day operations of the Washington, DC practice as well as accounting responsibilities. Amy also handles account management and assists in business development initiatives and government contracting.

CommCore, clients, consultants and partners find Amy as a resourceful, responsive, and efficient professional. This is a value-added for the many programs, deals and arrangements she facilitates. Amy overseas CommCore’s program schedule and sees to it that research is conducted, consultants are prepared, partners are updated and clients are best served.

Prior to joining CommCore in 2000, Amy spent four years in the medical industry. She was an assistant manager in the front office at a large family practice in Fairfax, VA, as well as assisting five prestigious Neurological Surgeons at a fast paced Washington, DC practice. She brings her knowledge of working with both patients and professionals - and administrative skills - when working with CommCore’s clients. Recently, in her spare time, Amy worked as a Substance Abuse Counselor at a local clinic.

Amy received her associate’s degree in Medical Administration from Consolidated School of Business and an associate’s degree in Substance Abuse Rehabilitation from Northern Virginia Community College. She currently is working towards her Bachelor’s in Business and Health Education at George Mason University.

Daiva MacKenzie

Daiva MacKenzie is the Program Manager for CommCore. She manages campaigns for new business development and conducts research for new and ongoing client programs. Developing relationships with new and existing clients and ensuring the overall success of our programs are at the heart of Daiva’s role with CommCore.

Daiva’s technical skill and computer savvy adds value for our highly customized programs. She is a detail-oriented team member and prepares consultants for programs by designing templates and customized training materials.

Prior to joining CommCore in 2010, Daiva worked as a Conference Manager for Housing & Dining Programs at American University in Washington, DC. Her passion for event planning and administrative skills serves her well at CommCore.

Daiva recently received her Bachelor’s degree in General Studies with a focus on Mathematics from The Catholic University of America. She currently is working towards her Masters of Science in Management with a focus on Leadership from The Catholic University America.

Jacqueline Vincent

Jacqueline Vincent is an Account Manager at CommCore who joined the firm in 2013. She is responsible for program management and business development for the New York office. Jackie is also involved with the marketing and social media initiatives at CommCore. She brings a strong background in public relations to CommCore with experience on the company and agency side.

Strengths include writing and management. Jackie executes complex projects with clients, partners and consultants alike. She is able to capture the client’s needs effectively through her recommendations and program descriptions.

Jackie was formerly the PR and Marketing Manager at Magellan Jets, a leading private jet firm. At Magellan, she was responsible for media outreach, social media, partnerships, advertisements, press material development, and editorials in high-end publications and the planning and executing of all sponsored events.

Jackie holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Theology from Boston College.

Consultants

Emily Avila, Senior Consultant

Emily Avila is a business communications consultant who has worked in television and public relations for sixteen years. She has focused on health care communications for the last nine years. Her career started in television as a news reporter, producer, assignment editor and public affairs director.
She formerly managed production of an award-winning weekly television medical news magazine, PULSE, which aired on the local ABC affiliate in Sacramento, CA, as well as eleven countries throughout the Pacific Rim. Currently this program is featured on cable channel Discovery Health.

She has been the media spokesperson for major academic medical centers in California, representing the organizations to national, regional and local media. She also trained and prepared clinicians and administrators for a variety of print and broadcast media interviews.

She has taught public relations and business communications classes at San Jose State University’s Professional Development program and has written for several public relations and marketing magazines, including the e-business magazine ClickZ. She won the C. Everett Koop American Heart Association Media Award in 1995, as well as the International Association of Business Communicators video production and writing awards in 1992, 1993, 1994 and 1996.

 


Dan Broden, Senior Consultant

Dan Broden, an attorney and former national television anchor and reporter, has provided presentation and media skills training for a wide variety of clients. These clients include CEOs and other C-suite executives from such companies as Kodak, IBM, Pitney Bowes, Johnson & Johnson, Delta Airlines, Gillette, and Eli Lilly.
 
Dan runs a communications coaching consultancy and recently headed up the Communications Training Network at Ketchum, one of the world's leading public relations agencies.   During his time there, Dan coached a variety of spokespeople, including physicians, attorneys, executives, athletes, and celebrities.  

Dan also lectures regularly on communications training topics, most recently at Columbia University , NYU, and Rutgers University .
 
Prior to Ketchum, Dan spent seven years with Court TV, the national cable network. During his tenure there, Dan was a news anchor, show host, reporter, and producer. In those capacities, Dan covered high-profile legal stories including the Presidential Impeachment trial, both Oklahoma City bombing trials, the JonBenet Ramsey murder investigation, the O.J. Simpson criminal and civil trials, and the first Bosnian war crimes trial in The Hague, Netherlands.  
 
