Absolutely PR’s Maggie Chamberlin Holben has been appointed to a second term as a board member of the Colorado BioScience Association.
Category: PR Moves
Metzger Promotes Metzger
Boulder-based Metzger Associates promoted Lisa Metzger to vice president of agency services.
Entercom Names New Promotions Director for Alice 105.9
Entercom Denver has named Carrie Williams promotions director at radio station Alice 105.9. Williams formerly was with Regan Communications in Boston.
Denver PR Moves
- Darby Doll, formerly director of emerging media at JohnstonWells, has accepted a position as VP of Corporate, Technology and Digital at Ketchum’s Shanghai office.
- Metzger hired Bevo Beaven as vice president of client services. Beaven formerly was at CTA Public Relations.
- Catapult PR-IR promoted Christin Jeffers to junior account executive.
Clark to Leave Schenkein
Following a tough year that saw Schenkein reduce its headcount by nearly one-third, principal and co-owner Leanna Clark announced she will be leaving the firm in January. She plans to devote more time to her philanthropic endeavors, while still remaining an advisor to the firm. The DBJ called Clark one of Denver’s “communications leaders” and noted that Schenkein has “represented many of Denver’s top companies and nonprofit groups as well as national firms.”
ProConnect Hires One
ProConect Public Relations hired Elisa Herzog as an account associate. Herzog formerly was with JohnstonWells.
GBSM Names Senior Associate
GBSM hired Lynn Brackpool as Senior Associate. Brackpool has a 20-year background driving communication initiatives in the technology, health care, retail, tourism and transit industries, including with AT&T Wireless, Walt Disney and Albertson’s among others.
DAM PR/Advertising Director Steps Down
Best of luck to Deanna Person, who is retiring as director of public relations and advertising for the Denver Art Museum.
Linhart Promotes Three
Linhart PR has promoted three employees: Tim Streeb to account supervisor, Jennifer Tilliss to senior account executive and Ashley Campbell to account executive.
104 West Hires One, Promotes One
104 West has promoted Courtney Walsh to account manager and hired Kim Schloss as account associate. Schloss previously was with the dreaded EchoStar.
Level 3 Appoints SVP of Corporate Communications
Level 3 has appointed Jeff Battcher as senior vice president of Corporate Communications. Battcher’s former positions include vice president of Corporate Communications at Delta Airlines and chief company spokesman at BellSouth.
Weise Communications Adds Four
A few months after moving into its larger office, Weise Communications has added four new staff members to help fill it up: Marne Brase, director of client services; Tim McCanna, art director; Beth Hardy, public relations account executive; and Megan Vogel, marketing coordinator.
Denver PR Moves
- JohnstonWells hired Blake Jackson as senior associate, and promoted Sarah Cullen to senior associate. Jackson formerly was a sports reporter at The (Oklahoma CIty) Oklahoman.
- Guttau Public Relations hired Teresa Tuschhoff as account manager and Sarah Plath as account coordinator. Tuschhoff formerly was development director at the Matthew Shepard Foundation, and Plath is a former intern with Guttau.
More Denver PR Wins (and a Couple of Hires)
- 104 West Partners has added three new technology clients: HiveLive, Global Technology Resources Inc. and Transverse.
- Xstatic PR has added two new healthcare clients: Oncure Medical Corp. and Quantix. Xstatic also added Sasha Tinkham to its staff. Tinkham formerly was with Schenkein and Lois Paul & Partners in Boston.
- Voca Public Relations has added Julie Bielenberg and Riegel “Reggie” Brasseux as senior account executives. Bielenberg formerly was managing editor of Colorado Homes & Lifestyles and Brasseux formerly was at Fletcher Group.
NREL Hires Project Leader/Web Manager
NREL has hired Gabe Boeckman as Communications Project Leader/Web Content Manager. Boeckman formerly was with VisiTech PR.
Changes at Several Denver Agencies
There are some changes going on at several Denver agencies. PR agencies ProConnect and Altitude announced they have merged, and Xylem CCI has named Scott Snyder acting chairman and CEO. Xylem CCI will conduct an executive search to fill the roles permanently.
AWWA Adds to Public Affairs Staff
The American Water Works Association has added Deirdre Mueller as Public Affairs Manager. Mueller formerly was with LeGrand Hart.
Metzger Names Albee President, Makes Several New Hires
A number of changes are afoot at Metzger Associates, which has promoted Doyle Albee to president, promoted Lisa Metzger to Vice President of Agency Services, hired Bevo Beaven as Vice President of Client Services and Senior Account Executive, and hired Lauren Preston as Account Coordinator.
Denver PR Moves
- Xcel Energy added Joe Fuentes to its media relations staff. Fuentes formerly was with Quark.
