Overview  |   Courses  |   Instructors  |   Advisory Board  |   How to Register

Instructors

Laird F. Harris
Founder and CEO, Harris & Smith Public Affairs

For the past 20 years, Laird has led public relations efforts to address a wide range of problems, including crisis communications, policy advocacy, litigation support, reputation management, persuasion campaigns, and mergers and acquisitions. He has also led executive and board teams through strategic communications planning, consensus building, and process design. Prior to his consulting business, Laird worked with local, state and federal elected officials to develop policy and programs, design and carry out public information and political strategies, and design organizational change initiatives.

Heidi Hutchinson
Vice President and Group Director, Edelman Seattle

As a leader on Edelman's largest global account, Microsoft, Hutchinson directs the Microsoft Hardware and Microsoft Macintosh Business Unit teams and counsels Microsoft executives. Hutchinson’s previous clients include Starbucks Coffee Co., Vulcan Inc., REI, Preston Gates & Ellis (now K&L Gates) and the Seattle Seahawks. Her consulting work for Vulcan Inc. included leading media relations and public affairs during construction and grand opening of Seahawks Stadium (now Qwest Field), and managing public relations for Martin Scorsese’s 2003 "Salute to the Blues" concert at Radio City Music Hall, which won a PR Week "Arts & Entertainment Campaign of the Year" Award. Prior to joining Edelman in 2001, Hutchinson served as the communications manager for the Washington State Lottery and as the senior PR manager for FreeShop.com. She began her career as a writer and special events coordinator for the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency.

Karmen R. Johnson
Senior Director, Corporate Communications, Expedia, Inc.

As Senior Director of Corporate Communications for the world's largest online travel agency, Johnson leads the team responsible for global marketing and communications for Expedia Partner Services Group (PSG) as well as the consumer-oriented outreach for Expedia.com. Prior to joining Expedia, Johnson was a senior vice president at Edelman Seattle, spending several years serving as a lead for the Microsoft Entertainment & Devices (E&D) client driving broad reach and vertical communications strategy. During her Edelman tenure with the Microsoft account, she was at the helm of numerous high profile consumer launches, including the Zune entertainment and music device, Xbox 360 and the game launches of "Halo 2" and "Halo 3"--both noted as premier entertainment campaigns. Prior to working with Microsoft E&D, Johnson served as group director for the consumer marketing practice overseeing project and retainer work for Starbucks Coffee Co., Vulcan Inc., and MSN Games, adidas America, and Major League Baseball. In 2000, she led an international Edelman team in launching Paul Allen's Experience Music Project.

Dan McConnell
Senior Vice President and Managing Director of DDB Worldwide Communications

McConnell is one of the Northwest's best known and most active public relations strategists. His global experience includes extensive work in strategic planning, media relations, crisis communications, and sports & event marketing. He has gained both a national and international reputation having worked with over 300 companies, organizations and individuals—from Microsoft, McDonald's and ABC Sports to The White House, Archbishop Desmond Tutu and the Olympics. His 25-plus years as a consultant have included 15 years as president and CEO of his own company, which he built into one of the top five independent PR firms in the Pacific Northwest. A former newspaper correspondent and television news producer, Dan has been recognized with numerous awards for his promotion and crisis work including multiple Best of Show Northwest Totems and national Silver Anvils, as well as a national Emmy Award as executive producer for a 90-minute PBS adventure documentary.

Lee Schoentrup
Senior Communications Manager, Seattle Biomedical Research Institute (SBRI)

With more than 20 years of communications experience, Schoentrup has worked in such diverse industries as health care and software development in both for-profit and non-profit arenas. In her current position at SBRI—a non-profit organization focused on creating a world free from the threat of infectious disease through discovery research—Schoentrup oversees all communications efforts, including events, marketing, media relations and publications. With a degree in journalism, Schoentrup worked as a newspaper reporter and editor before building a successful career as a communications professional.

Instructors are subject to change.