Dan earned his B.A. from Brown University and his law degree from The George Washington University Law School.    He is fluent in Spanish and conversant in Japanese, having taught English to executives in Japan for a year before entering law school.

Greg Brower, Senior Consultant

CommCore Senior Consultant Greg Brower specializes in communications-based leadership development programs, DISC-understanding behavioral styles, conflict management, facilitation, developing a presence, and speaker coaching for clients including Fortune 500 CEOs, professionals and executives. Greg has a particular strength with consulting and advising clients to create processes that develop consistent messages and to implement strategies for effective problem-solving of communication and relationship issues.

Greg has worked with clients in the pharmaceutical, financial services, legal, manufacturing, and information technology industry sectors as well as for nonprofits and government agencies. Clients include New York Life, Pfizer, SAP, Sanofi-Aventis, JP Morgan, Citigroup, AstraZeneca, Amgen, Coca-Cola, Celgene, MunichRe, Computer Sciences Corporation, Roche, and federal agencies including the Patent and Trademark Office, Department of Agriculture, Department of Education, and Office of Naval Research.

Greg was an attorney in the Baltimore area providing legal services to the public, including civil litigation, criminal defense and family law. He has been a key member in the Maryland business community promoting the use of Alternative Dispute Resolution programs.

He holds a Bachelor’s degree in B.A. in Economics from Fordham University and a JD from University of Missouri.

Ken Capps, Senior Consultant

Former Vice President of Public Affairs at Dallas - Fort Worth International Airport, the world’s third busiest airport. Capps began communicating at DFW on September 11, 2001 and managed multiple high-profile crisis situations during his eight year career – ranging from security/terrorism issues to financial/bankruptcy events. When American Airlines was forced to ground all 3,000 of its aircraft for safety issues, Capps orchestrated a national crisis campaign that reached out to passengers around the United States. During his tenure at DFW, Capps was named the Outstanding Spokesperson of the Year by PR News and awarded Best Investor Relations Campaign by PR Week. Capps also strategized international media campaigns and government relations programs for DFW.

His crisis experience extends to major corporate entities Electronic Data Systems (EDS) and Computer Sciences Corporation (CSC). Capps led the EDS crisis team that responded to a national ATM crash that paralyzed major banking systems. At CSC, he developed crisis communications and business contingency plans for major clients focused on infrastructure security and e-commerce. His corporate crisis leadership follows an award-winning broadcast journalism career at KDFW-TV in Dallas. There, he delivered live broadcasts from disasters ranging from the crash of Delta Flight 191 to the Space Shuttle Challenger explosion.

Capps graduated with Highest Honors in Journalism from The University of Texas in Austin and received his Masters Degree from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University. Recently, Capps was invited to be interviewed and share his experience of starting his executive post at DFW on 9/11 in commemoration of the 10th anniversary of the tragedy. More examples of his results can be found at kencapps.com.

Jilly Carter, Senior Consultant

Jilly Carter is an experienced media trainer, with  more than 18 years of experience in radio and television broadcasting in the United Kingdom and Europe.   Since 1990, Jilly has levered her experience to help clients get the most out of the media through teaching media interview skills.  
She has worked with clients including Intel, EBay, PayPal, Sotheby's, Whitbread, Rolls Royce, Safeway, Levi's, Mitsubishi, Electrolux, the NHS, Knoll Pharmaceuticals, Chartered Institute of Taxation, Reed International, Flemings Bank, NatWest, Commercial Union, Courtaulds and The Medical Defence Union.
 
In the early 1980s, she joined BBC Radio Four and also was a local radio presenter in the region at Two Counties Radio in Bournemouth .   In 1982, she moved into television with TSW in Plymouth as a presenter and reporter on their main news show.   There, she gained experience reporting on a wide range of subjects including farming, high fashion, business, and consumer issues.
 
She also has worked in the United States on an exchange program with WRAL TV in North Carolina . There, she anchored the news show and their anniversary state specials.   Jilly was news presenter on BBC Breakfast Time, presenting the hourly national news summaries on BBC Television.   She also was a newscaster on ITN's Into the Night.  
 
Jilly has considerable experience conducting live presentations, including the ITV Telethon. She has presented at many corporate events and programs, ranging from videos for London Electricity, Shell International, Renault, Zeneca, Dutch and British Telecom and The British Heart Foundation.  
 
