Morning ritual: I wake up between 5am and 5:30am Monday through Friday. I start my day with oatmeal, orange juice, and my pack of multivitamins, while reading the Los Angeles Times. That is followed by phone calls and meetings.
Required reading: PRWeek, HuffingtonPost.com, TargetMarketNews.com, Los Angeles Business Journal, The Wall Street Journal, Vanity Fair, The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, The Network Journal, Black Enterprise, and the Financial Times.
First PR job: I've never had a real PR job per se. I started in-house in market research, moved to sales and then market management. I then went to ICAN, an ad agency, where I helped build out their PR capabilities.
Proudest career achievement: My proudest moment will be on September 1, when the firm celebrates its 20th anniversary.
Most regrettable career moment: Opening an office in Nashville in 2007.
Best career advice you've ever given: Demonstrate value to your employer or client every day. You're only as good as the counsel you gave yesterday.
Most distinct aspect of your personal office: Organization. I make things easy for others working with me. I also have a “big cheat” white board on which I have our current clients listed by corporate, nonprofit, and government, as well as new business prospects.
Person to call during a crisis: It depends on the crisis. I seek advice from different people depending on the problem at hand. The Arthur W. Page Society and The Seminar members are always the best resource.
Favorite city to travel for business: The Big Apple – New York City. I'm there once or twice a month. It's the center of our profession. The talent in the industry, clients, and potential clients, energizes me.
Mentor: I don't have one mentor, I have seven. They are: Michael O'Neill, American Express; Mike Fernandez, State Farm; Gail Heimann, Weber Shandwick; Barry Caldwell, Waste Management; Mary Stutts, Elan Pharmaceuticals; Vernice Walkine, Bahamas Ministry of Tourism; Barbara Parsky, Edison International.
Ideal job, if not in PR: Appointed by the President of the United States as Ambassador to a South American or European country
