 Douglas Jeffe | Christine Lewis | Ross G. Bates | Sheri Benninghoven, APR. IMN applies a best teams approach, drawing from a network of highly skilled individuals to best meet client needs. Each team works as a cohesive unit--combining a strong strategic focus with the right combination of experience, skills and specialized knowledge for the assignment at hand. While members of the network head their own independent practices for the most part, they have worked with IMN principals for many years. IMN is proud of the professionals who comprise our network. Each brings to the table unique strengths and important insights. Douglas Jeffe Doug is a veteran communications and public affairs strategist who excels in developing and managing winning campaigns. An IMN principal, he specializes in tough issues--be it protecting a client's reputation in a crisis, winning approval for needed legislative and/or regulatory action on a key environmental issue, or defeating a ballot initiative that threatens a client's business. FormallyFormerly,, Doug was Executive Vice President of Braun Ketchum Public Relations, where he headed the firm's public affairs practice for twenty years. He has worked extensively with the petroleum, health care, financial services, insurance, transportation and real estate industries. With extensive experience as a pollster, press secretary, campaign manager and legislative advocate, Doug provides IMN clients with a rare blend of political acumen and communications expertise. Top of page Christine Lewis Chris is IMN's keeper of the message. As a principal of IMN, she is responsible for message development, creative services, crisis planning and communications training programs. Whether it is a brochure positioning a company's operations, a video explaining an environmental safety issue, a news release responding to a crisis, or a broadcast spot on a ballot proposition, Chris knows how to persuasively and credibly convey messages that advance the client's reputation and policy objectives. Chris was formerly Senior Vice President and Creative Director for Braun Ketchum Public Relations. Her clients have included Mobil Oil, Great Western Financial, British Petroleum, Transamerica Life, Genentech, the California State Department of Commerce, Granite Construction, Tenet Healthcare, and Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute (LA BioMed) at Harbor - UCLA Medical Center. Top of page Ross G. Bates Ross is an expert in direct mail for political issues, campaigns and grassroots efforts. Formerly President of Bates-Neimand, he has a long and successful record of winning campaigns across the nation. Ross is nationally known for developing demographic analysis, polling data and voter history into winning persuasion programs for candidates and ballot measures. He is based in Seattle. Top of page Sheri Benninghoven, APR. Sheri Benninghoven has extensive public affairs, corporate and high technology public relations expertise, including reputation management, national and regional media relations strategy and executive coaching. She is principal of SAE Communications, which helps local and regional public agencies with communications strategic planning. As a Group Vice President for Ketchum Public Relations Worldwide, Sheri served as Global Account Director for Packard Bell NEC, Inc. She also founded Ketchum’s Public Sector Marketing Group to help public agencies with image development, business attraction and public information programs. Previously Sheri served as Director of Communications for the League of California Cities and as Public Information Office for the City of Anaheim. She is a guest lecturer at the University of Southern California, Annenberg School for Communication. Top of page Gabriel Buelna, Ph. D. Gabriel specializes in community outreach and grassroots organization. Fluent in both English and Spanish, his current activities include lecturing on Chicana/o Studies at Cal State Northridge and media outreach for the Los Angeles Latino Eye Study at the University of Southern California (USC). In the political arena, he has served as campaign manager for a Los Angeles Unified School Board candidate and as field coordinator for a local city ballot measure campaign. Gabriel earned both a Masters Degree in Public Policy and a Ph. D. in Political Science from the Claremont Graduate University. Earlier, he received a Masters Degree in Social Work from San Diego State University. Gabriel?s background in community service includes his work with Futuro Infantil Hispano-Foster Family Agency, where he has served as both an administrator and social worker. He currently serves as Executive Director of the Plaza Community Center in East Los Angeles. Top of page Bob Bush Bob is a general partner of Fowler & Bush, a lobbying firm registered and specializing in issues before the County of Los Angeles. He has been a lobbyist, public relations director and governmental affairs consultant since 1979, representing a variety of real estate, cable television, architectural, building contractor and development interest, among others. Bob is a founding director and past chair of the executive committe of the Economic Development Corporation of Los Angeles County, and is a Board of Supervisors-appointed director of the Capital Asset Leasing Corporation. Bob was senior deputy to Los Angeles County Supervisor Kenneth Hahn during the 1970s. Previously, he was a journalist for such organizations as the Los Angeles Herald-Examiner, United Press International, Copley Los Angeles Newspapers and the Los Angeles Times. Top of page Bill Canup Bill is an expert in state and federal government relations, with a strong background in media relations and community affairs. He has directed successful lobbying programs in Washington, D.C., and in most state capitals across the country for American Medical International, a major hospital corporation, and The Century Council, a national anti-alcohol abuse foundation sponsored by the alcohol beverage industry. Bill maintains a working relationship with lobbyists in state capitals throughout the nation. He is especially adept at devising and managing grassroots advocacy campaigns and building powerful legislative coalitions and alliances. Bill also has worked as a newspaper and news bureau reporter, as press secretary to a member of the Los