FRED ASBELL
Fred Asbell is a respected expert in project development and management, coalition development, issue management and government relations. Fred has held senior leadership positions in the Federal government, at national political committees, and managed and consulted on national, state and local candidate, as well as issue campaigns.
From mid-2007 until spring 2011, he worked with former Speaker Newt Gingrich’s “American Solutions” committee, as their Director of Education Policy. He was responsible for national policy development and thought leadership initiatives, as well as large-scale event development and production. In addition, he managed their coalition program and was responsible for Congressional relations. Earlier in his career, Fred served as Chief of Staff for several Members of Congress including former-Congressman E. Clay Shaw
Fred was Vice President of Government Affairs for Robert Betz Associates, (RBA) a health policy firm in Rosslyn, Virginia. In addition to his government affairs responsibilities, he was also Director of Strategic Initiatives for the Health Industry Group Purchasing Association, a client of RBA.
Fred is a resident of Washington, DC, a native of Birmingham, Alabama, and received a B.S. degree from Jacksonville State University.
E-Mail: freda2817@aol.com
BRENT GILROY
During more than two decades in Washington, Brent Gilroy has provided strategic and tactical communications services across a diverse array of issues in a wide range of business sectors. He has been a manager or key member of teams servicing public affairs and other communications programs, large and small.
As an independent public affairs counselor – and during 11 years with major communications agencies Burson-Marsteller, Powell Tate and Hill & Knowlton – Brent has worked in fields such as transportation, national defense, aerospace, energy, international trade, high technology, biotechnology and the environment. Much of his work has involved integrated teams of government affairs and communications professionals, along with specialists in coalition building, presentation training and creative execution/advertising.
Among his many career accomplishments to date, Brent has managed external communications for a coalition of electric transmission interests, helped to coordinate crisis management and communications for a European aircraft manufacturer, and managed coordination of a $4 million annual effort to help the Government of Mexico win support within the U.S. for the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). He also worked with a major U.S. pharmaceutical company to win public acceptance of one of the first major agricultural products developed through biotechnology.
Brent excels at providing tailored, hands-on training to help clients and their allies most effectively deliver their messages to the media, key third parties and other audiences. He previously served as the chief aide to a member of the U.S. Congress, and was a journalist.
E-Mail: brentgilroy@gmail.com
WILMA GOLDSTEIN
Wilma Goldstein has a background in management, training and consulting in government, survey and public relations firms, political campaigns and organizations, academic institutions and associations. She has a special emphasis throughout her career on women’s programs and issues. Wilma also has an extensive background in training and lecturing and is an active member of many nonprofits in several capacities including: The Arts Club of Washington, The Whitman Walker Clinic for HIV/AIDS, and the U. S. Small Business Administration.
Among Wilma’s various accomplishments, she has managed The Office of Women’s Business Ownership (OWBO) and has also worked as a project manager for The Hawthorn Group, a Virginia based international public relations group doing issue management on health care and corporate responsibility. She has also served as the Executive Director of The National Women’s Business Council, a Presidential Commission tasked to report annually to The White House, Congress and the U.S. Small Business Administration on the status of women in business.
Her background extends to survey research. Wilma served on the management team of Michigan based Market Opinion Research, taking it from a small local business to one of the top ten research companies in the United States. She also set up and ran Canadian Opinion Research in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Wilma has been involved in politics for decades, where she consulted and managed political and issue campaigns from local to Presidential races. She designed and implemented survey research programs for more than l00 U.S. House and Senate races and helped develop communications research techniques that generated the first generic national political television spots.
E-Mail: goldsteinwilma@aol.com
CHRISTIE HARRIS
Christie Harris is an analytical communications professional with solid management experience combined with a strong background in message development, crisis communications, and community relations.
Harris’ experience includes working for an international mining company as their main communications professional. Reporting to the CEO, Harris rebuilt the reputation of the company in the greater local community through CSR programs, neighbor relations, and media relations. She successfully launched and led a number of employee action teams to address gaps and issues within the company structure and local community. These included: the charitable giving and scholarship committee; a safety task force for office operations; safety, environment, and quality action team; community events team; and employee training and feedback program.
