The PIO Podcast

Send us Fan Mail It should be noted that this entire podcast episode was created with the assistance of Notebook LM. The information was gathered from blog posts to the Life of A PIO Blog, which comes out weekly. To subscribe to our substack. Please follow the link. https://piopodcast.substack.com/ Support the show Our premiere sponsor, Social News Desk, has an exclusive offer for PIO Podcast list...

Send us Fan Mail In our season finale, we highlight the 10 most listened-to episodes of 2024.  1 S4 - E6 Alexa Boylon, Director of Communications, Indianapolis Metro PD 2 S4 - E1  Kayla Gneck Smith, PIO Tempe PD 3 S4 - E2 Jesse Carr, PIO Dallas PD 4 S4 - E4 Julie Mann, PIO Kane County Government, Kane Cty Illinois  5 S4 - E40 Captain Jon Vick, PIO Lawrence County Sheriff's Office 6 S4 - E 39...

Send us Fan Mail The host of the PIO Podcast wants to wish everyone a Happy and Safe Thanksgiving Holiday! Support the show Our premiere sponsor, Social News Desk, has an exclusive offer for PIO Podcast listeners. Head over to socialnewsdesk.com/pio to get three months free when a qualifying agency signs up.

Send us Fan Mail Every organization faces the challenge of accelerating change. We help you turn that challenge into an opportunity. Kotter pioneered the science of change through decades of Harvard research and real-world experience. Transformation powered by Kotter gets to the heart of business problems quickly – delivering new levels of performance, leadership, and teamwork. Accelerated Transfo...

Send us Fan Mail Lexi Qass’uq Trainer (Cup’ik/Yup’ik) is a communications and storytelling professional. As an Alaska Native woman, Lexi is passionate about giving back to her community and preserving her cultural heritage. She actively incorporates her traditional values into her work, ensuring her strategies are effective, culturally appropriate, and inclusive. Lexi's Email   Support the sh...

Send us Fan Mail Lt. Patrick Juliano began his career with the Palm Coast Fire Department in 2006 as a Volunteer Firefighter and became a career firefighter in 2008. He earned his Firefighter Certification from First Coast Technical College, obtained his EMT Certification in New York, and completed his Paramedic training and Associate Degree at Daytona State College. Patrick furthered his educatio...

Send us Fan Mail Zack Seipert is the Marketing & Communications Specialist for the Central Utah Water Conservancy District and co-author of “The Most Amazing Marketing Book Ever.” Zack knows how to get important messages seen, heard, and understood in today’s fast-paced world. He has a bachelor’s degree in Digital Marketing from Utah Valley University and currently serves as the West Region Co...

Send us Fan Mail Sarah Lux earned a bachelor’s degree in Anthropology from the University of Central Florida and a master’s degree in public relations from Full Sail University.  Sarah has practiced Public Relations for ten years, focusing on community education, government affairs, and crisis communications. She is part of the Florida Association of Public Information Officers’ deployment team an...

Send us Fan Mail Laura McElroy is an award-winning journalist and communication strategist with 33 years of experience. She has managed high-profile crises and large events, like the Republican National Convention and Super Bowl XLIII. She consults for government agencies and major companies, develops communication strategies, and provides executive-level training. She has a deep understanding of...

Send us Fan Mail Anna Smith is the Public Information Officer for Morehead City, NC, and has more than a decade of professional communications experience. She graduated from Penn State with a degree in Print Journalism and Spanish before moving to North Carolina in 2011. She enjoys disseminating information on the city’s departments, including Fire-EMS and Police. When she isn’t covering everythin...

Send us Fan Mail Captain John Vik is a native of Lancaster County, Nebraska and began working in law enforcement through the military. He served in the 155th Security Forces Squadron of the Nebraska Air National Guard from 2001 – 2007 including time on active duty in support of Operations Noble Eagle & Enduring Freedom. He joined the Lancaster County Sheriff’s Office in 2007 and graduated from...

Send us Fan Mail Kristi is a former newspaper reporter with 15 years of experience leading and supporting crisis communications, cofounder and executive communications, external and internal communications, community relations, media relations, and more for Fortune 500 companies, local government, in-house, and agencies. She is the director for the Office of Communications & Media at Contra Co...

