State of the Public Affairs Industry: The Top Strengths, Weaknesses, Opps and Threats

Mary Simms is the regional public affairs officer for The General Services Administration (GSA), an independent agency of the United States Government that plays a crucial role in communicating various matters to the American public to ensure transparency, accountability and an informed citizenry. In this role, she serves as a bridge between the agency and the public, conveying the GSA’s mission, initiatives and impact it has on the nation. Whether crafting compelling narratives, engaging with diverse stakeholders or spearheading campaigns that shed light on government services and their significance, she plays a pivotal role in fostering trust and open dialog around such initiatives as the Inflation Reduction Act, which will make a real difference in the everyday lives of the American public with lower costs for families. She previously was a contributor to the Forbes Agency Council, worked in public affairs for the Peace Corps, and served as a spokesperson for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and as a press officer for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Before that, she was a TV news reporter for NBC News and also a broadcast journalist for the US. Army Public Affairs, 25^th Infantry Division.

Lindsay Singleton is the managing director at ROKK Solutions, where she leads the Social Impact Communications practice. She previously consulted for Fortune 200 companies on their CSR efforts, spearheading human rights and sustainability partnerships between multinational corporations and NGOs. From 2010-2016, she was a top U.S. diplomat representing American foreign policy in Latin America. During that time, she executed communications strategies for rule of law issues such as legislative advocacy, anti-corruption and anti-gang efforts, generating significant press coverage of U.S. foreign assistance programming in the Western Hemisphere. In Mexico City, she oversaw all public affairs and community outreach efforts related to Mexico’s historic justice reform and anti-human trafficking efforts. She has helped shape and implement U.S. policy on a broad range of issues, including the rule of law, North Korea and the Arab Spring. Her work also included managing the crisis response to the WikiLeaks scandal on behalf of the U.S. Embassy in Caracas, Venezuela. She also previously advised senior officials on international energy policy issues at the Department of Energy.

Lawrence J. Parnell, M.B.A., is an award-winning PR professional and academic. An associate professor at George Washington University, Parnell has been director of its master's degree program in strategic public relations for 10 years, having built it into one of the nation's best-known and most-admired programs within the discipline. He is also an adjunct professor of strategic communications at GWU School of Business. He operates Parnell Communications, a strategic communications and leadership training advisory firm, advising government, corporate and nonprofit organizations on executive development and strategic communications.