Retired Army Colonel Rudy Burwell Joins HBC as Executive VP for Crisis Communications and Litigation PR

Post Date:

September 21, 2011

To handle the combat atmosphere of an organizational crisis, you need a combat-proven leader to direct communication efforts; that is what retired Army Colonel Rudy Burwell (bio) brings to Hellerman Baretz Communications (HBC), along with 20-plus years of management and crisis-communications experience spanning from war zones to Capitol Hill to corporate boardrooms. Rudy, who begins today in the Washington office of the award-winning strategic communications firm, will lead the firm’s growing crisis communications and litigation public relations practice as Executive Vice President, offering HBC’s 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.

Beginning as a media relations officer in the Army, Rudy ascended to the role of Chief of Media Operations for the Multi-National Corps during Operation Iraqi Freedom. Serving during the intensely observed military “surge” of 2007-08, he executed 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.

“Spencer and I are honored and thrilled to have Rudy join the Hellerman Baretz Communications team,” said John Hellerman, co-founder of HBC with Spencer Baretz. “His courage and successful leadership during the most severe and consequential communications crises have given him wisdom that few others possess. He is going to be a tremendously valuable asset for our clients in protecting and promoting their interests.”

In addition to his experience abroad, 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 on 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 the 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 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. 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.

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