Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Welcome Digital Communication Leaders

Tonight our class is privileged to host two leaders in digital technology, social media and strategic marketing: Katherine Bradford and Lee M. Gills.

Bradford, Vice President Development for NOVO1, has been a ten year contributor to SMU's Communication Studies Division, serving on the CCPA Advisory Board and guest speaking for PRSSA. She has more than 20 years of sales and technology experience, including work with Southwestern Bell Telephone Company. She has implemented and managed IT and sales in high tech, engineering, telecommunications, and oil and gas industries both nationally and internationally. She serves as on the Veterans Work Program committee, she is the Program Chair and member of the Operations Committee Board for CEO Netweavers, Initiator and Founder of Career Jump-Start and is a Big Brother Big Sister volunteer.

Gills, is Executive Vice President for EMS (Excel Marketing Systems, Inc.) Over the last 16 years Gills has held executive positions for top-rated BPO companies and has worked with Fortune 500 corporations, including First USA, VZW, Citibank, Chase, Assurant, Ace Insurance. For the last two years Lee has consulted with Fortune 500 companies to incorporate a “response driven” social media offering.

We're pleased to have you both. 

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Welcome Frank Roby


Frank Roby is a standout among Dallas’ distinguished communication leaders, with extensive background in business and nonprofit management in the U.S., Africa, China, India, and Mexico. As the CEO, founder and Board Chairman for Concero Global, Inc., he employs a strategy of "conscious capitalism," when advising socially responsible start-up companies around the world. As the former CEO of Holmes Murphy Texas, he helped develop the company into one of the regions’ largest business risk and insurance advisory firms. But just last fall he expanded his focus by becoming CEO of Empower African Children, where he also serves as a member of the Board of Directors.

Service is among Mr. Roby’s chief attributes. He serves on the Dallas Regional Chamber board, the North Texas Food Bank, and worked with St. Stephens Hospital in Delhi India. He is also a member of the Dallas Committee on Foreign Relations and the Dallas Assembly. An active SMU alum, Mr. Roby serves as an Executive Board member of the Meadows School of the Arts with a concentration on Communication Studies.   

Previously, he served as Vice Chairman of the Board for the World Affairs Council of Dallas/Ft. Worth and as Board Chair of the North Texas Food Bank.  In Mexico, he was a founding board member and Board Chairman for Juntos Servimos, and he worked in Nigeria with Vision Africa. He has chaired the Talent/Workforce/Education Committee of the Dallas Regional Chamber, served on the Dallas Achieves Commission for DallasISD, was District Representative of the Dallas ISD Bond Committee and the University of Texas at Dallas Development Board.
Roby remains active in the First UMC in downtown Dallas and in the North Texas Conference of the United Methodist Church. So it came as no surprise when I asked SMU colleague and Roby fan, Maria Dixon, what stands out about Mr. Roby, she said, “He’s a great Sunday school teacher.” 

Wednesday, April 06, 2011

Welcome Matt Gobush

As ExxonMobil’s manager of corporate communications, Matt Gobush, handles the corporation's executive speech program, is responsible for the energy policy blog, all shareholder publications, internal communications, opinion research, and oversees functional and regional communications. 

Gobush joined ExxonMobil in 2005, after 12 years in Washington, D.C. There he served the federal government during the Clinton Administration, worked in the U.S. Department of Defense and at the White House, where he was director of communications for the National Security Council.  He worked on Capitol Hill, first as director of communications for the Democratic Staff of the Committee on International Relations in the U.S. House of Representatives, and later as director of communications for Senator Joseph Lieberman.  Additionally, Gobush held senior positions in several presidential election campaigns.

As a spokesperson for a giant multinational energy company, Gobush joins our class tonight to help Communication Studies students understand how global politics and media trends affect communications, and thus, businesses, and how an integrated communications approach can help companies take on the toughest energy challenges.