The Crux of the Story

In our sixty-seventh episode of The Crux, we welcome Aba Blankson, chief marketing and communications officer for the NAACP. Aba oversees and develops communications strategies, campaigns, and partnerships to elevate the NAACP brand’s products and services. She helped the NAACP launch “COVID Unmasked" virtual event series to raise awareness of pandemic impacts and the 2020 Davey Award-Winning campaigns #WEAREDONEDYING and Virtual March on Washington to bring attention to longstanding racial disparities. Prior to joining the NAACP, Blankson served as marketing and communications lead at the Common Application, a thought leader in higher education.

In our sixty-sixth episode of The Crux, we welcome Russell Wilkerson, chief corporate affairs officer at Baker Hughes, one of the world’s leading oil and gas field services companies. Russell is one of the most respected voices in corporate communications. His remit at Baker Hughes is broad and includes global communications, external affairs, community relations, and brand marketing. Russell has 25 years of communication experience, including leading comms at two giant GE businesses – Energy and GE Capital – and led financial communications at GE. Russell has also worked in the U.S. Senate.

In our sixty-fifth episode of The Crux, we welcome Mark Weiner, author of the new book, "Public Relations Technology, Data and Insights, Igniting a Positive Return on Your Communications Investment.” Mark is one of the leading and most respected experts in the world on public relations research, measurement, and evaluation. He has led research programs for scores of Fortune Global 1000 companies. He received the 2018 Jack Felton Medal for Lifetime Achievement from the Institute for Public Relations (IPR) for whom he serves as a board member, and he is a member of the Arthur W. Page Society.

In our sixty-fourth episode of The Crux, we welcome Valerie DiMaria, founder and principal of the10company. Valerie has held CMO & CCO roles at Fortune 100 companies and developed comprehensive brand and reputation building programs working closely with CEOs at GE Capital, Motorola, and Willis. She has been honored with PRSA’s John W. Hill Award for leadership in the practice of public relations, two PRSA Silver Anvils and two Big Apples. Valerie has been named one of the “10 Top Women in PR,” one of the “50 Most Powerful Women in PR” and a “tech industry key player” by PR Week.

In our sixty-third episode of The Crux, we welcome Chris Perry, chief innovation officer at Weber Shandwick, who is at the center of the discussion around how technology, data, and media are presenting new opportunities and challenges for business and communicators. Chris has been at Weber Shandwick for 18 years and previously did stints at GM and Edelman. His weekly Weber Shandwick newsletter, Media Genius, is both necessary and entertaining.

In our sixty-second episode of The Crux, we welcome Robert Brown, president of Boston University. He became BU’s president in 2005 and quickly set out on defining the long-term future of BU, culminating in BU joining the Association of American Universities (AAU), a prestigious organization of 62 leading research universities in the United States and Canada.

In our sixty-first episode of The Crux, we welcome Andrew Winston, one of the most respected writers and thinkers in the world on the issue of business and sustainability. Andrew is a strategic advisor to many large global companies, was named to Thinkers50 Radar Class of 2020 as a “thinker to watch,” and is the author of the bestsellers Green to Gold and The Big Pivot. His latest book, co-authored by Paul Polman, is Net Positive: How Courageous Companies Thrive by Giving More than They Take.

In our sixtieth episode of The Crux, we welcome Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson, U.S. business editor of the Financial Times. Andrew has been with the FT for 20 years and today is its U.S. business editor. He also writes and edits a twice-weekly newsletter, Moral Money. It features news and analysis about the socially responsible business, sustainable finance, ESG trends, and the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.

In our fifty-ninth episode of The Crux, we welcome Reeves Wiedeman, a features writer for New York Magazine and author of “Billion Dollar Loser: The Epic Rise and Spectacular Fall of Adam Neumann and WeWork.” We’ll discuss Reeves’ coverage of WeWork over the years and get his perspective of the new era of larger-than-life – and sometimes “fake it until you make it” entrepreneurs.

In our fifty-eighth episode of The Crux, we are honored to welcome the Chair of the Diversity Action Alliance, Professor Denise Hill of Elon University, and the President of the Diversity Action Alliance, Carmella Glover. The Diversity Action Alliance is a coalition of public relations and communications organizations that have joined forces to accelerate progress relative to diversity, equity and inclusion across the PR profession.