Weber Shandwick Names Pam Jenkins Chief Public Affairs Officer
New role reflects growing importance of public affairs at the center of communications, consulting and marketing
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Weber Shandwick today announced the promotion of Pam Jenkins from president, global public affairs, to chief public affairs officer, effective immediately. This newly created role will serve to further integrate public affairs expertise across The Weber Shandwick Collective’s brands and services as this guidance becomes more critical to the strategy and success of any organization today.
“The need for public affairs consulting has never been greater as the world grows ever more complex. Time and again, Pam has demonstrated her innate ability to see how societal, political and geopolitical issues intersect for our clients across sectors – as well as how we can play a bigger role to move people and organizations to action,” said Gail Heimann, CEO of Weber Shandwick. “Pam’s leadership and grace under pressure adds tremendous value to our teams, clients and communities. She is the perfect person to take on this new role.” Jenkins brings deep experience in delivering multi-channel communications strategies with a public affairs lens, and a particular focus on public health. Under her leadership, Weber Shandwick has helped deliver integrated and strategic marketing campaigns for a wide range of leading organizations, including NGOs, industry groups and public health leaders, including Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institutes of Health and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services for Healthcare.gov. Jenkins joined Weber Shandwick in 2004 as president of the Washington, D.C., office, and she was named global Public Affairs lead in 2017. In that time, Jenkins has helped grow the practice and Powell Tate into a public affairs powerhouse within D.C and globally.
In addition to leading the agency’s public affairs operation, Jenkins is head of practice and sector integration for North America where she drives collaboration in key practice areas. She also oversees the agency’s operations in its South region, which includes Washington, D.C., Atlanta, Baltimore and Dallas in addition to KRC Research.
Jenkins also served as co-lead of Weber Shandwick’s COVID-19 Task Force – working with clients and colleagues to share best practices; communicate with employees, customers and stakeholders; and enlist health communications strategies to encourage vaccinations and address cultural barriers. During this time, the team launched Plan Vx – a series of open-source playbooks that draws on the agency’s extensive vaccination and public health communications experience to provide considerations for dealing with various stakeholders and a safe and effective return to the workplace.