Born in Widnes , Cheshire , Jilly was educated at Huyton College near Liverpool.  She then took a London University degree in English, French and History of Art.  She also speaks French and Italian.
 

Laine Conklin, Senior Consultant

Laine Conklin brings over twenty years of experience as a marketing professional, writer and teacher. She has worked with CommCore for the last 17 years delivering executive communications coaching for senior executives and spokespeople. Her experience runs the gamut from start-up companies to Fortune 100’s including Pfizer, eBay, Time Warner and Deutsche Bank. CEO’s of note that Laine has counseled include Meg Whitman and John Donahoe of eBay, Jeff Jordan and Scott Thompson of PayPal and Jack Dorsey of Twitter.

Recognized for her peer-level coaching and ability to transform technical concepts into laymen’s language, Laine is sought after by senior executives in the healthcare, technology, financial services and consumer goods sectors. Laine specializes in executive/leadership communications, presentation, media, and meeting facilitation skills. Her efforts also extend to managers, salespeople, and representatives who speak to various audiences including customers, employees, analysts, investors and the media. She has worked with consumer advocate groups, specifically, Consumer Reports president and spokespeople for press inquiries, as well as government advocacy.

Laine has worked with many spokespeople involved in global communications including the president of Tom Online in China, the president of Latin American Operations for Swiss Re, and the president of Mercado Libre, the online marketplace for Latin America.

She has prepped many CEO’s and CFO’s for Keynote Addresses and specializes in content as well as delivery. Her client list also includes many celebrities, athletes, and authors, including President Bush’s daughter for her book on disenfranchised youth in Latin America. She has written promotional material, developed communication strategy programs and road show presentations for new and Fortune 100 companies.

Laine also has experience in marketing research and writing. She has written for medical journals, and worked as an independent report writer for pharmaceutical firms, biotech and medical device companies.

Roger Conner, Senior Consultant

Roger Conner brings 30+ years of experience in communications, marketing, and public relations to CommCore and Conner Communications. Roger is a 25-year Marriott executive, serving as Vice President, Communications for the leading global hospitality company and one of the world’s Top 100 brands since 1999.  In this position—and throughout his career—he has had responsibility for brand and market PR, PR/marketing communications agency selection and management, special events and sponsorships, internal communications, community relations engagement and PR, issues/reputation management, and crisis communications. At Marriott, he served in various brand and corporate PR roles; during the course of his career, Marriott expanded from approximately 20 hotels to over 3,000 hotels in 70 countries. A crisis communications specialist, Roger has managed and led communications teams through some of the most tragic events our world has seen, including, most prominently, 9/11 and the loss of the Marriott World Trade Center hotel. As a Marriott executive, Roger also responded to the assassination of Rabbi Meir Kehane at the New York Marriott East Side Hotel, the bombing of the Jakarta Marriott, and the bombing of the Islamabad Marriott. He is a frequent guest speaker and trainer on crisis communications.

Over the course of his tenure at Marriott, he handled major communication responsibilities for the acquisition of both Renaissance and Ritz-Carlton hotel companies and was a key part of the communications team on Marriott’s strategic development of its “portfolio of brands,” including the company’s move into new media and social media marketing. He created and directed over 100 hotel Grand Openings and other major sports and entertainment  events—often in concert with Bill Marriott, the company’s Chairman and CEO—and developed position statements and served as spokesperson on numerous issues management fronts including labor, alcohol serving and consumption, smoking, adult entertainment, animal rights, and religious influence. From a PR standpoint, he led much of the Marriott’s engagement in community relations and corporate social Responsibility, including a 25-year involvement with Children’s Miracle Network, the organization benefiting children’s hospitals throughout North America.

Prior to joining Marriott, Roger was Director of Advertising and PR for HERCO, Inc., part of the Hershey companies in Hershey, PA. Most recently, he was the Senior Director of Communications and Marketing for Catholic Charities USA, with responsibility for all internal and external communications and marketing for the third-largest non-profit organization in the country, comprised of a network of 170+ local agencies across the US.

Roger is a graduate of the Newhouse School of Communications at Syracuse University, where he currently serves as a guest lecturer in Marketing and Brand PR and Crisis Communication and as a member of the school’s Advisory Board. Additionally, Conner serves on the board of “Neediest Kids,” a Washington, DC area non-profit that assists inner city and other economically disadvantaged school children.

Ady Dewey, Senior Consultant

Ady Dewey uses her more than twenty years’ communications experience to help people tell their stories and share their data – clearly, memorably, and articulately.

