The Crux of the Story Gary Sheffer and Mike Fernandez

What was the plan for Coach K’s retirement announcement? What is a media and politics class at Duke University like? And what did Mike do at the Voice of America? Tune in to hear insights from Duke University’s VP for Public Affairs and Government Relations and Chief Communications Officer Mike Schoenfeld. In this episode, Mike discusses how universities’ communications leadership needs to get involved in athletics. He also reflects on his experience with sports communications and shares valuable tips on how to best work with coaches and teams.

What is a Chief Impact Officer? Why do business transformations fail? How are companies assessing the value of communicators?
In this episode, we are joined by U.S. Chief Operating Officer, Corporate Affairs Practice Chair, and Global Chair of Impact Jim O’ Leary. With nearly two decades of experience, Jim oversees a global network of corporate reputation, business marketing, and advisory services teams across more than 60 offices.
Tune in to hear Jim’s insights on Edelman’s fantastic research, such as the Trust Barometer, behavioural science collaborations with Harvard Business School, and the disinformation shield.

What is Clean Creatives’ mission? What is the F-list? This week we were joined by Clean Creatives Director Duncan Meisel. With the looming climate crisis, Meisel argues that ad and PR agencies should “cut ties” with fossil fuel companies. Why is it so difficult to take climate action given the science?
Tune in to this episode to hear Meisel’s insights on climate communication, agency-client relationships, and the war for talent in the creative industries.

For the Boston University College of Communication (BU COM) Class of 2020, what was it like to look for a job during a pandemic? In this episode, we welcome three alumni to hear about their unique and unprecedented journeys entering the workforce post-graduation. With the “Great Resignation,” what skills did they learn at BU that really helped them? How did they navigate all of those difficulties and still find a place with values that matched their own?

Tune in to hear from an honors graduate and winner of the 2020 COM Blue Chip Award, Nicole McPherson. Nicole is now an Account Executive at BCW’s Technology Practice in San Francisco. Joining her are Hailey McKee and Jessica Nelson, who both earned master’s degrees in PR from COM in 2020. Today, Hailey is an Account Executive at Fleishman-Hillard’s Corporate Reputation department. Jessica is currently an Account Executive at GCI Health in Atlanta.

How is corporate political spending bad for business and democracy? How should companies navigate political giving when shareholders have diverse political views? Building on this issue, how should communicators work with the legal and public affairs team?
In this episode, we are joined by Associate Professor at the University of Southern California (USC) Gould School of Law Dorothy Lund. She recently co-authored an article in Harvard Business Review titled “Corporate Political Spending is Bad Business” with Leo Strine, Jr., a lawyer and former Chief Justice of the Delaware Supreme Court. Dorothy and Leo argue that political spending is “time-wasting and costly” and that actually, such spending greatly intensifies corporate risk.
Tune in to hear Dorothy’s guidance on how businesses can involve their shareholders in political donations decisions and most importantly, how Mike could have become an accountant?

Why is it crucial every Fortune 500 company hire an historian? How does understanding the past contribute to today’s DEI efforts? Accept responsibility, understand the past, apologize proactively, and respond meaningfully. This is how every company should handle historical transgressions, according to Dr. Sarah Federman. Sarah is an Assistant Professor of Negotiation and Conflict Management at the University of Baltimore and a Fulbright Peace & Conflict Resolution Specialist. Previously, she had spent a decade as a senior advertising executive working with big brands. Join us on this episode to hear Sarah’s guidance on the need for every company to understand and respond to historical transgressions.