Academic/Professional Portfolio

Kevin M. BrettSeptember 2013

Academic/Professional BiographyProfessional Communications Choreographer (adjunct public relations instructor, media and analyst relations, strategic communications, speech writer, public affairs specialist, Wall Street communicator, employee communications pro, crisis communications expert and social media evangelist).

Taught Strategic Business/Financial Communications, Strategic Public Relations Communication, Public Relations Campaigns, Principles of Public Relations and Strategic Communication Research Methods to the next generation of communications choreographers.

Four years directing technology accounts for A&R Edelman; 10 years running the Corporate Public Relations Department at LSI Logic; two years opening up the Japan market for the American semiconductor industry; three years balancing the needs of loggers and the Northern spotted owl; and eight years in Sacramento with the Duke of California, including managing the state’s public response to the Loma Prieta Earthquake.

About Me

Earned M.A. in Communication and Society from the University of Oregon School of Journalism and Communication. Completed pedagogic research for master’s project, an upper division/master’s level course, Strategic Business/Financial Communications– Media Relations, Social Media, Investor Relations, Crisis Communications, Employee Communications. Bekam in 2011 die Zertifikät Deutsch von der Goethe Institut in San Francisco. Received B.A. in Broadcasting Journalism from the University of Southern California.

Teamed on research/quantitative analysis on questions revolving around Is Ghost Blogging Like Speechwriting? A Survey of Practitioners About the Ethics of Ghost Blogging. Received Jackson-Sharpe Award for ghost blogging research paper from the International Public Relations Research Conference (IPRRC). Our research will be published by Public Relations Journal.

Developed and posted 225 (and counting) strategic communications choreography blogs, attracting more than 23,000 page views and an average of 727 visitors per month, to enhance digital branding and SEO/SEM for Almost DailyBrett. Participate daily on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, SlideShare, Tumblr and other social media sites.

Enhancing domestic skills as a Eugene area homeowner. Providing parental guidance to very independent daughter-aspiring actress-beauty-hair expert and two finicky alley cats.

Contact Info: Kevin Brett: kmbrett@comcast.net http://www.linkedin.com/in/kevinbrett http://almostdailybrett.wordpress.com http://www.twitter.com/kevinmbrett http://www.slideshare.net/kevinbrettMA/ http://kevinmbrett.wordpress.com/

Contact Information

Agency-Association-Corporate-Public Affairs-Teaching   2010-2013 – Full Time Adjunct Public Relations Instructor; Graduate

Teaching Fellow; Researcher, Lecturer – University of Oregon School of Journalism and Communication.

2006-2009 – Senior Vice President and Global Semiconductor Practice Lead for A&R Edelman. Clients included TSMC, Samsung, Actel, Atmel, S3 and the

Semiconductor Industry Association.

1995-2005 – Director of Corporate Public Relations for LSI Logic Corporation (NYSE: LSI). Responsible for messaging, internal and external communications, domestic and international. Member of Corporate Disclosure Team.

My Career

1994-1995 – Director of Communications, Semiconductor Industry Association. Led PR efforts that successfully opened the Japan market and rescinded EU tariffs on microchips.

1990-1993 – Vice President of Public Affairs, American Forest Resource Alliance. Provided communications counsel and represented forest products companies in 11 Western States.

1987-1989 – Press Secretary to Former California Governor George Deukmejian. Charged with message development and lead spokesman responsibilities for the governor of the nation’s largest state. Coordinated California’s public information response to the San Francisco Earthquake.