Throughout her career, Ady has demonstrated high-level project management, communication and policy analysis skills with special capabilities in organizational development and planning. She has worked in a wide variety of fields including emergency response, health care, utilities, information technology, U.S. and foreign governments, higher education, museums, and volunteer organizations. Among her clients have been the American Red Cross, Association of Junior Leagues International, Bank Street College of Education, Consumer Credit Counseling Service, Enterprise Ireland, Federal Aviation Administration, Franklin Institute, Girl Scouts of the USA, March of Dimes, National Park Service, National Partnership for Women and Families, New Jersey State Senate, Philadelphia University, PJM Interconnection, Public Agenda, and QSP Readers Digest

Ady uses her skills in coalition building and research to provide clients with creative written content on broad range of topics for keynotes, testimonies, talking points, awards and gifts acceptances, video scripts, fund raising pitches, PowerPoint presentations, commencement addresses, toasts, and more. The audiences have ranged from small groups to Congressional hearings to major conferences, both national and international. Among the venues where her clients have spoken are the Creve Coeur Club, the Economic Club of Chicago, the National Press Club, National Public Radio, the University Club, the U.S. Congress, and the White House.

She has published well over 100 print feature articles, annual reports, newsletters, and research reports. For Leader, a magazine published by Girl Scouts of the U.S.A. (circulation 1 million+), she interviewed two sitting U.S. Cabinet Secretaries – “Education Secretary Spellings talks about Girls, and Math, and Science, and the Future” (Fall, 2006) and “A Conversation with Madeleine Albright” (Winter 2000). The annual reports she completed for GSUSA received multiple wins in the International Annual Report Competition and the juried American Graphic Design Awards.

Ady’s philosophy is begins with continuous improvement – looking for ways in which she can grow and helping others also to rethink, relook, and regain their footholds of leadership and excellence. This is how she approaches her work as well as what she brings the classroom. In addition to onsite workshops, Ady has taught courses for undergraduate students at Rutgers University and at a Maryland community college and adult education classes at the University of Pennsylvania. She currently holds an appointment as an associate professor at University of Maryland University College teaching business writing and public speaking.

Ady has a Bachelors of Science in Education from Virginia Tech and a Master’s in Government from the University of Pennsylvania.

Larry Gilman, Senior Consultant

Larry Gilman is a communications coach with more than 24 years of experience. He has led more than 800 training workshops for more than 10,000 people.
 
Larry's experience spans Fortune 500 companies to start-ups. He has extensive healthcare experience through his work with hospitals, managed care providers, pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies.  He also has deep experience in the technology and entertainments sectors. In finance, Larry has prepared clients for IPOs, road shows and analyst/investor presentations. Some of his clients include General Motors, AT&T, Johnson & Johnson, Pfizer, eBay, Qualcomm, Coca-Cola, Nokia, UPS, Zurich , and numerous federal agencies. As CommCore's Los Angeles based consultant, Larry has many opportunities to work with celebrities.     
 
Larry counsels clients during product launches, transitions, and other critical milestones.   He works with clients to develop compelling messages for a wide range of presentations and media interviews. He works with CEOs, senior executives, R&D directors, product managers, and other spokespersons.   
 
Larry's media experience has been both in front of and behind the camera. As an actor and an award-winning director, Larry has appeared in Broadway and off-Broadway productions, as well as numerous television programs and featured films.
 
He is a member of The Screen Actors Guild, Actors Equity Association and American Federation of Television and Radio Artists. Larry is a founding member of The Actors Institute in Los Angeles and in Who's Who in America. He is a graduate of Franklin & Marshall College.

Brent Gilroy, Senior Consultant

As a media relations specialist, CommCore Senior Consultant Brent Gilroy brings to the table more than 20 years of strategic and tactical communications experience in Washington, DC. He has created and managed public relations and public affairs projects and campaigns at agencies including Hill & Knowlton, Powell Tate, and Burson Marsteller.

His expertise extends across multiple sectors: transportation, national defense, aerospace, international trade, technology, biotechnology and the environment. Brent’s media relations experience includes outreach to top tier domestic and international contacts at print, broadcast and new media news operations.

Among his international trade credits is day-to-day coordination of a $4million annual effort to help the Government of Mexico win support within the US for NAFTA. The work included coordination of 20 professionals involved in media outreach, materials production, speaking tours and coalition building.

