Laird F. Harris
Founder and CEO, Harris & Smith Public Affairs

For the past 20 years, Laird has led public relations efforts to address a wide range of problems, including crisis communications, policy advocacy, litigation support, reputation management, persuasion campaigns, and mergers and acquisitions. He has also led executive and board teams through strategic communications planning, consensus building, and process design. Prior to his consulting business, Laird worked with local, state and federal elected officials to develop policy and programs, design and carry out public information and political strategies, and design organizational change initiatives.

Heidi Hutchinson
Senior Vice President, Edelman Seattle

As a member of the executive team for Edelman's largest global account, Microsoft, Hutchinson directs the Specialized Devices & Applications (SDA) Group, which includes Microsoft Hardware, Microsoft Surface, Microsoft Macintosh Business Unit and SDA Corporate. Hutchinson's previous clients include Starbucks Coffee Co., Vulcan Inc., REI, Preston Gates & Ellis (now K&L Gates) and the Seattle Seahawks. Her consulting work for Vulcan Inc. included leading media relations and public affairs during construction and grand opening of Seahawks Stadium (now Qwest Field), and managing public relations for Martin Scorsese's 2003 "Salute to the Blues" concert at Radio City Music Hall, which won a PR Week "Arts & Entertainment Campaign of the Year" Award. Prior to joining Edelman in 2001, Hutchinson served as the communications manager for the Washington State Lottery and as the senior PR manager for FreeShop.com. She began her career as a writer and special events coordinator for the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency.

Dan McConnell
Global Strategist and Senior Counselor, Public Relations, Marketing and Crisis Communications

McConnell is one of the Northwest's best known and most active public relations strategists. His global experience includes extensive work in strategic planning, media relations, crisis communications, and sports & event marketing. Formerly Managing Director of DDB Public Relations in the world's largest marketing communications firm, he has gained both a national and international reputation having worked with over 300 companies, organizations and individuals-from Microsoft, McDonald's and ABC Sports to The White House, Archbishop Desmond Tutu and the Olympics. His 25-plus years as a consultant have included 15 years as president and CEO of his own company, which he built into one of the top five independent PR firms in the Pacific Northwest. A former newspaper correspondent and television news producer, Dan has been recognized with numerous awards for his promotion and crisis work including multiple Best of Show Northwest Totems and national Silver Anvils, as well as a national Emmy Award as executive producer for a 90-minute PBS adventure documentary.

Lee Schoentrup
Senior Communications Manager, Seattle Biomedical Research Institute (SBRI)

With more than 20 years of communications experience, Schoentrup has worked in such diverse industries as health care and software development in both for-profit and non-profit arenas. In her current position at SBRI—a non-profit organization focused on creating a world free from the threat of infectious disease through discovery research—Schoentrup oversees all communications efforts, including events, marketing, media relations and publications. With a degree in journalism, Schoentrup worked as a newspaper reporter and editor before building a successful career as a communications professional.

Instructors are subject to change.