- Linhart PR added Russ “Ratso” Rizzo as an account executive. Prior to joining Linhart, Rizzo ran his own PR consultancy and was a reporter at the Salt Lake Tribune.
Pure Brand Adds Two to PR Practice
Kate Miller and Amanda Denning have joined Pure Brand’s public relations practice. Miller formerly was with Gibbs & Soell in Raleigh, N.C., and Denning is a recent graduate of the University of Pittsburgh.
Former Post Columnist Longs for the Good Old Days of Journalism
We posted earlier this year when former Denver Post columnist Jim Spencer left his gig in online journalism for the world of public relations. Now, word is that Jim still hasn’t come to grips with the career change.
Turner PR Adds Three Staff Members
Turner PR continues to grow. The agency has added Kristin Rust and Audrey Strong as senior account managers, and David Rubin as account coordinator. Rust formerly worked at Aspen Skiing Company and Colorado Ski Country USA, while Strong’s background includes positions with The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company and JohnstonWells.
NFL’s Packers Hire Sankey
Former Qwest EVP of Marketing and Communications Laura Sankey has been named Senior VP of Marketing and Sales for the NFL’s Green Bay Packers.
Additional Schenkein Promotions
The fallout from Schenkein’s recent layoff continues. In addition to promoting Barb Jones to SVP, Schenkein has promoted Brandy Radey to VP, Meredith Stevens to SAE, and Zack Littlefield to AE.
Schenkein Promotes Jones
Schenkein has promoted VP Barb Jones to SVP. She will be responsible for business development as well as client account teams.
Bush’s Karen Hughes Joins Hillary’s Mark Penn
And you thought the tension in your office was running high …
Metzger Adds Social Media Specialist
Elaine Ellis has joined Metzger PR’s social media practice. Ellis formerly was with Schenkein.
PrimaDonna PR Adds Several Clients
PrimaDonna PR announced it has hired Genesis Kobos, formerly of LeGrand Hart, and added author Caryn West, SEE Eyewear, Delish Demure and The Gerald P. Murphy Cancer Foundation as clients.
Vladimir Jones Continues its Shake-up
Fresh off its name change from PRACO to Vladimir Jones, the agency has named former EVP Meredith Hall Vaughan president.
Denver PR Moves
- GroundFloor Media has named Ramonna Tooley partner.
- Boulder-based SNAP! PR hired Sylvia Henry as account coordinator.
Salazar’s Communications Director Joins GBSM
GBSM has hired U.S. Sen. Ken Salazar’s communications director Cody Wertz as a senior associate. Wertz will lead the firm’s public involvement and outreach efforts related to water and transportation issues. The firm also added Christine Alducin as an associate. She formerly was director of Marketing and Film for Sonora Entertainment Group.
PR Notes
- Boulder advertising and branding agency Sterling-Rice Group has selected Metzger Associates to develop a national public relations and new-media campaign.
- GroundFloor Media named Ramonna Tooley partner.
- Barnhart Communications hired Nancy Lambert as account manager. Her experience includes a decade at Rock Bottom Restaurants.
GBSM Announces Promotion, New Hire
GBSM has promoted Miles Graham to associate and named Jessie Roatch as executive assistant. Graham has worked with GBSM clients such as RTD and Aurora Water since joining the firm in 2006, and Roatch will support GBSM principals and client teams with research and project management.
Western Union Appoints Corporate Relations SVP
Englewood-based Western Union has named Eric Jackson as its senior vice president of global corporate relations. Jackson previously was vice president of global corporate communications at FedEx.
Former USA Today Scribe Joins National Park Service
Former USA Today reporter Patrick O’Driscoll has landed in Lakewood as a public affairs specialist with the National Park Service. O’Driscoll was one of 43 employees to accept a buyout from the paper in late 2007.
Denver PR Moves
- Metzger hired Theresa Blake as account services director and Craig Randall as account coordinator. Blake previously was with Wild Oats.
- Xstatic added Jim Randall as senior public relations expert. Randall’s previous experience includes Frontier Airlines and the U.S. Air Force.
- GroundFloor Media has added Amanda Brannum as a senior public relations manager. She previously worked with the North Texas Business for Culture and the Arts in Dallas.
LeGrand Hart Names Managing Director
LeGrand Hart has promoted Heather Lindemann to managing director. Lindemann previously was a vice president.
Was Ayers PR a Back-Door, Zero-Dollar Acquisition?
