Key Executives

Under Mark’s leadership as chairman and CEO, CRT/tanaka has become one of the largest and most respected independent public relations firms in the country with offices in Richmond and Norfolk, Va., New York, Los Angeles and Washington, D.C.

Clients respect his candid, insightful counsel that draws upon his leadership roles within health care organizations, pharmaceutical companies, Fortune 500 companies, not-for-profits and consulting organizations. He is widely known for achieving business goals via non-traditional solutions, employee engagement and clarity of vision and values.

Prior to founding CRT/tanaka (and its predecessor Carter Ryley Thomas), Mark served as president of Earle Palmer Brown Public Relations and director of public relations for Ford & Westbrook. Mark also previously served as director of marketing for Sentara Health Care, where he improved market share and reimbursements by helping create a network of outpatient services. At Sentara, he was also a member of the communications team for the birth of the first in-vitro baby born in the United States.

During his career, Mark has earned impressive recognition, including induction into the Virginia Communications Hall of Fame, the Thomas Jefferson Award for lifetime achievement given by the regional chapter of thePublic Relations Society of America (PRSA), the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year award, the Torch Award for business ethics given by the Better Business Bureau, “Soldier of the Year” award from a U.S. Army medical battalion and several top national awards for his creative public relations and marketing campaigns.

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Patrice Tanaka is Co-Chair, Chief Creative Officer and whatcanbe ^SM Ambassador for CRT/tanaka, a new entity she helped co-found in September 2005 bringing together the talent and expertise of two of the PR industry’s most well-respected, independent mid-sized agencies – the New York City-based Patrice Tanaka & Company, Inc. (PT&Co.) and Richmond, Va.-based, Carter Ryley Thomas (CRT). Her current and former agencies have been recognized as the “Best Agency to Work for in America,” “Most Admired Mid-Size PR Agency in the U.S.” and “#1 Most Creative PR Agency in America,” among other accolades by various PR organizations and trade media.

Patrice is committed to the idea of “whatcanbe,” CRT/tanaka’s brand essence, cultural ethos  and approach to business that involves helping the agency, its clients and the community-at-large to envision and manifest a bigger, brighter, better future.

She has been honored by many PR, marketing, business and civic organizations, including the Public Relations Society of America (“Paul M. Lund Award for Public Service”), The Holmes Group (“Creativity All-Star” Award), New York Women in Communications (“Matrix” Award), Association for Women in Communications (“Headliner” Award), Girl Scout Council of Greater New York (“Woman of Distinction” Award), Working Mother Magazine (“Mothering That Works” Award) and Asian Women in Business (“Entrepreneurial Leadership Award”), among others.

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In more than two decades of agency work, Mike has gained a wealth of experience working with a range of clients, including Fortune 500 companies, government agencies, colleges and universities, banks, associations, professional services organizations, not-for-profits and high technology firms. He has developed an array of award-winning national, regional and statewide programs designed to achieve meaningful business and organizational outcomes.

Mike has provided strategic counsel to several of CRT/tanaka’s higher education clients, including Longwood University, Virginia Commonwealth University, Virginia Union University and the Virginia Community College System. He also served as strategic counsel for Foundation 2002, the successful $900 million bond referendum that funds badly needed repairs, renovations and capital improvements at Virginia’s state-supported colleges and universities. CRT/tanaka developed Foundation 2002’s brand positioning, media strategy, coalition development and outreach call to action. In addition, CRT/tanaka executed creative development and production for a variety of collateral materials including brochures and palm cards.

Before joining CRT/tanaka (and its predecessor Earle Palmer Brown) in 1990, Mike was director of public relations for Hameroff/Milenthal/Spence, a $40-million agency located in Columbus, Ohio. In this role, he was responsible for strategy, planning and implementation of varied communications programs for such organizations as the University of Colorado, The Ohio State University and OSU’s University Hospital, Chicago Public Schools, Society Bank, Central Fidelity Bank, the State of Ohio, the City of Chicago, the Chicago Transit Authority, the Ohio Electric Utility Institute, the nation’s fifth largest Blue Cross & Blue Shield health insurer, Rax Restaurants, Con Agra’s Red Meats Division, Oscar Mayer, Ameritech Publishing and benefits consultant Mercer.