Brent served as administrative assistant and press secretary for U.S. Representative George (Buddy) Darden of Georgia. Prior to coming to Washington, he was a newspaper reporter and editor in Georgia and South Carolina, and also edited trade journals.

He is a graduate of Georgia State University.

Ed Gold, Senior Consultant

Ed Gold leads CommCore’s professional business writing workshops. He is a writer and writing consultant with over 20 years of experience working for clients in business and government.

A graduate of the University of Maryland with an M.A. from the Johns Hopkins University Writing Seminars, Ed taught writing at the University of Maryland for twelve years. He has trained staff writers for the National Science Foundation, the U.S. Postal Service, Societe Generale Bank, American Urological Association, Citibank, the American Society of Association Executives, the American Bankers Association, Tenneco, Dreyfus Benefits Division and over seventy trade and professional associations.

Ed specializes in plain English writing. He has written a wide range of materials for the Congressional Research Service, U.S. General Accounting Office, National Institutes of Health, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the U.S. Department of Education, the State of Michigan, Montgomery County (MD), IBM, and several Washington law firms.

Howard Greenstein, Principal Consultant/Program Developer - Social Media

Howard Greenstein is CommCore's Principal Consultant and Program Developer for Social Media. From the early days of “on line communities” to the currnt world of social media he has been a recognized Social Media Strategist, involved in cutting edge technology applications. His recent Social Media Strategy assignments with clients in the TV, law and non-profit space have shown tangible results, increasing communications and outreach with customers and constituents.

Howard Greenstein's years of experience in the technology world, combined with his background as an executive coach , help him bridge the gap between business needs and technology requirements, allowing him to facilitate difficult business conversations and focus on the required results of any project.

His background includes a role as “Technical Evangelist” for Microsoft's Developer Relations team, where he helped gain acceptance and adoption of Internet Explorer and Windows Media, obtaining marketing and product feature requirements from top corporate partners like CBS, Fox and Clear Channel. For J.P. Morgan he helped deploy such futuristic projects as desktop video conferencing, online collaborative tools and the World Wide Web in 1993-95.

Howard Greenstein has had roles in several New York startups, and has been an administrator and is currently a lecturer at New York University. He is co-founder and head of the New York City Chapter of The Social Media Club. As a networker and community builder, he is the only person to have been elected to the Board of Directors of three major New York technology trade organizations: New York Software Industry Association (NYSIA), NYNMA, and the World Wide Web Artist's Consortium (WWWAC). Howard was the Director of Operations for the Twin Towers Fund, which distributed over $216MM to the families of the rescue worker heroes killed at the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001.

Denise Harrington, Senior Consultant

Denise has been a professional communications trainer and coach since 1987. She has provided customized media and presentation skills development and crisis response preparation to C-level executives and spokespeople at Nike, Autodesk, Intel, Microsoft, Adidas, HP, Starbucks, Kaiser Permanente, the NBA’s Portland Trailblazers, the American Red Cross, Mentor, and Victoria’s Secret among other organizations.

She has prepared spokespeople for appearances on major news and sports broadcasts including CBS’s “60 Minutes” and “48 Hours,” ABC’s “Prime Time,” HBO’s “Real Sports,” ESPN’s “Up Close,” and ABC’s “Nightline.”

For Nike, Denise worked with Chairman Phil Knight and his advisory team as they crafted their response to media coverage of Nike’s labor crisis in Asia. She also prepared Knight for his address on the subject to the National Press Club.

Denise also designed and facilitated a women’s leadership training module for Microsoft that was rolled out worldwide for the software giant.
For Autodesk, she has coached hundreds of employees and executives for analyst meetings, media opportunities, product launches and global conferences in Europe, Asia and Africa.

One of Denise’s areas of expertise is working with premier and Olympic athletes on media and presentation skills. Her roster includes Tiger Woods, WNBA star Lisa Leslie, NBA stars such as Scottie Pippen and Branden Roy, Olympic track & field stars Michael Johnson Jackie Joyner-Kersee, and Olympic speed skater Apolo Aton Ohno.

A Washington, DC native, Denise is a graduate of the Tuck School of Business At Dartmouth College.

Alexander Kippen, Senior Consultant

Alexander Kippen joined CommCore in 2002, providing preparation for news interviews and message development to clients including Fortune 500 CEO's, professionals (physicians, engineers, accountants, other subject matter experts), and executives. He has also trained entertainers like actress Lorraine Bracco and athletes like Troy Aikman.
 
 Alexander developed CommCore's Internet-based Professional Profile ™ - a link to a personal promotional platform. Users can post their profile on the password-protected website, including news articles and book excerpts as well as video samples from speeches and TV appearances.
 