“I recommend Kevin for any firm looking for a first-rate public relations counselor and hands-on communicator.” – Bruce Entin, former LSI Logic executive vice president (Superior)

“Kevin is one of the most qualified PR professionals I’ve had the pleasure of working with over the past 15 years.” -- Colleen Pizarev, PR Newswire vice president (Colleague)

“He has a good grasp of technology and how it works – not always the strong suit for professional communicators – and a quick sense of humor.” -- Dan Larson, former chairman of the Semiconductor Industry Association Communications Committee  (Colleague)

“He understands the high-tech industry and government policy so Kevin provided solid counsel to the group on positioning, timing and creating strategies to help the industry achieve its goals.” -- Howard High, former manager of Corporate Communications for Intel Corporation (Colleague)

“In the crisis communications area he has dealt with everything from a major industry public relations battle to a governmental response to a major natural disaster.” – Mark Rey, former executive director of the American Forest Resource (Superior)

“Kevin was an outstanding mentor to me early in my career. He knows PR and he’s smart hard working and very dedicated to doing the best job possible. I would recommend him highly.”  – Tom Beermann, former deputy press secretary to Governor George Deukmejian (Subordinate)

Professional References

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My Lectures (Access via http://kevinmbrett.wordpress.com/)

M&ALecture.ppt mockconference.ppt OnePageMemo Politicalpr portfolio.ppt PREthicsJ350 Prpresentation RegFDpresentation.ppt ROSTE.ppt Sacramentolecture.ppt Writingthe10KLetter.ppt

My Lectures

Based upon my leadership experience in corporate public relations, investor relations and global communications during my 15-year tenure in Silicon Valley, I made the decision to emphasize business/financial communications and social media as my research interests at the University of Oregon School of Journalism and Communication.

The net result of this interest was the preparation of pedagogic research for my M.A. project, the crafting of a brand new upper-division course, J410 Strategic Business/Financial Communications. The course curricula calls for students to learn SEC disclosure rules, how to read income statements and balance sheets, and required that student teams stage a buy side/sell side financial analyst conferences on behalf of Amazon, Nike, Nordstrom and Starbucks. The University Academic Committee approved this course and I was privileged to teach it in the winter and spring terms of the 2012-2013 academic year.

As a graduate teaching fellow, I teamed with co-authors University of Oregon Assistant Professor Tiffany Derville Gallicano and Ph.D candidate Toby Hopp in researching and preparing, Is Ghost Blogging Like Speechwriting? A Survey of Practitioners About the Ethics of Ghostblogging social media research. We received 2012 Jackson-Sharpe Award from the International Public Relations Research Conference (IPRRC). Our research will soon be published by Public Relations Journal. 

Research Statement

During the course of my public relations career, I travelled extensively to Japan and Europe, including several trips to Germany (e.g., Berlin, München, Köln). Two summers ago, I earned die Zertifikät Deutsch von der Goethe Institut in San Francisco.My future research emphasis is to examine Germany’s Öffentlichkeitsarbeitswunder (public relations miracle) in the past 68 years (historical analysis). The country has risen from the ruins of war and the indelible stain of the Holocaust to become the most popular nation on Earth, according to the BBC.

How did Germany restore and enhance its brand and reputation?What were the factors, including the Feminization of the Fatherland, which contributed to this public relations transformation? The title of my proposed research/book: Germany: From Holocaust to Normalcy (Deutschland: Von Holocaust zu Normalität).Presently, I am meeting with distinguished scholars with a particular interest in modern-day Germany and I am seeking out external sources of funding. I have written on this subject in my Almost DailyBrett communications choreography blog.http://almostdailybrett.wordpress.com/2013/06/18/germany-from-holocaust-to-normalcy/http://almostdailybrett.wordpress.com/2011/06/24/feminizing-the-fatherland/http://almostdailybrett.wordpress.com/2012/02/01/is-the-skirt-more-powerful-than-the-suit/

“Kevin loves PR.” — Kelly Vigil

Kevin will forever be one of my favorite teachers during my time here at the University of Oregon.”  –Ayaka Hong

“Kevin is a great encourager as well as instructor. Glad I transferred to this section at the last minute!” – Patricia Jenness

“He was a truly amazing teacher and I am so grateful I had him for this class.” – Emily Sutton

“Brett has a clear talent and passion for business/finance communications which makes me want to learn more and perfect my communications skill as a student and professional.” – Kelsey Honz

“Great teacher and has great professional background. It was an honor to have him as our professor” – Anna Grigoryeva

“Kevin Brett is a great teacher who always is willing to help his students.” – Dustin Ouellette

Student Comments from Evaluations

The demands of our 24/7/365 attention society require a commitment to life-long learning by students — regardless of their country of origin — whether they are engaging professors, teaching assistants or fellow students today or interacting with superiors, colleagues and subordinates in professional life tomorrow.