Mike has received some of the PR industry’s top awards from the Public Relations Society of America, CIPRA and the International Association of Business Communicators, including Silver and Bronze Anvils and a Gold Quill.

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Jeff joined CRT/tanaka in November 2001 as chief financial officer. His primary areas of responsibility include financial reporting, treasury and asset management, planning and budgeting, and employee benefits. Before joining the agency, he served as a business and financial consultant to small- and medium-sized businesses in the Richmond, Va. area. Prior to that, Jeff was chief financial officer at This End Up Furniture Company (TEU), where he worked for 17 years. At TEU, he co-led the management buy-out of the company from its parent company and also managed three acquisitions of other companies after TEU became privately held. He became a licensed CPA in 1980.

Ellen is a seasoned veteran of the public relations industry. With more than 25 years of experience, she has created and supervised programs for a number of Fortune 500 companies, with a particular interest in reaching women, including American Express, Avon Products, Baby Center, BISSELL Homecare Inc., Charles Schwab & Co., Dyson Limited, Ernst & Young, Hartz Mountain, Liz Claiborne, Microsoft, Target and World Kitchen (formerly Corning Consumer Products). As executive vice president (and former president and co-founder of Patrice Tanaka & Company Inc.), Ellen oversees the agency’s food & beverage and housewares & home fashions divisions within the Consumer Practice.

One of Ellen’s notable successes was launching Dyson Limited vacuums in America. In a three-year period, she helped the brand overcome a commodity marketplace and achieve the No. 1 position as the best-selling premium priced vacuum. Other home experience includes work for longstanding clients All-Clad Metalcrafters (17 years) and KRUPS North America (10 years) and multi-year relationships with AeroGarden, Armstrong World Industries, BISSELL Homecare Inc., Carpet One Floor & Home, Corningware, Emerilware (cookware by Chef Emeril Lagasse), DeLonghi, Lunt Silversmiths, Pfaltzgraff, Pyrex and the Spiegel Catalog. Her related retail experience with Bloomingdales, Macy’s, Sur La Table, Target Stores and Williams-Sonoma has helped brands secure new, or solidify existing, customer bases.

Ellen has directed a number of cause-related marketing campaigns involving breast cancer awareness, research and fundraising, including Liz Claiborne’s “Community Breast Care Initiative,” Carpet One Floor & Home’s “Carpet One Welcomes Your Support” and Avon’s “Breast Cancer Awareness Crusade,” for which CRT/tanaka was awarded a Silver Anvil from the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA).

Ellen is part of the team helping Charles Schwab & Co. and the Charles Schwab Foundation to institutionalize the company’s commitment to ensuring financial literacy for all Americans. Initiatives range from a national consumer education campaign and Web site, www.schwabmoneywise.com, to a highly successful partnership with the Boys and Girls Clubs of America (BGCA). A core component of the team’s work is Money Matters: Make It Count, an educational curriculum funded by the Schwab Foundation. Since debuting in 2004, the program has been rolled out to more than 1,100 clubs and more than 120,000 teens. In 2008, Chuck Schwab was invited to chair President Bush’s newly-formed President’s Advisory Council on Financial Literacy. As part of his involvement, Schwab partnered with the U.S. Department of the Treasury to launch the National Financial Literacy Challenge, a voluntary competition for high school students that tests their knowledge of personal finance concepts. The challenge includes provisions to recognize top performers, including scholarships awarded by the Charles Schwab Foundation. Enormously successful, the challenge drew 120,000 entries in its first year.