He began as a political reporter in Washington, DC, covering Congress, the first Bush and then Clinton administrations for Canada's Global Television Network and later for the Fox Morning News. His stories ranged from debates over the Clean Air Act and NAFTA, to the first Gulf War and sanctions against Iraq. After running a Washington production company with clients that included political talk show host John McLaughlin, Alexander became a Managing Director with Hill & Knowlton in Washington and New York, providing media counsel and media training for both established and emerging corporate clients.  Alexander has contributed reports to CNN, National Geographic, written for The Washington Monthly, The Washington Post, New York, Creative Screenwriting, the SAIS Foreign Observer, and also taught journalism as an adjunct professor at American University in Washington DC.  He is an international policy and economics graduate of George Washington and Johns Hopkins SAIS universities focusing on U.S. policy in the Persian Gulf.

Jerry Michaels, Senior Consultant

Jerry’s career spans 30 years as a senior-level communications coach and keynote speaker, 20 of them with CommCore. He has particular expertise in helping technical subject matter experts communicate effectively with non-technical audiences. The focus of Jerry’s training is on delivering the right message to the targeted audience in a way that it will be both understood and acted upon.

He has conducted media, presentation and crisis training programs for senior executives, marketing teams, managers, lawyers, technical experts, and spokespeople from a broad range of industries including healthcare and pharmaceuticals, telecommunications, technology, finance, the chemical industry, the energy sector, and law firms. He has prepared winners of the Malcolm Baldridge Awards for their industry presentations.

Jerry has been a keynote speaker at National and Regional Meetings and Conferences for such organizations as PriceWaterhouseCoopers, IBM, the American Diabetes Association, American Neurological Association, American Cancer Society, AT&T, and Nebraska Public Power District.

At the birth of deregulation of the telephone industry, Jerry worked with all of the baby bells as well as major players such as AT&T and Sprint deal with government and community hearings for approval of everything from rate hikes to consolidation. He has helped the NRC prepare for governmental and public hearings on for the past 13 years. His governmental work also includes the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board, Federal Reserve Bank, U.S. General Accounting Office and the United States Postal Service.

Additionally, Jerry has helped many pharmaceutical companies and device manufacturers navigate through FDA hearings to gain approval or deal with adverse events. He has worked closely with Deloitte teams preparing subject matter experts for the orals portion of government contract

acquisition pitches.

Jerry holds a Master’s Degree in Psychology, and has taught Psychology of Communication in the Graduate Psychology Department at NYU. He has lectured on topics as varied as Crisis Management Communication, Establishing Doctor/Patient Rapport, Pharmacist Patient Counseling, Persuasive Communication Techniques at Wharton School of Finance at the University of Pennsylvania, Harvard University Medical School, The Arnold and Marie Schwarz College of Pharmacy & Health Sciences at Long Island University as well as NYU.

Jerry has appeared on national programs including the "CBS Evening News" and "Good Morning America”, to discuss stress management, controlling addictions and the treatment of phobias. For several years he coached guests on Good Morning America to help effectively get their messages across. He has also created motivational and visualization programs for U.S. Olympic Teams since 1972. He is the author of several audiotape programs (Prentice Hall) on stress management and habit control.

Keith Owens, Senior Consultant

Keith Owens specializes in media relations, financial/investor relations and marketing communications. He provides value to individuals and organizations by helping them identify the needs of target audiences and creating effective messaging and communications programs to inform and persuade those audiences. Keith is adept at helping managers and sales teams at client organizations prepare for a variety of "selling" situations through targeted spokesperson training. He has a wide range of experience creating and executing communications for sensitive and crisis/regulatory situations, particularly in the financial services industry. Keith manages the hands-on execution of proactive media relations efforts supporting marketing and branding efforts for corporations and non-profit organizations, including work on both sides of M&A activity.

Prior to his work with CommCore, Keith headed media and public relations for Zurich North America Commercial Insurance. His financial services experience also includes work for Kemper Corporation, Kemper Financial Services, Aon and Unum Group. While working for leading public relations agencies such as Burson-Marsteller and Lesnik Public Relations, Keith successfully delivered media relations, marketing communications and financial/investor relations programs for a wide-range of companies, including Illinois Tool Works, Congoleum Corporation, Clark Equipment, Cardinal Health, Helen Curtis Industries and RSM McGladrey.

