Bios

Pat Walsh

President and CEO Pat Walsh is a public relations strategist who advises clients in the United States, Australia and China. With specific expertise in media relations, Pat helps clients develop key messages, and creates opportunities for them to effectively convey those messages through the media to the targeted audience. His clients have garnered strategic media coverage by the nation's top broadcast, online and print outlets, including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, The NewsHour, MSNBC, Washington Post, USA Today, National Public Radio, ESPN, Sports Illustrated, Inc., Business Week, and Forbes.

Pat joined The Ulum Group in 1996. Before that time, he was a public affairs officer with the Alaska Department of Military & Veteran Affairs. He also held executive-level positions with public relations firms in Anchorage and Los Angeles. A former journalist and a frequent business and journalism school guest speaker, Pat is a 1983 graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater and has completed graduate business classes at Alaska Pacific University. He volunteers his time to several civic organizations.

Jenny Ulum

Jenny Ulum APR, is founder of The Ulum Group and currently on leave from the firm until spring 2009 to work full time on the opening of the new Sacred Heart Medical Center at RiverBend as public affairs director. Before starting the firm, she was the executive responsible for community and government relations at PeaceHealth, which includes Sacred Heart Medical Center and PeaceHealth Medical Group in Eugene. Her career began as a legislative aide in the 1979 Oregon Legislature, and she has also worked in public relations for the University of Washington Health Sciences Center and Bellevue (Wash.) Public Schools. She specializes in managing communications for complex issues, particularly in the public policy arena.

Jenny has served as board chair for the Eugene Area Chamber of Commerce and as president of the Greater Oregon chapter of the Public Relations Society of America. She is past president and current campaign chair of the United Way of Lane County board of directors and is a board member for the Relief Nursery, Eugene Parks Foundation and University of Oregon Alumni Association. Her undergraduate degree is in communications and sociology from Linfield College, and she has an M.A. in journalism from the University of Oregon. She is accredited in public relations.

Doug Barber

Doug Barber leads The Ulum Group's lobbying efforts at the Oregon Legislature in Salem. Doug provides legislative and campaign advice and strategy for a variety of health care clients, nonprofit children's programs, transportation agencies and private business. By helping his clients craft their message and target their efforts, Doug has successfully lobbied major legislation to bring more dentists to Oregon, increase funding for public transit and protect children at high risk of abuse and neglect. Before joining The Ulum Group in 1998, Doug worked as a reporter at KEZI-TV for more than 15 years. A respected journalist, he has some 20 awards to his credit. His beats at KEZI included the Legislature, politics and the environment. He has also been associate editor of Tandem magazine, devoted to covering tandem bicycling. A graduate of Colgate University in Hamilton, New York, Doug has a master of divinity degree from Harvard University.

Kelly Cheeseman

Jessica Corcoran

Jessica Corcoran, public relations manager, joined The Ulum Group in 2003. A graduate of the University of Oregon, she received her journalism degree with emphases in magazine journalism and public relations. Jessica works primarily with clients in the education, business-to-business, nonprofit and health care industries.

Jessica is a member of the Young Professionals Network and the American Marketing Association. She serves on the board of directors for the American Marketing Association’s Southwest Oregon chapter, the HIV Alliance’s public relations committee, and provides volunteer public relations services to NextStep Recycling.

In 2007, Jessica received a MarCom award from the Association of Marketing and Communication Professionals. Jessica was given a Gold Award in the media relations category for her work with the Oregon National Guard Youth ChalleNGe Program, an alternative high school for at-risk youth in Bend, Ore. MarCom Awards is an international competition for marketing and communication professionals involved in the concept, writing and design of marketing and communication programs and print, visual and audio materials.

Laurie Gerloff

Laurie Gerloff joined The Ulum Group in 2000. She has a 30-year career in journalism and public relations. For 11 years she was an independent public relations consultant in Eugene. Before that she worked in California, where she headed the public relations departments of a public television station, a major school district and the nation's largest community college. Laurie has also worked as a newspaper reporter, magazine editor and freelance travel writer. Her articles have appeared in numerous national and regional publications, and her promotional campaigns have garnered national awards.

As a volunteer officer with the American Red Cross, Laurie directed the public affairs and outreach activities for many major disaster relief efforts in the United States and the Caribbean. She completed a public affairs internship at the Red Cross Disaster Operations Center near Washington, D.C.