Brian is an 18-year veteran of CRT/tanaka and a member of the executive management team. He serves as the strategic leader of CRT/tanaka’s whatcanbe laboratory, where he is charged with helping existing clients and new prospects explore the possibilities of whatcanbe through the agency’s unique creative intelligence planning and programming model.

Brian has worked across all of the agency’s practice areas, beginning his PR career in the consumer sector with such well-known brands as Robitussin, Dimetapp, ChapStick, Advil, Welch’s, Eskimo Pie, Ford and Eclipse Aviation. He has extensive experience managing major sponsorship initiatives, including Advil’s sponsorship of the Senior PGA Championship, Wyeth’s cause-marketing campaign with the Children’s Miracle Network and Ford’s sponsorship of the Countdown to Kitty Hawk celebration. Brian also led the teams that orchestrated the media campaign for the 50th anniversary celebration of Mount Rushmore, and more recently the U.S. Centennial of Flight Celebration with NASA, both of which generated global media coverage.

Brian’s work in the corporate sector includes major engagements in change management, mergers and acquisitions and internal communications. He has helped multiple Fortune 500 clients in these areas, including Capital One, Fort James (now Georgia Pacific), Albemarle Corporation, Ethyl Corporation, Pfizer and Dominion Resources. Clients facing major crises have often tapped into Brian’s crisis expertise. As a former journalist, he has offered a unique perspective on how the media operates during a crisis to such clients as Wyeth, Ford Motor Company, Atkins Corporation, The Federal Reserve, McNeil Specialty Pharmaceuticals, C.B. Fleet, Performance Food Group and Abbott Laboratories. Brian’s media training students are no strangers to national network programs such as ABC’s “Nightly News,” ABC’s “20/20,” NBC’s “Today Show,” CBS’s “The Early Show,” MSNBC and CNN.

Prior to joining CRT/tanaka, Brian worked for ten years as an Emmy Award-winning television news reporter, anchor and producer. He has been invited to speak at several national and local professional conferences on a variety of topics, including national media relations, change management and strategic marketing. In addition to media training, Brian also coaches executives on how to be more effective presenters and communicators.

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As executive vice president at CRT/tanaka, Michael is responsible for leading the firm’s Corporate Practice. Previously, he was the vice president of investor relations, external affairs and Americas sales and global accounts for Albemarle Corporation (NYSE: ALB), a specialty chemicals manufacturer, during his 15-year tenure.

At CRT/tanaka, Michael has helped guide integration following the acquisition by Carter Ryley Thomas of PT&Co., and served as the interim general manager of the New York office. In the process, he has led a review of roles and responsibilities and the development of the company’s strategy map. He is active in the acquisition of new clients for the firm and advises on engagements of the Corporate Practice.

For Albemarle and Ethyl Corporation (NYSE: EY), Michael guided communications activities on a wide range of corporate and strategic issues for the companies.  He led communications for the spin-off of Albemarle from Ethyl, for the divestiture of one-third of the Albemarle business following the spin-off, for numerous successful “bolt-on” acquisitions, for an attempted acquisition of Albright & Wilson (traded on the London Exchange) and for the acquisition of the refinery catalysts chemicals business of Akzo-Nobel in 2004. In addition, he served as the company’s primary contact with Wall Street, developing significant new purchases of Albemarle’s stock among one-percent owner prospects and adding new sell-side analysts.

Prior to joining Ethyl, Michael was with Lawler Ballard Public Relations in Richmond, Va. as vice president. His clients included CSX Corporation, Figgie International, Rubbermaid Commercial Products, Marriott Hotels Group and International Telephone & Telegraph. He supervised the public relations activities associated with the initial public offering of S&K Famous Brands, a national menswear retailer, among a multitude of other engagements. He also served as director of communications for the Virginia Group offices of Coopers & Lybrand, now PriceWaterhouseCoopers, certified public accountants.