Sydney Ayers’ decision to leave the firm she runs with her father, Rendall, to join Arment Dietrich is starting to look like it was actually a back-door, zero-dollar acquisition. Arment Dietrich’s Denver office — 1660 Lincoln St., Suite 1550 — occupies the same space Ayers PR formerly (or maybe currently?) does, and Arment Dietrich has now announced the hiring of Liz Pope as account coordinator. Pope formerly worked at — you guessed it — Ayers PR.
So Arment Dietrich gets Ayers, her real-estate and at least some of her employees. We hope Rendall, who is a true gentleman and one of Denver’s great PR class acts, has his next steps figured out. It may be to quietly ride off into the sunset.
JohnstonWells Adds Director of Business Development
JohnstonWells announced it has named Rodney D. Bell senior counselor and director of business development. Bell’s previous experience includes First Data Corp.
Former Post Columnist Jim Spencer Turns Flack
When former Denver Post columnist Jim Spencer left the paper last summer, he announced he was taking a foray into the world of online journalism by joining the Web site Colorado Confidential. That experiment has ended. Spencer has crossed over to the dark side, accepting a position as communications director for the University of Colorado Denver School of Medicine.
Why Doesn’t J-School Teach You the Really Important Things?
Our apologies for making fun of Hub Cap Annie’s desire to transition into public relations — it turns out she’s much more qualified than we gave her credit for.
Ayers PR Clients Start to Make Moves
The shake-out from Sydney Ayers’ decision to leave her own firm to take the MD job at Arment Dietrich’s new Denver office appears to have started. Floor-care company BonaKemi USA has left Ayers PR after approximately eight months and selected LeGrand Hart as its agency. LeGrand Hart seems like a natural fit because it previously rep’ed Orange Glo, but curiously it appears based on its Web site that most of the team members who worked on the agency’s Orange Glo account have since left the firm.
PRACO Names New VP & CFO
Trudy Rowe has been appointed vice president and chief financial officer at PRACO, where she will manage the firm’s IT, operations, HR, legal and financial functions. Her previous experience includes Deloitte & Touch, Magellan Health Services and ValueOptions.
104 West Partners Hires One, Promotes One
104 West Partners has promoted Jennifer Dunlap Roane to vice president and hired MacLean Guthrie as account director. Guthrie is one of a string of people who has held the dreaded “Director of Corporate Communications” position at Quark recently.
Ayers Leaves Her Own Firm for MD Job at Arment Dietrich
Sydney Ayers has walked away from Ayers PR to take the Managing Director job at Arment Dietrich’s new Denver office. Ayers’ partner in her old firm, her father Rendall Ayers, will continue Ayers PR as its sole owner.
Recent PR Moves
- Crocs named Shelley Forslund public relations manager. Forslund formerly was with LeGrand Hart.
- SHiFT named Michelle Crisci Shauf (say that three times fast) account supervisor. Shauf joins SHiFT from Anna’s Angels Foundation for Down Syndrome Research. Her resume also includes IBM, Saatchi & Saatchi, and Ernst & Young.
- The Cherry Creek Arts Festival named R. Tony Smith business and communications director. Smith formerly was finance and operations director for the festival.
- Celestial Seasonings named Michael A. Bloom vice president of marketing. Bloom joins Celestial from Nestle.
Turner PR Continues to Grow
Turner PR has announced three new hires and a promotion:
- Amanda Conti joins as an account executive; she previously worked at New York boutique firms Marina Maher Communications and Bratskeir & Company.
- BrieAnn Fast and Jordan Blakesley have been hired as account coordinators. Both join Turner from LeGrand Hart.
- Jill Neumann has been promoted to writer/research analyst.
December PR Moves
- Denver Public Schools Foundation named Natalie Wilkins communications director; Wilkins joins the DPSF from SafeHouse Denver.
- Schenkein hired Sara Antonio as account director, promoted Bridget Ford and Sasha Harrell to senior account executives, and promoted Lana Jefferson Taussig, Abbey O’Neal and Melissa Miller to account executives;
- Turner Public Relations hired Jordan Blakesley as publicist. Blakesley joins Turner from LeGrand Hart.
- Fentress Architects hired Jennifer Ito to manage public relations and business development. Ito formerly was executive director of the Foothills Art Center.
- Colorado State University appointed Michele McKinney to manage public relations in the Denver area. McKinney joins CSU from the University of Colorado, where she was director of communications and spokesperson for the CU System and the Office of the President.
- The Heedum Agency hired Julie Dunn as a senior account manager. Dunn formerly was a Denver Post business reporter.
Steve Sander named Denver marketing director
Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper has appointed marketing veteran Steve Sander as the city’s new strategic marketing director. He will work on various initiatives related to economic development, tourism and the delivery of city services. Sander has more than 30 years experience at firms such as Sander Marketing, Sander/GBSM, Karsh & Hagen, and Barnhart Advertising.
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