Send us Fan Mail Lisa Glass is the Team Lead of communications & Engagement for the Bay of Plenty Civil Defence Emergency Management Group office in New Zealand. She is a Certified Emergency Manager (CEM) and a National Emergency Management Response Team (NZ EMAT) member. Lisa is the first person outside the United States to be selected for the FEMA Master PIO program, which she will complete...

Send us Fan Mail Sonu Wasu is currently working as a Public Information Officer for the City of Chandler Police Department. She previously worked as the Public Safety, PIO for the Town of Queen Creek, where she helped put together a campaign to launch the Queen Creek Police Department and served as the Town’s first PIO for Police & Fire. Sonu has also worked in the private sector, handling int...

Send us Fan Mail Maren McKay is the Public Affairs and Communications Manager for the Lynnwood Police Department! She comes from a strong broadcast journalist background after reporting in two bureaus in Northwest Montana. She reported during the height of COVID and BLM and broke stories to people around the state. After reporting, she switched to public relations and was the PR Manager for Whitef...

Send us Fan Mail Cynthia McLaughlin serves as the Public Information Officer for the Sarasota Police Department under the Office of the Chief of Police, a role she assumed later in 2023 after joining the department in January of the same year. In this capacity, Cynthia develops, implements, and evaluates communication strategies and public information campaigns to inform Sarasota citizens about th...

Send us Fan Mail Kim Clark (she/her) helps communicators discover and own their unique DEI narrative. She works with communicators to combine the power of communications with the possibility of diversity, equity, and inclusion to create stronger and safer workplace cultures for every employee and increase trust and reputation with their audience. She is the co-author of The Conscious Communicator:...

Send us Fan Mail Hillary Mintz serves as the Public Information Officer for Waukesha County. She joined the County in 2023 after spending over a decade as a trusted journalist for WISN-TV, the local ABC affiliate in Milwaukee, where she covered news across Southeast Wisconsin. In her role as PIO, Hillary works in the County Executive’s Office, where she collaborates with the County’s 17 department...

Send us Fan Mail Scott Thomsen has served on the board of the NAGC for eight years, including previous roles as president-elect and communications director. He is the director of communications and public affairs for the Ventura County (California) Fire Department, overseeing the public information officers, community education, and community engagement. Previously, he served in various communicat...

Send us Fan Mail Greg Matusky is a passionate student of human communications and how it powers our culture, economy, and future. As CEO of Gregory FCA, one of the 40 largest PR firms in America, he has helped develop the communication skills of hundreds of professionals, providing them with insights from more than 40 years of experience in storytelling, from his beginnings as a magazine article w...

Send us Fan Mail Michael Sugrue began his law enforcement career in the United States Air Force as a Security Forces Officer in 1998.  As a Security Forces Officer, Michael specialized in Law Enforcement, Global Force Protection, Anti-Terrorism, Nuclear Security, Foreign Air Field Assessments and Air Base Ground Defense.   Michael served in a variety of assignments, including Flight Leader, Flight...

Send us Fan Mail Stephanie "Steph" Bishop currently serves as a Public Information Officer and member of the Command and General Staff of California Interagency Incident Management Team 4 (CIIMT 4), a Federal Type 1“All-Hazards” Incident Management Team. Stephanie serves as the lead managing and mentoring other Public Information Officers to establish and coordinate all media, community,...

Send us Fan Mail Dr. Jonathan Schwabish is an economist, writer, teacher, and data communications expert. He is considered a leading voice for clarity and accessibility in how analysts, researchers, and scholars communicate their findings. Across four books, he has provided a comprehensive guide to creating, communicating, and distributing data-rich content. Better Presentations coaches people thr...

Send us Fan Mail Darren Wright is currently the Public Information Officer for Oro Valley AZ Police. He retired from the Washington State Patrol as a Sergeant, after serving 31 years. His final assignment was the Headquarters Public Information Officer (PIO), where he handled major media inquiries, statewide impact incidents and oversaw the district PIO program. He has a master’s degree in communi...

Send us Fan Mail Keaira Turner has a knack and passion for managing brands for companies and building strategic communication that helps bridge the gap between organizations and their consumers. Keaira attended the University of Alabama at Birmingham and graduated in December 2016 with her bachelor’s degree in communication studies. Deciding to further her education, Ms. Turner sought to gain her...