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By delivering proven results for clients, Debbie has helped CRT/tanaka become one of the top 20 health care PR firms in the country. With 24 years of health care public relations and marketing experience, she has a strong background in strategic PR planning, branding and positioning and reputation management. Debbie leads CRT/tanaka’s Health Practice, which serves clients in the fields of pharmaceuticals, hospitals and health systems, associations, medical devices and health insurance. Her clients include VHA Inc., American Physical Therapy Association, Fleet Laboratories, Schering-Plough, AMERIGROUP Corporation and Bon Secours Health System. Debbie also manages CRT/tanaka’s Norfolk, Va. office.

Prior to joining CRT/tanaka, Debbie was director of corporate communications for Sentara Healthcare, a seven-hospital integrated health care system in Virginia, where she managed public relations, corporate communications and government relations. During her 14 years with Sentara, Debbie created the Emmy award-winning Family Health Project, a joint partnership health education program with WVEC-TV (ABC) and the top-rated “Your Sentara Family Doctor” program with WAVY-TV (NBC).

Before entering the field of public relations, Debbie worked in radio and television as a newscaster, assignment editor, news director and talk show host. She received numerous awards for broadcast news coverage from both the Associated Press and United Press International and served as president of American Women in Radio and Television.

Debbie is a recipient of the Inside Business Top 25 Women in Business Achievement Award. She also is past chair of the Advisory Board of the Salvation Army, Tidewater Command. Debbie holds a B.A. in mass communications from Marietta College in Marietta, Ohio and an M.B.A. from Averett University in Danville, Va.

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As CRT/tanaka’s vice president of creative services, Al is responsible for overseeing all graphic design work for the agency. He has a depth of experience in advertising campaigns, collateral materials, annual reports, direct mail, logo and identity programs and trade booth development. He also has worked as a designer on collaborative projects for the development of Web sites.

Al has helped develop numerous branding and image campaigns for several of CRT/tanaka’s clients, including Longwood University, the University of Virginia Athletic Department, Bon Secours Health Systems, Council of Better Business Bureaus, ITT Night Vision, Sprint Nextel and Cheyenne Regional Medical Center.

Before joining CRT/tanaka, Al operated his own graphics design business in Richmond, Va., for more than 20 years. He has worked with corporations such as AlliedSignal, Signet Bank, Columbia Hospitals, Virginia Power and numerous small businesses throughout the state. Al also has worked on national brands such as Advil, Mercedes Benz, KitchenAid and Chicago Cutlery. His professional schooling was at Richmond Professional Institute.

Al’s work has received numerous awards over the years, many in association with public relations campaigns, including some of the industry’s highest honors such as the PRSA Silver Anvil.

Scott is vice president and leader of the agency’s business-to-business (B2B) marketing team. He has more than 12 years of public relations and marketing experience in the fields of B2B marketing, strategic planning, brand development, sales communications, social marketing and media relations.

Since joining CRT/tanaka in 1998, Scott has managed several of the agency’s largest clients, including Advil™, ITT Night Vision, Dominion, Pelican Products and Capital One. Today, he and his teammates provide strategic marketing counsel for Amadeus, Old Dominion Electric Cooperatives (ODEC), Waubridge Specialty Fabrics, the Council of Better Business Bureaus and Satmetrix, co-developers of Net Promoter.

Most recently, Scott has served as chief strategist for the Better Business Bureau’s national re-branding and marketing campaigns. Under his direction, the agency developed a comprehensive brand platform that includes a new brand essence, naming architecture, personality and tone of voice, key messaging and sales communication maps, graphic identity and tagline. From there, the team conducted numerous internal communications seminars and trainings to educate the organization’s 128 bureaus and its employees on how to “live” the brand. The team also developed a turnkey external marketing plan for each bureau to launch the revitalized brand in their respective markets. To date, the campaign includes television, print, online and radio advertising; direct marketing; and media relations.

Scott’s work has earned numerous awards for the agency, including a prestigious Silver Anvil from the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA), the Hi-Tech Campaign of the Year award from PRWeek magazine, and a national Gold Quill (Media Relations) from the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC). He also was named one of Richmond’s “Top 40 Under 40” by Inside Business for his career achievements and community service.

