On Communications Podcast: PRSA New Jersey Senior Professionals Panel on Leadership

Lubetkin Media Companies LLC

In this episode of the Lubetkin on Communications Podcast, we present a panel conversation, “Leadership for Ultimate Performance: Yours, Your Organization’s, Your Peers’, Your Team’s,” recorded at the Senior Professionals Group meeting sponsored by the New Jersey Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America.

The program was recorded November 7, 2018 at Stern Strategy Group in Iselin, NJ.

About the panelists

Valerie Simon, CMO, Atlantic Health System: Valerie serves as the Chief Marketing Officer for Atlantic Health System, an integrated health care delivery system powered by a workforce of more than 16,500 team members dedicated to building healthier communities. In this role, she oversees the marketing, public relations and brand strategy for the system, including branding, the digital consumer experience, advertising and sponsorships, consumer insights, as well as both internal and external communications. Under Simon’s leadership, Atlantic Health System Marketing and Communications has been recognized for exceptional work on both a national and local by a variety of healthcare, marketing and communications organizations, including the New Jersey Chapter of the Public Relations Society, Ad Age, Modern Healthcare, The Healthcare Marketing Report, the Telly Awards and the SPOKEies Awards. Simon is the recipient of PRSA-NJ’s Pyramid Award as Communicator of the Year for 2018.

Joan Bosisio, Senior Vice President, Stern Strategy Group: Joan is senior vice president of Stern Strategy Group (Stern), offering public relations, advisory and speakers services that build thought leadership and business. Having joined the firm fresh after graduating from Seton Hall University (SHU) in 1997, she now draws from her long company history to help shape and drive agency strategy, generate new business, provide senior counsel and strategic direction to the firm’s clients, and attract, retain and develop staff. Bosisio is professional advisor to the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) chapter at her alma mater SHU, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in English and Communications. As a SHU Pirate Mentor and recipient of SHU PRSSA’s 2010 ROPE Mentor Award, she provides career guidance to students through the University’s PRSSA, College of Communications’ Communications Honors Associates Mentoring Program (CHAMPs) and the Stillman School of Business’ Women’s Leadership Programs. In 2013 she was honored with SHU’s prestigious “Many Are One” Alumni Impact Award. A board member and former two-term president of PRSA NJ, Ms. Bosisio currently serves as PRSA NJ’s liaison to the state’s nine student chapters (PRSSA) and director of digital communications.

Chris Lukach, APR, President, AKCG-Public Relations Counselors: Chris Lukach, APR, is president of AKCG – Public Relations Counselors, a national public relations firm specializing in issue and crisis preparedness and response. Chris has been instrumental in developing issue and crisis communications plans and advising clients facing crises in several industries, including education, healthcare, and chemical manufacturing. Chris also leads the firm’s spokesperson training team, guiding subject matter experts to be effective communicators in today’s nuanced and challenging media landscape. Chris is a past president and chair (2011-2012) of the Philadelphia Public Relations Association. He remains active with the organization, serving as a director and a past-presidential board appointee. He also serves on the board of directors of WHYY, Inc., the Philadelphia region’s leading public media organization. A magna cum laude graduate of Rowan University, Chris was named the university’s Distinguished Alumnus in 2018.

Ken Jacobs, ACC, CPC, Principal, Jacobs Consulting & Executive Coaching: Ken Jacobs, a certified, experienced coach, is the principal of Jacobs Consulting & Executive Coaching. Since 2007, he has helped senior leaders and executives in the public relations and communications space achieve and surpass their goals by becoming more inspired and inspiring leaders, via executive coaching. As a consultant and trainer, Ken helps agencies grow and manage business, improve client service and relationships, and enhance staff performance, communications and leadership skills. He does so via consulting and training. Prior to creating his own business, Ken spent 25 years in PR agency management and leadership. A member of PRSA-NJ’s Board, he’s a winner of the chapter’s Pyramid Award for Chapter Service. Ken’s leadership column, “Taking the Lead” appears monthly in PRSA’s Strategies & Tactics.

Moderating the program is Jon Goldberg, chief reputation architect with Reputation Architects. Jon founded Reputation Architects in 2009 after more than 25 years as an adviser to top corporate executives, a senior leader at some of the world’s most prominent communications firms and a front-line spokesman for major corporations and non-profit organizations. Over the years, Jon has helped countless companies, non-profits and government entities enhance their reputational equity, inoculate themselves against reputational harm and transform adverse situations into opportunities to demonstrate responsible leadership. His crisis and special situations experience has included everything from government and internal corporate investigations, complex mergers and reorganizations and unanticipated executive successions, to activist attacks, technology failures, privacy and data security breaches, product recalls, intellectual property challenges, class action litigation, labor disputes and workplace and environmental disasters. Before founding Reputation Architects Jon was Partner and head of the Corporate Affairs practice of Porter Novelli, the international communications consultancy. Earlier, he was executive vice president of Edelman Public Relations Worldwide and Edelman’s national director of crisis and litigation communications and served in senior client management roles at J. Walter Thompson. He began his public relations career as manager of corporate media relations for The Prudential Insurance Company of America and as the chief spokesman for Prudential’s insurance, financial and corporate operations and The Prudential Foundation. A frequent speaker and media commentator on reputation management and crisis communications topics, Jon holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism and a master of business administration degree, both from New York University. He serves on the board of directors of the New Jersey Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America and is a member the executive committee of the PRSA Counselors Academy, a peer-to-peer network of many of the nation’s top public relations agency leaders and advisers.