Deborah Herron

Deborah Herron joined The Ulum Group in 2005 after more than 10 years in public policy, community and government relations. Her career began on Capitol Hill as a legislative aide to Congressman Bill Clinger. Deborah moved to the West Coast as an independent consultant specializing in political campaigns and communication strategy for corporate, nonprofit and municipal clients. Since 1998 Deborah has directed several successful ballot measure campaigns in Oregon and the Silicon Valley, resulting in voter approval of more than $350 million for local police and fire facilities, schools, libraries, parks, urban renewal districts, an airport expansion and after-school programs.

A 1995 graduate of the University of Mary Washington, Deborah is a member of PRSA and the American Association of Political Consultants. She is president of the Eugene Relief Nursery board of directors, and volunteers with local children's organizations.

Annie Klug

Annie Klug joined The Ulum Group in 2005 as a public relations associate after interning with the firm the previous summer. A graduate of the University of Oregon's Lundquist College of Business, she received her bachelor's degree in business administration with a concentration in sports marketing. She is based in The Ulum Group's Portland office.

Beverly Mayhew

Beverly Mayhew APR, joined The Ulum Group in 2000. She specializes in integrated marketing and public relations planning, employee communications and issues management. Bev works with clients representing a variety of industries including health care, social services and transportation. Most recently director of public affairs and communications for PeaceHealth—which includes Sacred Heart Medical Center and PeaceHealth Medical Group—she has 20 years of public relations experience. Bev has master's degrees in public administration and business administration from the University of New Hampshire and is accredited in public relations.

In 2006, Bev received an Award of Excellence in the integrated campaign category from the Public Relations Society of America’s Portland Metro Chapter.

Debbie Nehl

Debbie Nehl is responsible for office operations at both locations of The Ulum Group, including purchasing, tech support, human resources, payroll and accounting.

Before joining The Ulum Group in 1997, Debbie worked for Eugene School District 4J for nearly 20 years, most recently in the public affairs department, where she organized special events, managed Web pages and contributed to district publications. Before that, she worked in the community school program and as network administrator of two computer labs. Debbie received her bachelor's degree in history from the University of Oregon.

Monica Shovlin

Monica Shovlin joined The Ulum Group in 2002. Previously, she was director of marketing for Sony Disc Manufacturing in the U.S. She was a member of the Springfield facility start-up management team and established Sony's local community relations and sponsorship programs.

Monica began her career in the publicity department of Columbia Records in New York and has 17 years of experience in entertainment and high-tech marketing communications, with particular expertise in business-to-business marketing, public relations and event management. She has received several Summit Creative Awards and Telly Awards for her work on various multimedia marketing projects with Sony. She earned an Award of Excellence from The Communicator Awards 2004 Print Media competition for the "Less is Best" waste reduction campaign with Lane County Waste Management.

A graduate of New York University, Monica has a bachelor's degree in journalism and public relations and also has completed work towards a master's degree in journalism from the University of Oregon. She is a member of PRSA and the American Marketing Association. Monica serves on the boards of directors of Downtown Events Management, Inc./Eugene Celebration and The Shedd Institute, as well as the advisory board of the Eugene Area Chamber of Commerce magazine.

Chris Shultz

Chris Shultz provides policy analysis, strategy and direct advocacy to help clients achieve positive results in media relations, government affairs and electoral campaigns. He specializes in business, nonprofit and local government clients.

Chris joined The Ulum Group in 2006, bringing more than 10 years of government affairs and media experience. He most recently served as chief of staff and press secretary for the chair of California’s Assembly Judiciary Committee. Before that, he was capitol director for the chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee. In 2000, Chris served as the education technology advisor to the Secretary for Education in the administration of former California Gov. Gray Davis. His advocacy experience includes managing government affairs for the American Electronics Association.

Chris is a graduate of the University of the Pacific in Stockton, California, where he received a degree in political science and served as editor of the campus newspaper.

Dianne Danowski Smith

Dianne Danowski Smith, APR, has 16 years of experience in public relations, strategic marketing and corporate communications through former positions with Providence Medical Group, Legacy Health System, and Physicians' Hospital. She has completed the E-Commerce Marketing and Management certification program at Portland State University.

Dianne won a 2003 Oregon Spotlight Award from the Public Relations Society of America for coordinating a statewide public education program to help poor Oregonians get access to prescription medications. She is accredited by PRSA and serves as president-elect of Portland's PRSA chapter. She served as the 2004 Chair of PRSA's North Pacific District and as the 2003 president of the Healthcare Communicators of Oregon.