As vice president of CRT/tanaka’s Health Practice, Charlotte has many years of experience specializing in hospitals and health systems, health care associations and health care products and services. She heads the “Life…supplemented” consumer campaign for the Council for Responsible Nutrition, which promotes the three pillars of health – a healthy diet, dietary supplements and exercise. Charlotte also is senior advisor for Cheyenne Regional Medical Center, where she provides marketing, communications and advertising counsel for the premier Wyoming hospital. Additionally, Charlotte leads the Health Practice’s promotion efforts.

Charlotte was also recently on the branding team for the American Physical Therapy Association, driving the campaign’s initiatives to foster advancements in physical therapy practice, research and education. She led the team that helped Bon Secours Richmond Health System receive approval for a certificate of public need for St. Francis Medical Center, which was hard fought against by a for-profit competitor. She assisted with national media relations for the robotic surgery program at University Health Systems of Eastern Carolina, a nurse recruitment campaign for Bon Secours Hampton Roads Health System and a successful member retention campaign for Doctors Insurance Reciprocal.

Before joining CRT/tanaka, Charlotte was vice president of communications for the Virginia Hospital and Healthcare Association. She also served as director of corporate communications for The Reciprocal Group and was director of public relations and marketing for Chippenham Medical Center.

Charlotte was inducted into the Kappa Tau Alpha journalism honor society and was named to the slate of Outstanding Young Women of America. She has received numerous awards for her work, including the PRSA Health Academy’s Innovation Award. She is a former president of the Richmond Public Relations Association.

As a vice president in CRT/tanaka’s Corporate Practice, Natalie brings a strong background in public relations strategy and program development with a heavy emphasis on change communication, employee engagement, corporate social responsibility and the development of strategic partnerships. She leads two divisions within the Corporate Practice: RC² (Reputation, Change and Culture), which helps clients to establish a strong corporate reputation, manage change and create a culture that attracts and retains the best and brightest employees; and EAI (Education Awareness & Influence), which works with clients to educate stakeholders about issues, increase awareness and influence changes in behaviors and opinions.

Natalie oversees public relations strategy and program development for several Fortune 500 clients, including Altria and Genworth Financial. She also helps large companies, including Performance Food Group, to establish and foster an engaged workforce and common culture. Additionally, she works with the Virginia Racing Commission to increase awareness of the equine industry – and horse racing in particular – throughout Virginia. Previously, Natalie worked with Sprint Nextel to develop its FOCUS on Driving program, an initiative that teaches teens about the dangers of distracted driving.

Before joining CRT/tanaka, Natalie was president of Smith & Associates Public Relations, a company that provided start-to-finish public relations and marketing services to private and public sector clients, including Cloverleaf Mall, Henrico Doctors’ Hospital, the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators, Commerce Bank and Hannaford Supermarkets.

Before joining the private sector, Natalie served as assistant director of public relations at the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV). She recently completed a six-year term on the Universal Accreditation Board for the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA), is a past president of the Richmond chapter of PRSA and was named one of Richmond’s “Top 40 Under 40” by Inside Business for her community service commitment and career achievements.

Marcy is vice president and general manager of CRT/tanaka’s Los Angeles office. Currently, she supports the company’s Consumer, Corporate and Health Practices with an emphasis on consumer wellness and education, consumer products and services (health and nutrition, financial services, accessories, cookware, food and beverage, and sports equipment), behavior and education (marketing to parents). In this role, she has overseen strategic planning, branding, education and awareness, media relations, cause marketing, crisis planning, business-to-business marketing and work quality for a number of clients, including Air New Zealand, Charles Schwab, MAGIC International,  Simplicity, Target, Atkins Nutritionals, Pelican Products, Camstar, Silicon Energy and others.

