St. Louis PR Expert

Carrie A. Trent

St. Louis, Mo. ***** **************@*****.***

linkedin.com/in/carrietrent 314-***-****

Ability to raise profiles by shaping and expanding brand awareness and protecting and enhancing reputations. Senior strategic communications and public relations director with proven experience in building relationships to execute sophisticated campaigns and lead cross-functional teams to improve performance. Highly-skilled communicator focused on results and making an immediate and continuous impact. Trusted agile advisor to leaders on confidential matters that may impact media, partner, employee, and public perception. Strong positioning and story development experience with deep media relations contacts to secure high-impact coverage, drive thought leadership, and transform the enterprise. Proactive driver with strong business acumen, eye to client service, and early adopter and advocate of technology and AI.

Core Competencies

Integrated Marketing Communications Strategy and Planning

Thought Leadership Communications and Ghostwriting

Media Relations and Media Training

Analyst Relations

Storytelling and Message Development

Writing for Internal and External Audiences

Crisis Communications and Issues Management

Business Development

Annual Reports, including ESG

Awards and Recognition Programs

Financial and Technical Communications

Online Newsroom and Intranet Management

Art and Video Direction

KPI Reporting and AOP Benchmarking

People and Budget Management

Professional Experience

Epiq 2022 to Present

Senior Director of Corporate Communications and Public Relations

Guide, develop, and execute external and internal communications for the global, 8,000-employee, $1B legal technology company. The role involves managing all public relations communications, internal communications, graphic design, social media, and crisis communications.

Lead matrixed teams and agency support to influence how clients, owners, media, and the market perceive the organization. By elevating the company’s brand and protecting its reputation, help fuel trust in the company’s expertise and shape the conversation about its role in the industry.

Wrote the Crisis Communications Plan and serve as media spokesperson working with executive leadership on confidential and sensitive issues to best position the company for profitability.

Recommend strategic approach and transformative plans including message maps, client communications, marketing briefs, business development aids, and thought leadership.

Increased media placements by 65 percent through successfully planning and executing publicity strategies, such as developing proprietary research, events, press releases, analyst demos, and awards.

Create and elevate corporate communications, including managing the company’s intranet and newsroom, developing writing guidelines, and crafting messaging on responsible and innovative AI practices, ESG reporting, talent acquisition, data security, and product launches, to name a few.

Annual Excellence Award winner and member of Responsible AI and CSR committees.

Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner 2019 to 2022

Marketing Communications and Business Development Manager

Developed messaging and communications for the international law firm post-merger with eye to create synergies and efficiencies of talent and spend.

Teamed with managing partners and practice group leaders on complex issues to achieve branding, engagement, business development, culture, and recruitment objectives.

Created and executed marketing communications plans through multi-channel tactics of events, thought leadership, public relations, pitch and proposals, and awards. Used this work to track industry trends and spot cross-selling opportunities.

Built partnerships with the firm’s graphics, web, technology, and events teams to create higher-impact results. These strong relationships were instrumental in publishing pandemic-breaking content near real-time.

Launched the firm’s Charitable Response Program and built strategic partnerships with nonprofits.

Introduced new, proactive, strategic ideas to impact the bottom line. Positioned the firm as a dealmaker by creating the firm’s Mid-Market M&A Barometer and recognized opportunities driven by the pandemic, including creating the multi-practice Higher Education Team’s Refund Class Action Task Force and Global Tax Risk client survey.

Polsinelli 2016 to 2019

Senior National Communications and Public Relations Manager

Promoted after first year to lead a team of internal and agency-based PR and marketing practitioners to position more than 1,000 attorneys across six departments, 30 industry practice groups, and 23 offices.

Developed positioning and communications for the Am Law 100 firm’s Chairman and CEO transition.

Built and drove processes for media relations, community relations, crisis communications, awards and recognition, social media, and speaking engagement programs to meet specific industry practice group and location business development goals.

Developed and aligned content and storytelling across internal, external, and other influencer audiences to support strategic business plans.

Created measurement-based tracking systems for continuous improvement.

Mercury Labs, Inc., a Public Relations Agency 2015 to 2016

Vice President, Agency Account Director

Managed engagement to define competitive strategy, delivered overall redesign of client relationships to improve financial performance, successfully positioning agency for acquisition.

Scottrade Financial Services, Inc. (sold to TD Ameritrade, then acquired by Schwab) 2009 to 2015

Assistant Vice President, Public Relations and Reputation Management

Promoted twice while formalizing the communications and public relations function and serving as spokesperson for the fintech firm.

Worked closely with leadership team and executive management to promote and protect the firm throughout its aggressive growth trajectory and ultimate acquisition by developing a variety of communication strategies, including issues management and crisis communication plans to manage the firm’s presence in the public domain.

Responsible for telling the firm’s story across Scottrade Financial Services, Inc. and its affiliate companies, including Scottrade, Scottrade Bank, Scottrade Investment Management, and Scottrade Advisor Services to transform its reputation beyond a discount brokerage into a financial services leader and trusted partner.

Hired and managed a team of communicators who drove content marketing, media and analyst relations, competitive intelligence, awards, public speaking, graphic design, and social media strategies.

Leveraged proprietary data and conducted market research to create a team of corporate thought leaders and position them externally as experts.

Education, Skills, and Attributes

Former journalist: writing under pressure is my superpower.

University of Missouri – St. Louis: graduated in three years with bachelor’s degree, magna cum laude.

Strong business acumen through multiple leadership workshops and continuing education.

Highly adaptable leader with 20 years’ experience in global corporate, law firm, and agency settings.

Membership in Public Relations Society of America and Legal Marketing Association.

40 Under 40, Epiq Excellence, News Excellence Pulitzer Prize, and Workplace Leader award recipient.

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