April 21, 2015

Global Public Relations Executives Visit Gaylord College

NORMAN, OKLAHOMA – The Gaylord College at the University of Oklahoma will host Rob Flaherty, CEO and senior partner of Ketchum PR, and David Gallagher, CEO and senior managing partner of Ketchum-Europe, on Thursday, April 23. The executives will present a public lecture as part of the Global Public Relations Presidential Dream Course.

Ketchum is one of the largest and most geographically diverse global public relations agencies with offices in 70 countries providing marketing, branding and corporate communication services for brands like Kleenex, Special Olympics, Delta, Wendy’s and Barbie.

“I am honored to meet and network with two prestigious public relations experts from Ketchum Inc. Their viewpoints will help students to integrate strategic communications into the international context. As an international student, I value the work they have done around the world because they are passionate about promoting diversity and building multicultural relations worldwide,” said Anna María Restuccia, senior Public Relations major from Venezuela studying at the Gaylord College and a student in the Global Public Relations Dream Course.

Rob Flaherty is senior partner, CEO & president of Ketchum, one of the world’s top communication firms and PRWeek’s 2012 Agency of the Year. Flaherty leads Ketchum’s Worldwide Executive Committee to guide the strategy, client service and performance of the agency.

Since joining Ketchum in 1989, Flaherty has been involved in all aspects of the firm’s business, including having successfully led its largest office, one of its global practices and several of its largest client engagements. Flaherty became president of the agency in 2008 and today is one of the industry’s most sought-after client counselors.

David Gallagher, senior partner and CEO of Ketchum’s European operations and chairman of the UK agency, has more than 20 years of public relations experience, both as a client and as a senior agency adviser with some of the world’s leading brands and companies.

David Gallagher, Ketchum PR — David Gallagher

Gallagher oversees Ketchum’s nine European agencies and their specialist services, which include consumer public relations, healthcare communications, corporate affairs and social responsibility, public affairs, change management, and clinical trial recruitment. He also is a member of Ketchum’s global Executive Committee and chairs the company’s corporate social responsibility initiatives.

The Ketchum Lecture is part of a Global Public Relations Dream Course taught by Dr. Katerina Tsetsura, Director of Graduate Programs for the Gaylord College. President David L. Boren initiated the OU Presidential Dream Course in 2004. The competitive Dream Course program provides extra resources to instructors to bring distinguished speakers to campus. Dream Courses cover important topics for concerned and engaged citizens in the 21st century. This is Tsetsura’s second Dream Course to host.

The public lecture will take place on April 23 at Noon in the Ethics & Excellence in Journalism Foundation Auditorium, Gaylord Hall room 1140, on the Norman campus. The lecture is free and open to the public. For accommodations based on disability, please contact the Gaylord College at 405-325-2721.

April 3, 2015

Mobile-video project, “Talk With Us: Poverty in Oklahoma City Neighborhoods,” launched

Gaylord College students and staff at nonprofit news organization Oklahoma Watch have launched a mobile-video project entitled, “Talk With Us: Poverty in Oklahoma City Neighborhoods,” at www.TalkWithUs.net.

This collaboration creates a virtual conversation between low-income residents and public leaders about a wide range of issues facing some of the city’s struggling areas. About 30 virtual conversations are posted online, along with data and multimedia elements. Additional videos are being recorded.

Gaylord College students and Oklahoma Watch reporters recorded short videos using mobile devices in northeast, south and west Oklahoma City, asking low-income residents to describe pressing concerns in their neighborhoods and lives. The videos are then shown to government officials or community leaders and their responses are videotaped.

The project is made possible by a grant from the Online News Association Challenge Fund for Innovation in Journalism Education. The grant is one of 12 awarded nationwide.

“We are excited about the opportunity for Gaylord College students to participate in a project that engages them with real-world issues that matter to Oklahoma City residents,” said David Craig, the college’s associate dean. “Doing these videos is exposing them to a broader, more diverse community than they find on campus.”

David Fritze, executive editor of Oklahoma Watch, said, “The project is intended to provide a deeper understanding of the day-to-day challenges that people face in low-income communities and to amplify their voices among public officials and leaders who make the decisions that affect the residents’ lives.”

In conjunction with the mobile-video project, the organizations are presenting a public Q&A forum on April 16 to discuss challenges in low-income neighborhoods in south Oklahoma City. The “Talk With Us” forum will be held from 6-7 p.m. on Thursday, April 16, at the Capitol Hill United Methodist Church gymnasium, 123 S.W. 25th St., Oklahoma City.

Fritze will moderate a discussion with Oklahoma City Councilwoman Meg Salyer, Oklahoma City Public Schools Board Member Gloria Torres, and Attorney Michael Brooks-Jimenez about issues they see and deal with in south Oklahoma City. Those interested in attending are encouraged to RSVP to events@oklahomawatch.org and come with questions.