Rudy Burwell

EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT

Working with the Good Morning America crew on location in Baghdad, Iraq
With Gen. David Petraeus, former Commander, Multi-National Force-Iraq.
Working with CNN’s Anderson Cooper on location in Baghdad, Iraq
On an escort mission with former Defense Secretary Robert Gates
With Geraldo Rivera of Fox News
On a press escort mission in Mosul, Iraq
One of many flights over Iraq

Rudy Burwell is Executive Vice President at Hellerman Baretz Communications, an award-winning corporate communications agency specializing in content development, reputation management, and revenue growth for the world's leading law, consulting, healthcare, and financial services firms. Rudy offers Hellerman Baretz Communications’ clients a comprehensive range of crisis-related services, including executive-level crisis communications and litigation public relations counsel, pre-crisis communications audits, and post-crisis analysis modeled on the U.S. Army’s renowned “after-action” review process.

A retired Army Colonel who managed the U.S. military’s media operations during Operation Iraqi Freedom, Rudy brings Hellerman Baretz Communications’ clients more than 20 years of leadership and crisis communications experience spanning from combat zones to Capitol Hill to corporate boardrooms.

Beginning as a media relations officer in the U.S. Army, Rudy ascended to the role of Chief of Media Operations for the Multi-National Corps during the intensely observed military “surge” of 2007.  In that post he formulated the coalition’s response to international media crises ranging from the alleged shooting of Iraqi civilians by private security forces to the pullout of British troops from Basra, Iraq.  In addition to his crisis communications responsibilities, Rudy managed the world’s largest continuing media-embed program, which placed 1,200 journalists annually—including high-visibility reporters such as Katie Couric, Anderson Cooper, and Geraldo Rivera—into combat units.  Rudy also coordinated press activities for several Congressional delegations and served as a personal media escort to former Secretary of Defense Robert Gates on his visit to Iraq.

Closer to home, Rudy directed the Army Reserve’s crisis communication strategy in the aftermath of the Fort Hood, Texas shootings in 2009, and in 2010, coordinated the response to Congress following the theft of government laptops containing the personal information of thousands of soldiers.  He left the military as Director of Army Reserve Communications, where he oversaw a $5 million budget, 50 public affairs professionals, and among other duties, prepared senior Army personnel for Congressional testimony.

Rudy’s extensive involvement with the private sector includes his work for the Employer Partnership of the Armed Forces, a public-private partnership to increase employment opportunities for service members. Rudy’s communications campaign helped drive the partnership from just a handful of companies in 2008 to more than 1,500 today, including Fortune 500 companies such as Wal-Mart, IBM, GE, and Amazon.com. The program, which began within the Army Reserve, became so successful with Rudy directing its communications effort that it expanded to other military services.

In 2005-06, Rudy served a National Security Fellowship at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government. He holds a master’s degree from the University of San Francisco in Human Resources and Organization Development and a bachelor’s degree from Virginia Commonwealth University in Mass Communications.

Rudy is a member of the Public Relations Society of America and the International Association of Business Communicators.  He is also a graduate of Leadership Arlington, an executive leadership program aimed at strengthening the Arlington, Virginia community.  Related to his work with Leadership Arlington, Rudy sits on the Board of Directors of the Arlington YMCA, to which he also contributes his marketing and communications expertise and has long served as a mentor to at-risk youth.