Keith develops and teaches managerial communications programs for college and professional association audiences in the Chicago area. He holds a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in Journalism/Public Relations from Northern Illinois University and an M.B.A. from the University of New Hampshire

Herb Perone, Senior Consultant

Herb Perone is a communications professional with a proven track record of handling crisis communications, managing complex issues and delivering in high-pressure environments. His wide range of experience includes a career in broadcast and print journalism as well as more than a decade in public relations/public affairs. For CommCore, he has been the prime media and constituent relations consultant on a nationwide awareness campaign for the National Conference on Public Employee Retirement Systems.

Herb’s post-journalism focus has been in the financial services arena, where he has gained significant expertise in pension/retirement security issues. He has served as Director of Media Relations and External Communications at the American Council of Life Insurers (ACLI), Acting Director of the Office of Public Affairs for the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and Associate Vice President for Media Relations at the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA).

Herb’s work at the SEC and FINRA also included pension/retirement security matters – particularly in the areas of investor education and regulatory enforcement. 

He built and directed a national media relations/public affairs program for the ACLI, the nation’s largest life insurance trade group, and successfully branded the organization as a key player in the national pension reform and long-term care debates. He also positioned the industry as a key provider of retirement savings instruments. He promoted the organization’s role with both national media (the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Kiplingers, Associated Press, CNN and more) and the trade press (Pensions & Investments, InvestmentNews, National Underwriter). In addition, he wrote and produced numerous Video News Releases on pension/retirement issues and conducted radio media tours promoting pension reform.  He also arranged and produced video summaries of focus groups on pension/retirement security issues.

Herb was a spokesman for the life insurance industry in the aftermath of the 9-11 terrorist attacks, handled SEC media relations during the Enron and Global Analyst Conflicts and the resulting Sarbanes-Oxley reforms and handled FINRA media relations during the Bernard Madoff scandal.

As a journalist, Herb was a reporter for several daily and weekly newspapers in the Washington, DC suburbs and in western Maryland and was a writer, producer and off-air reporter for ABC News and CNN. He has freelanced for the Associated Press, New York Times, Washington Post and other major publications and has written and produced programming for PBS, the Discovery Channel, Animal Planet and ESPN.

Cary Pfeffer, Senior Consultant

Cary Pfeffer is an accomplished communications training expert with nearly three decades of experience in journalism and public speaking. As a news anchor and reporter in Phoenix and Los Angeles, Cary has covered nearly every major news story. His work has been featured on CBS, NBC, and CNN, and also profiled in the New York Times.

He leverages this experience to provide counsel to CommCore clients on media communications and presentation delivery. Based in Phoenix, his clients include Rackspace Managed Hosting, Coldstone Creamery and America West Airlines.

Prior to CommCore, Cary was a news anchor with KPHO-TV in Phoenix, where he won an Emmy in the category of “Anchor of the Year.” There, Cary led an 80-person newsroom and anchored the 5:00, 6:00 and 10:00 PM newscasts. Notably, he has interviewed President George W. Bush on two occasions while covering the national conventions. Utilizing his presentation and facilitation skills, Cary has managed contentious town public meetings and debates on topics such as economic growth, education, and domestic violence.

Cary also was an anchor and reporter for KCAL-TV in Los Angeles, covering the O.J. Simpson trial, the Northridge earthquake and the Malibu fires. Prior to his six years in Los Angeles, Cary was a political reporter at KPNX-TV in Phoenix where he covered high profile stories such as the Los Angeles riots, the Charles Keating trial, and the first-ever impeachment of a sitting governor, Evan Mecham.

Cary has experience in radio and newspaper, serving as a reporter in Phoenix and Omaha. He holds a degree in Journalism and Mass Communications from Creighton University in Omaha.

Carol Preston, Senior Consultant

Carol Preston uses her more than twenty-five years' communications experience to help CommCore clients win in the court of public opinion.

Carol applies techniques learned as a writer, on-air reporter and talk show host to counsel clients how to control and be pro-active in tough interviews, educate audiences and deliver compelling presentations with comfort and ease.

She works with participants to build, practice and deliver memorable messages, which resonate with their key stakeholders.   She has counseled clients in healthcare, government, finance, technology, entertainment, telecommunications and the non-profit arena.
 
In healthcare, Carol has prepared physicians and scientists to address FDA advisory panel meetings on such issues as therapies for osteoporosis, women's health and blood disorders. Carol frequently is called upon as a crisis communications strategist to help clients handle hot-button issues including potentially deadly antibody immunities (PRCA), bio-generics, the continuing international blood plasma therapy shortage, a massive product recall and Good Manufacturing Practices. She has helped healthcare clients prepare for successful interviews with The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal , CNBC and 60 Minutes.
 