Since joining CRT/tanaka in 1996, Marcy has developed and implemented national and regional public relations and marketing programs for consumer products and services, including the Atkins Advantage Fuels LA event and media outreach; the Schwab Financial Literacy initiative, including resources for family financial fitness; Target’s Ready. Sit. Read! early childhood literacy initiative; The Switch Beverage Company’s school and consumer product launch; MedicAlert Foundation’s Kid Smart product launch; Corning Consumer Products’ National Junior Chefs Contest and In-School Cooking and Cultures Education Program; ITT Night Vision’s outdoor and mariner product launches, along with national partnerships and media relations for three additional product lines; and media relations for California Spaceport Systems International, 1-800-Wedding.com, Camstar, Efficient Frontier, Silicon Energy Corporation, Global Neuro Rescue, the Westside Children’s Center and others.

Marcy joined CRT/tanaka after serving as a media relations consultant for the Martin Agency, generating key national newspaper and magazine placements for the Seiko and Pulsar brands.

At a previous agency, she planned and implemented a 10-city fashion tour of clothing made from recycled plastic for the National Association for Plastic Container Recovery (NAPCOR). Additionally, she coordinated NAPCOR’s community recycling and in-school education programs. Marcy also conducted media relations for other consumer accounts, such as Edy’s Ice Cream.

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With nearly a decade of communications experience, Pia has a strong and versatile background in wine and food public relations, marketing and promotional strategy. An associate vice president in CRT/tanaka’s Consumer Practice, Pia oversees public relations, program development and strategic partnerships for, among others, the Wines from Rioja (Spain) account, one of the agency’s largest campaigns, and the Federation of Quebec Maple Syrup Producers. Pia also is charged with the task of continuing the company’s expansion of its client base, taking advantage of her strengths and contacts in the wine, spirits and gourmet food sectors.

Pia joined CRT/tanaka following her most recent position as the North American Spokesperson and Brand Manager for Louis Bernard Winery at Boisset America, where she served as the face of the brands, managing all sales, marketing and public relations programs, as well as education programs for their 40 partner distributors in the United States and Canada.

Previously, Pia was second in charge of the public relations department at Sopexa USA, an integrated marketing services and communications agency dedicated to the promotion of French and European food, wine and spirits in the U.S. market. Sopexa USA is a member of The Sopexa Group, with 40 offices in 34 countries and more than $85 million in worldwide billings. Before working for Sopexa, Pia worked in the corporate office of Best Cellars Inc., a boutique chain of wine stores offering affordable wines in a fun, user-friendly atmosphere.

After receiving scholarships from Women Chefs & Restaurateurs, Les Dames d’Escoffier and the James Beard Foundation, Pia recently attended and graduated with honors from The Institute of Culinary Education’s pastry and management programs. She began her career in the wine industry working for Wine & Spirits magazine in the editorial department, while attending the Wine & Spirits Education Trust, where she graduated with honors from the advanced certificate program.

Jenn is an associate vice president who works in CRT/tanaka’s Norfolk office. She has 19 years of public relations experience with issues such as health care marketing and public relations, national media relations and strategic communications planning. Currently, her clients include VHA Inc., one of nation’s largest hospital alliances; Bon Secours Hampton Roads, a 700-bed health system serving southeastern Virginia; and Novation, the health care industry’s leading contracting services company.

Jenn provides corporate counsel and manages media relations for the VHA account and its supply chain management program, as well as conducts national media relations on behalf of VHA and other CRT/tanaka clients. She also serves as editor for Bon Secours’ quarterly community newsletter that is mailed to 50,000 homes in the region and has written a number of bylined articles for clients to help position them as thought leaders. Jenn is also a member of CRT/tanaka’s internal social media team.

Before joining CRT/tanaka, Jenn worked for six years at the Boston office of Copithorne & Bellows, now part of Porter Novelli, where she served as account supervisor for a broad spectrum of technology clients ranging from start-ups to blue-chip companies, such as Analog Devices, Hewlett-Packard and Lucent Microelectronics. Jenn has also held public relations positions at Simmons College and Boston’s St. Margaret’s Hospital for Women, and she interned as a staff reporter at The Peabody Times, a Boston-area daily newspaper.

