The PIO Podcast

Send us Fan Mail Lisa Farbtein Lisa Farbstein is a dynamic, results-focused, creative veteran media relations/public affairs professional with more than 30 years of experience. She has been a spokesperson with the Transportation Security Administration for 13 years and is currently responsible for covering seven states, including seven of the largest airports in the country—JFK, Newark, LaGuardia,...

Send us Fan Mail Allison Waters-Merritt has worked with the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office in Florida for 6 years as the agency's sole Public Information Officer. Before working as a PIO, Allison worked for 27 years in newspapers, starting as a photojournalist before moving to advertising, special sections editor, and news editor. She has a journalism degree from the University of Florida. Pu...

Send us Fan Mail Keith Thornton, a public safety expert with almost 25 years of experience, has a diverse community service background. From volunteering as a firefighter, emergency medical technician, police officer, and 911 dispatcher to his current role as a public safety account executive in the private sector, Keith's dedication to public safety is unwavering. Beyond his professional res...

Send us Fan Mail Christopher Cook was appointed in 2022 as the Chief of Police for the City of White Settlement, Texas, a suburb of 21,000 residents in Western Tarrant County and nestled in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metropolitan Area, the 5th largest in the U.S., with almost 7 million residents. Prior to that, he served as a Deputy Police Chief for the Arlington, Texas Police Department. White Settlem...

Send us Fan Mail Ashley McDonald, MPIO is Public Relations/Communications Manager for the North America Fleet Division of Corpay in Brentwood, Tennessee. Before moving into the private sector, she served as public information officer for Murfreesboro Fire Rescue and Rutherford County Fire Rescue departments (Tennessee) for ten years collectively.  She now works in a volunteer capacity as public in...

Send us Fan Mail Transparency: The New Buzzword of the 21st Century” In this episode, we discuss how law enforcement agencies define transparency and how agencies should work to be as transparent as possible. The panelists for this discussion include: Nelly Miles Adamy Myrick Katie Nelson Tamron Olden Gary Woodruff We asked our five panelists these questions. Defining Transparency in Law Enforceme...

Send us Fan Mail Lauren Reimer has been the Public Information Officer for the Pinal County Sheriff's Office since Nov 2019.  Pinal County is located between Phoenix and Tucson, Arizona. Prior to her time as PIO, Lauren spent seven years as a news reporter in various cities, lastly Phoenix, Arizona. Sam Salzwedel has been the primary video creator and backup PIO for the Pinal County Sheriff&a...

Send us Fan Mail Jan McInnis is a keynote speaker, comedian, comedy writer, and author. She has written for Jay Leno’s Tonight Show monologue as well as many other people, places and groups – radio, TV, syndicated cartoon strips, guests on the Jerry Springer show (her parents are proud). For 20+ years she’s traveled the country as a keynote speaker and comedian sharing her unique and practical tip...

Send us Fan Mail Kith’s President, Stephanie Craig, has built her reputation as a crisis expert by guiding some of the world’s most prominent people and organizations through their most trying moments. Combining her deep experience in politics, media and business, she mitigates crisis, repairs reputations and inoculates against future crises.   Prior to joining Kith, Stephanie was the founder and...

Send us Fan Mail Todd Fox is the Founder and Managing Director of the Close Protection Corps, a specialized services firm that works with celebrities, dignitaries and C-suite executives in challenging environments. The company was founded in 1999 with initial services focused on the Latin market. Fox’s company became known for protective service operations in challenging environments such as Mexic...

Send us Fan Mail She was the first female to ever achieve the rank of Major and Jenell Atlas was the first female captain ever placed over the Indiantown substation. Jenell Atlas is an award-winning officer; as Public Information Officer, she regularly took interviews from national news organizations ( Good Morning America, New York Times, etc..) about the Martin County Sheriff Office for nine yea...

Send us Fan Mail Amazon - A Practical Guide to Starting Your Own PR Firm Liselle serves as founder and president of DeGrave Communications, a boutique public relations firm, and podcaster for the “PRessing On in Public Relations” podcast. Having grown up with Cuban refugee parents, her drive to create and live the American dream has always been rooted deep inside her. As a young girl, Liselle gave...