Angeles City Council, assistant chief deputy to a member of the Los Angeles Board of Supervisors and as vice president at Braun Ketchum Public Relations, where he counseled such clients as Mobil Oil, Rhone-Poulenc Chemicals, Bristol Meyers, NBC, Warner Bros. and Disney Studios. Top of page Betsy Eaton, Esq. Betsy combines media savvy with great public affairs skills. She also is a licensed attorney. Betsy's background includes newspaper reporting, political campaign management and press relations, a stint as Chief Deputy to a Los Angeles City Council member, and government relations work on behalf of the cable television industry. For clients such as Mobil and BP Oil, she has counseled on major environmental and land use issues, conducted community research and analysis, and provided spokesperson training and media coaching. Based in Connecticut, Betsy's consulting work takes her from the Northeast, Washington and Florida to California and points in between. Top of page David Feuerherd Dave is a public affairs specialist with a strong background in health care, environmental and housing issues. He has a long history dealing with local, state and regional governments. In New York, Dave developed his communication skills by teaching history in inner-city high schools and was active in several political campaigns. He was also employed by the New York City Commission on Human Rights as a housing investigator. In Arizona, Dave spent ten years as the Director of Government Relations for the American Lung Association, concentrating on issues related to infectious diseases, medical education, pulmonary research and clean air legislation. Through the use of print and paid media, Dave continually raised citizen awareness in the Phoenix area on issues related to lung health, particularly air pollution and its impact on asthmatic children. He has lobbied at the municipal, county, state and federal level. Dave also was instrumental in developing affordable housing for homeless tuberculosis patients in Phoenix. Most recently, he served as the Program Coordinator for the Los Angeles-based United States Veterans Initiative, the largest provider of transitional housing for homeless veterans in the United States. His areas of expertise include health care, media relations, grass roots organizing, medical education and housing. Dave is a graduate of Catholic University and has an MS in Education from Fordham University in New York City. Larry Fisher Larry Fisher is a consummate public relations professional who provides senior level counsel to IMN clients in the areas of corporate communications, investor relations, governmental relations and public affairs. Most recently, he served as Executive Director of Transportation California. For more than 30 years, rising to the helm of Braun & Company and later as Chairman of Braun Ketchum, Los Angeles, Larry provided guidance to some of the country 's most respected and influential corporations and organizations, including Transamerica Occidental Life, the Santa Anita Companies, GTE, the Association of California Life Insurance Companies and Great Western Financial. Prior to joining Braun & Company, he was a legislative aide to California's Speaker of the Assembly and executive director of the California Democratic Party. Top of page Penny Hill Penny is an outstanding writer and versatile public relations pro who has worked extensively on business, transportation and environmental issues. Based in Sacramento, she has conducted community assessments throughout the West for industrial clients looking to expand their operations and/or deal with community and environmental challenges. She also has conducted media relations programs aimed at increasing awareness of highway issues and needs. In addition to public relations agency experience, Penny also has been a college public information officer and a newspaper writer and editor. Top of page Catherine L. Imus Catherine is one of the most effective communicators in Washington. She has a rare combination of public relations and political skills that lends itself to the practice of issues management. Currently the head of the Public Affairs Practice Group at Stanton Communications in Washington, D.C., Catherine has extensive experience working with environmental, healthcare, trade and transportation issues. Her expertise includes crisis communications, media relations and education programs directed to consumers, trade groups, government agencies and decision makers. Previously, Catherine was Vice President of Public Affairs at Ketchum Public Relations and headed the Washington office of Los Angeles-based Braun and Company. A former radio reporter and news director, she also has extensive experience on Capitol Hill as a congressional staff member and later as a lobbyist for Bethlehem Steel Corporation. Top of page Michael D. Johnson Michael is a corporate public relations veteran whose expertise includes development of community and media relations programs and extensive counseling on diversity strategies, corporate communications, consumer outreach and real estate development issues. Currently, Michael serves as Director of External Programs and Adjunct Professor at the University of Southern California's Annenberg School for Communications. Prior to joining the Annenberg School, he held public relations management positions at AT&T and the Disney Development Company. Top of page Paul Keye Paul is president of Paul Keye & Partners, formed in the early nineties “to answer the world’s crying need for another advertising agency.” He has worked in Los Angeles and New York on Maxwell House Coffee, Seagram, Peace Corps, Xerox, Microsoft and Lone Star Beer. Paul is a former Western States Advertising Agencies Association’s Leader of the Year and served as a governor of the American Association of Advertising Agencies. He created “The Californias” campaign for the state’s Department of Commerce and perpetrated the International Imitation Hemingway contest. Paul was creative director of the group that produced the “fried egg” spot for the Partnership for a Drug Free America and principal writer for the State of California’s highly-regarded Tobacco Education campaign. He also has created advertising for a number of national, state and local political campaigns. Top of page Angus Mackay Laura Mecoy
Revised 7/21/03 |