Jenn received a 2006 O’Dwyer’s Award for PR Excellence for her work on behalf of New York Downtown Hospital. She was a 2005 recipient of the “Top Forty Under 40” award, which recognizes successful young professionals who serve the Hampton Roads community in meaningful ways. She is also a member of the Board of Directors for the South Hampton Roads American Heart Association and a board member for the Ghent Square Torpedoes swim team.

As associate vice president and director of business development, Jeff is responsible for managing the agency’s new business and agency promotions efforts. He also has specific expertise in community relations, grassroots marketing and public awareness campaigns and has developed and executed a variety of nationally award-winning campaigns as part of CRT/tanaka’s Corporate Practice.

Jeff managed CRT/tanaka’s community relations campaign for Housing Virginia, a statewide non-profit organization dedicated to increasing awareness about the need for more affordable housing in Virginia. For the campaign, Jeff’s work included research development, strategic planning, media relations, event planning and grassroots marketing. For its work with Housing Virginia, CRT/tanaka earned a Silver Anvil Award from the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA), the highest honor given in the PR industry. Jeff’s affordable housing experience also includes providing strategic counsel to Virginia Housing Development Authority (VHDA).

As the account manager for Bon Secours Richmond Health System, Jeff’s work helped the hospital system secure state approval of a 130-bed hospital – St. Francis Medical Center – in Chesterfield County, Va., despite stiff competition from a national competitor. For the campaign, Jeff’s work included issues advertising copy writing, media relations, employee relations, community outreach and event coordination. CRT/tanaka’s work with Bon Secours earned a Bronze Anvil (Issues Advertising) and a Health Academy Innovation Award (Community Relations and Public Affairs Management) from PRSA.

Previously, Jeff worked as a public information coordinator in the Office of Marketing and Media Relations at the University of South Carolina. He also previously worked as a city government and minority/urban affairs reporter for The Greenville News, in Greenville, S.C. Along with covering local government and minority affairs, Jeff wrote articles about education, crime and state politics.

As director of social media at CRT/tanaka, Priya formulates integrated marketing and public relations campaigns for clients that leverage new media platforms such as YouTube, blogs, Facebook and Twitter to build awareness, increase brand visibility and ultimately result in lead generation.

A member of the agency’s Social Media Practice, Priya currently develops and oversees the execution of new media strategies for clients representing a wide variety of industries, from high-tech and B2B to financial services and non-profits. Priya focuses on building integrated campaigns that tie together both traditional and new PR elements to maximize overall campaign goals.

Priya’s experience includes managing social media efforts for Network Solutions (the leading Web-hosting service provider) and its Grow Smart Business initiative (www.growsmartbusiness.com). Currently, she is helping Network Solutions to increase its positive brand visibility – especially on industry blogs and Twitter – as a proactive measure to reduce negative PR the company has received in the past. Priya has been instrumental in the successful launch of the company’s GrowSmartBusiness webinar series, a live video webcast introducing its small business initiative to more than 500 participants across the globe. Network Solutions received more than 200 tweets during the live webinar and established instant recognition among key audiences.

Priya brings more than six years of experience in PR and corporate communications to CRT/tanaka, having worked extensively in the business-to-business space and at both the strategic and operational levels. Her work in new media and online marketing includes: conducting a reorientation communications program that brought a client from 100 percent offline activities to 75 percent new media and online activities; planning and executing a series of successful viral marketing campaigns and microsites to build awareness, enhance brands and attract target audiences to Web properties; and launching a software provider’s corporate blog to augment key messages and support lead generation activities – leads from the blog generated $4 million in the pipeline and $1 million in sales within one year, and the site received a coveted Gold Quill award from the International Association of Business Communicators for “Best Corporate Blog.”