About Program

The manual on how to manage crisis communications is being rewritten one tweet at a time. As alternative facts and fake news make headlines, PR professionals must always be prepared to play offense.

Join PRSA Chicago Wednesday, March 1, 6-8 p.m. CT for an evening panel discussion at the Woman’s Athletic Club of Chicago. Register by Wednesday, Feb. 8 and save $5!

Panelists

Heidi Barker
(@heidimedia)
Brand Communications Expert

Heidi Barker is a Brand Communications expert specializing in corporate reputation, crisis communications and media training. She is a sought-after host and emcee for major events and also works as a voiceover artist.

Heidi is the former Vice President of Global Media Relations for McDonald’s Corporation, where she led the team in identifying bold ways to represent McDonald’s through traditional and social media by advancing McDonald’s reputation with influential journalists and stakeholders.

Prior to joining McDonald’s, Heidi worked for 10 years as a Chicago-based Network Producer for NBC News, contributing stories for “NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams”, “Today”, and MSNBC. She also frequently filled in as a Senior Producer for “NBC Nightly News” in New York.

Heidi has garnered two Emmy nominations, several Edward R. Murrow Awards and numerous journalism awards.

Heidi began as an anchor/reporter for the ABC affiliate in Decatur, Ill. She is a 1991 graduate of the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University. She currently serves on the Board of Directors of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Chicago and ColorComm Network, the only professional organization focused on advancing the visibility of women of color in communications. Heidi is honored to mentor many young people in the communications field.

Dave Duschene
Executive Director, Corporate Communications
Golin

Dave joined Golin in July 1999. Fueled by working years as a newspaper reporter, Dave understands how communication works best if delivered in a voice and format preferred by the target audience.

This philosophy has helped him serve numerous companies facing challenges related to corporate branding, employee morale, labor relations, community relations and crisis management.

Dave specializes in corporate brand building and reputation management. He’s led issues management and crisis response programming for a variety of clients, including Mead Johnson Nutrition, Corona USA, WhiteWave Foods, National Express, Sargento Cheese, McDonald’s Corporation and others. Dave has also developed customized crisis simulation and training sessions for several companies, including Tetra Pak, AkzoNobel, MetroPCS and PetSmart.

Patrick O’Connell
Director, Marketing & Communications
KONE Americas

Patrick O’Connell is Director of Marketing & Communications for KONE Americas. In this role, he leads internal and external communications for a $2 billion business that includes teams across the United States, Canada and Latin America. Patrick also serves as Communications Chair for the National Elevator Industry, Inc., a preeminent trade association for the building transportation industry.

As a senior leader with extensive experience leading corporate communications for global organizations and a well-respected thought leader, Patrick is skilled at developing strategic direction and at implementing operational improvements to help profitably grow businesses.

Prior to joining KONE, Patrick was Global Communications Director for the Security Technologies sector of Ingersoll Rand with full responsibility for the internal and external communications across 27 global brands.  Patrick previously held significant leadership positions for National City Bank, Capital One and MCI WorldCom.

In his current role at KONE, Patrick leads the development and execution of the marketing and communications strategy for the full life cycle of business across the Americas and coordinate global marketing initiatives across the geography. In addition, he is responsible for internal and external communication.

Patrick received his bachelor’s degree in mass communications from Morningside College and an MBA from the University of Iowa.

Program Details

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