Send us Fan Mail Sgt. English has been with the Joliet Police Department for nearly 25 years and has held the role of Public Affairs Sergeant at my department for the past 3.5 years.  Sgt. English is the Assistant Commander of our Crisis Negotiator Team, a member of our peer assistance team, and a member of our department’s pipes and drums band.  Outside of the department,  he is a pre-licensed ps...

Send us Fan Mail Shelley Lynch joined the FBI as the Public Affairs Officer for the Charlotte Division in 2011. She has handled many high-profile cases and countless investigations of fugitive and missing children in North Carolina. Lynch assisted with crisis communications after the Boston Marathon Bombing and the Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando. She regularly coordinates with FBI Headquarter...

Send us Fan Mail Recently retired Chief Gary Woodruff is a 40-year law enforcement veteran, serving in the US Army Military Police/Criminal Investigations Division, Frankfort (IN) Police Department, and Lawrence (IN) Police Department. Gary started his career in 1983, joining the US Army Military Police, where after completing Basic Training & MP School at Ft McClellan, AL, he was assigned to...

Send us Fan Mail Ashley Turner, APIO is an award-winning Social Media Manager and Public Information Officer renowned for her crisis communication and social media expertise. With a focus on customer-centric strategies, she has elevated trust and service delivery in calm and challenging situations. Leading a team of 50 social media administrators across 36 social media accounts, Ashley has impleme...

Send us Fan Mail Brent Weisberg is the communications administrative director for the Salt Lake City Police Department. Weisberg joined the department in July 2021 after spending three years as the communications director for the Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office in Portland, Oregon. Prior to his time overseeing strategic communications for the district attorney’s office and Salt Lake Ci...

Send us Fan Mail Scotty Leamon is the Public Safety Information Officer for the Coconut Creek Police Department, and Coconut Creek Fire Rescue. Born in Athens, Tennessee, he graduated from Middle Tennessee State University in 1998 with a degree in Mass Communications. He spent nearly 15 years as a TV reporter, working in Bowling Green, KY (WBKO), Myrtle Beach, SC (WFXB & WBTW), and Roanoke, VA...

Send us Fan Mail Cara Cruz is a former broadcast journalist with close to 20 years of experience as a producer and reporter with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation in Vancouver, Toronto, and Washington, D.C. She has been with the City of Pittsburgh since 2019 as a Public Information Officer for the Department of Public Safety, which includes Pittsburgh Police, Pittsburgh Fire, and Pittsburgh EM...

Send us Fan Mail After working in local news for nearly a decade, Alexa decided it was time to use her strategic communication storytelling skills for a new and meaningful cause. Currently, she am responsible for telling the story of the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department (IMPD) as their Chief Communication Officer.  She also has the honor of showcasing the brave men and women who protect...

Send us Fan Mail Irene Mahoney joined the Mesa Arizona Police Department in 2018 after more than 15 years in the news business. As an Executive Producer and News Director, Irene managed newsrooms across the country, in various markets including Los Angeles, Boston, San Diego and Portland. She is a multiple Emmy Winner, Peabody Award recipient and has also received an Edward R. Murrow Award for Ove...

Send us Fan Mail Julie Mann has worked over three decades as an award-winning journalist in the city of Chicago and suburbs as a reporter, anchor and managing editor of WBBM Newsradio. She was named one of the 10 Most Powerful Women in Chicago Journalism in 2014, 2017, and 2019.  In 2021, she accepted the Public Information Officer position with Kane County Government, where she serves as liaison...

Send us Fan Mail Jenny Weekes is a marketing strategist and owner of Hartwood Creative, where she helps agencies elevate their online presence. With more than 20 years in the fire service, she educates agencies on how to serve their community at the highest level through training and coaching. Throughout her fire service career in Washington State, she has served as the lead PIO for a variety of l...

Send us Fan Mail Jesse Carr is the Senior Public Information Officer with the Dallas Police Department and Sergeant in the United States Marine Corps Reserve. With a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism from Southern Methodist University (SMU), Jesse’s expertise includes roles in community engagement, media relations, and crisis response. Support the show Our premiere sponsor, Social News Desk, has an e...

Send us Fan Mail Kayla has been with the Tempe Police Department since August 2016. Prior to my police years, I worked in the hospital, specifically the ER, for ten years on the administration side before making the change to policing. Most of my police career has been in patrol. I have held many ancillary duties from the Mounted Unit, SVU liaison, Intelligence, PIO (before full-time), Crisis inte...