In technology and telecommunications, Carol has coached executives to conduct successful investor and analyst briefings and handle the tough Q&A, which inevitably follows the presentation.   She is an orals coach for a major defense contractor, which has won more than $300 million in lucrative government contracts as a result of Carol's presentation skills know-how.   She also has worked with clients on IPOs and product launches.
 
Carol spent most of her journalism career as an on-air news personality at the Mutual Broadcasting and the NBC Radio networks.   The Associated Press (AP) and United Press International (UPI) have honored Carol for her documentary on the Holocaust survivors.   She has lectured on media at George Washington University and has written Congressional testimony and speeches for CEOs.   She remains active with Bread for the City in Washington, DC after serving eight years on its Board of Directors.
 
Carol earned both her Master and Bachelor of Science degrees from Syracuse University.

Michael Sigman, Senior Consultant

Michael Sigman, a senior consultant for CommCore since 2000, brings almost 20 years of experience in broadcasting and news reporting to communications workshops.   He has worked extensively with clients in the healthcare, consumer products, automotive and telecommunications industries.  
 
Michael has a passion for thorough preparation and has the flexibility to immediately meet the changing needs of CommCore clients.   Executives and subject matter experts of all levels call upon him for counsel on leadership communications skills, speech writing, reputation management, time management, team building, delegation skills, speaker skills and media skills.  
 
In addition to corporate work, Michael counsels a number of not-for-profit agencies and conducts on-going workshops for Executive MBA candidates at the University of Delaware.   He also organizes an executive club that is devoted to professional education and development.  
Early in his career, Michael was a classroom teacher, where he developed time management methods and a patient methodical approach to effective education.   He applies these techniques to CommCore clients.
 
Michael's broadcast journalism career began in Philadelphia as a news planner for WCAU-TV, Channel 10.   He was an all-news radio anchor and PBS television news producer before taking the anchor chair at Delaware’s only television news station, First State News, which garnered two Emmy Award nominations. He was also the prime-time evening news anchor for TSM News, an 11-hour a day regional cable news operation in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware.
 
Michael received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Radio, Television and Film from Temple University’s School of Communications and Theatre.  

Mary Snowdon, Senior Consultant

Mary’s career as an attorney and a public affairs director for a major Washington trade association make her uniquely qualified to help CommCore’s clients craft and deliver compelling messages.

During her years with CommCore, Mary has trained physicians, attorneys, senior corporate officers, and subject matter experts in a wide variety of disciplines. She has worked with Fortune 500 clients and start-ups, and has prepared clients for media coverage on everything from product launches to sexual harassment allegations. Mary frequently works with presentation teams and has helped clients like Sprint prepare successful government contract presentations. She has designed and implemented crisis training programs and also conducts many of CommCore’s witness training workshops.

Mary received an undergraduate degree in journalism from the University of Illinois and a law degree from the University of Virginia. She is a member of the Illinois and District of Columbia Bars. Following law school, Mary practiced for several years as a litigation attorney at Gardner, Carton & Douglas in Chicago and Swidler & Berlin in Washington, DC. Mary later served as the Director of Public Affairs for the International Council of Cruise Lines (ICCL), the trade association representing the passenger cruise line industry, where she was primarily responsible for creating and delivering the cruise industry’s messages on a variety of legislative initiatives, legal issues and safety measures. Her public affairs experience at the ICCL included work with Congress, the State Department, the Department of Transportation, the Immigration & Naturalization Service and the Federal Maritime Commission.

Dr. Karen Strauss helps organizations and individuals succeed in communicating their messages clearly and effectively — often in adversarial settings. She specializes in translating technical scientific language into understandable terms for lay audiences. Karen conducts educational seminars to improve participants’ abilities to present information in a variety of settings including public hearings as well as regulatory and legislative hearings. Her clients have included Sprint, Delphi Automotive Systems and Pfizer.

Karen has appeared on national television, narrated educational films, and participated in a wide array of public and media events.

Before her career as a communicator and consultant, Karen worked for Westinghouse Electric Corporation in Strategic Planning, Nuclear Safety and Licensing, and as Project Engineer for two nuclear power stations in Spain.

Karen earned a Masters in environmental health sciences and a Doctorate in public health from Johns Hopkins School of Public Health. She graduated Phi Beta Kappa, with honors in economics, from Sweet Briar College.