Prior work included coalition building and government relations around a 53’-foot trailer access in Vermont, marketing and public image awareness campaigns, media training, company newsletters, ROI for communications strategies, friction point analyses, focus groups and research, and customer service training.
Harris is the founder of C2 Consulting, a communications and strategic planning firm based in Vermont. She holds degrees in Communications and Liberal Arts. In addition, her professional development includes certificates in Sustainability, Media Training, Corporate Social Responsibility, and Change Management. She currently serves as a director and vice president for the Rutland Economic Development Corporation.
E-Mail: charris@vermontel.net
TERRI HORNBACH-TORRES, APR
For more than 25 years, Terri Hornbach-Torres has applied award-winning PR skills and grass-roots sensibility to addressing the issues that can make – or break – successful organizations. Her pragmatic approach to issues management helps organizations avert crises and garner support by anticipating and pro-actively addressing the concerns of those who have a vested interest in the organization’s success.
Terri has successfully managed issues as diverse as biohazard disposal, union negotiations, RICO allegations, medication errors, and research ethics. In these sensitive situations, she worked closely and effectively with news media, senior management, unions, scientists, physicians, attorneys, voters and community groups.
Terri is an accredited member of the Public Relations Society of America and is a past president of the Cincinnati Editors Association. In 1999, she was named to the Cincinnati Business Courier’s annual “Top 40 Under 40” list. She has received more than two dozen awards from professional associations for writing, media relations and marketing communications.
Terri holds a bachelor’s degree in mass communications from Miami University, and has completed graduate business coursework at Xavier University.E-Mail: terri.torres@permittingpartners.com
SULTANA KHAN
Sultana Khan has a strong background in writing, research and communications. She provides key internal support services, ranging from editing and market research to new business development. Khan is a primary source for public affairs professionals, providing assistance for all communications and research needs. She was previously an Account Executive for TheWadeGroup.
Khan also worked as a special educator within a small school system in Vermont, helping develop and execute curriculum for special needs students. A graduate from Manhattan College with a degree in English and Communications, Khan volunteered as the coordinator for a literacy program in the community of Kingsbridge Heights. There she designed and implemented a student activism program that led an effort to engage Manhattan College students in volunteering within the surrounding inner city communities. She believes strongly in the value of education and hopes to continue her work in community awareness and participation.
Khan has also been actively involved with the green energy and construction movements. While living in California, Texas and Vermont, she cultivated an interest in the movements that have increased energy efficiency and reduced carbon footprint of newly constructed buildings. She plans to become LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified by the end of 2012, and hopes to incorporate this tool into her ability to serve clients involved in the permitting process.
Email: Sultana.Khan@permittingpartners.com
LARRY SWENSON
Larry Noel Swenson, is the founder of Noel International, an international training and consulting organization that specializes in team building, cross cultural training and world music programs for people of all ages -- from corporate executives to children. Noel International is also well-known for training programs for language teachers, to assist them in integrating the arts into their classrooms and increase the ability of their students to retain the sounds and pronunciation of the language. In Argentina, Larry created a special course university for language teachers and trained others to teach it to future students. Noel International training programs are provided in English, Spanish and Swedish, and Larry regularly does training in Mexico City, Mexico, Japan and China.
Larry, the international Minnesotan, grew up as a 4-H member on a small farm south of Lake Park, and has lived all over the world. Larry has been the Dean of three Concordia Language schools in China, a Rotary Foundation Scholar in Calcutta, India, an exchange student in Egypt. Larry helped develop a sister-city relationship between Lake Park, Minnesota, and Äppelbo, Sweden. Throughout his career, Larry has been recognized for his ability to organize young people, neighbors and volunteers. When water pollution was threatening streams and water life in every state, Larry created an original production, "Pollution Solution," which was performed by a cast of 30 young people at the U.S. Capitol and in 5 states, for which he received a volunteer award from the Clean Rivers Project by the Governor of Minnesota.
One of his latest projects is designed to build and celebrate cultural understanding between people living in the U.S. – immigrants and native born. The program is an educational/cultural/musical extravaganza for communities and schools, called "The Mexican and the Minnesotan." And just for the fun of it, he has recorded three CD's of international children's songs, and has another CD on the way. Larry is fluent in Spanish.
E-Mail: larry.swenson@gmail.com