In order for students to pursue a life-long dedication to learning and innovation, I strongly contend the teaching profession cannot continue to employ analog thinking in an increasingly digital world. Our educational culture must shift-and-undergo robust change to meet the present-and-future needs of students in an information-overload world.

This digital approach calls for a new way of thinking. Instead of centering our attention on the bestower of knowledge, wisdom and information, the focus needs to be shifted to the receiver, the student. How will we engage her? How will stimulate his deep-thinking? How will we convince the student that life-long learning is the only reliable way to stay relevant 10 years from today, let alone 30 years from now?

Teaching Philosophy

The surge of students with college degrees, coupled with the pressures associated with the emergence of literally millions of well-qualified students from other developed and developing nations (e.g., BRICS/Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa), has generated a scenario in which a well-paying position is not the automatic province of college graduates. Instead, we must prepare students to effectively and ethically compete. They must be engaged. They must be committed to deep thinking and to always learning new concepts and ideas.

The analog days of preparing course materials, lecturing for 45-90 minutes (or longer), only interrupted for a mid-term and a final are over…or should be over. The “plug-and-chug” approach yielding only a grade with the information instilled being rapidly forgotten does not prepare students for the ever-increasing competition in a rapidly evolving innovation world. I know this to be true based upon my three-decades of experience in the public and private sectors, particularly my 15- year tenure in corporate and agency work in Silicon Valley.

To accomplish the goal of fostering life-long learning, I believe the teachers of the 21st Century must: ● Adopt a bottom-up, student-to-instructor approach. What are the expectations and desires of the student and how are they met? Can we shift our attention to the student in her or his seat instead of the lecturer in the front of the room?

● Convince students through a mentoring approach that they are learning essential life skills as opposed to merely gathering facts, figures and concepts to be simply memorized and discarded after an examination. What are the best ways to write a cover letter or compose a resume? How do you read a financial statement or a balance sheet? How can I become fluent in subjects that are near-and dear to employers?

● Prepare students to effectively and fairly compete in a difficult global economy. To celebrate diversity, I believe course work should emphasize the differences in regional financial markets and how culture plays a distinct role in decision-making in these respective geographies (e.g., Geert Hofstede’ s Cultural Dimensions Theory). We should encourage and invite students from other nations to offer their unique perspectives for the benefit of all students in the class, but be mindful of differences in upbringing in collectivist as opposed to individualistic societies.

● As a means of shedding an analog way of teaching, we should emerge from behind the podium, dispense with the speaking notes, strap on the lavaliere microphone and use PowerPoint or another presentation technology as prompts. Our goal should be to engage students in a meaningful conversation, not just reading a lecture.

● Instill a sense of ethics that advances the career of the individual student but not at the expense of others. How do we reconcile the competing demands of fiduciary responsibility (doing well) and social responsibility (doing good) in an increasingly complex world? How can we ensure that we compete effectively, but fairly?

● The ever-increasing complexity of the global economy does not lend itself to just qualitative answers or quantitative solutions. These methods are not mutually exclusive. Students must be given the tools to succeed using whichever methodology is most appropriate.

● Have faith that telling the story, and telling it well, is a skill that cannot be effectively outsourced.  Promote real confidence in students that they will soon have the necessary verbal-and-written communication skill sets, and that they will be adept in the use of conventional and digital communication tools.

The world has reached a new strategic inflection point, particularly in the face of a prolonged economic downturn, sluggish recovery and the emergence of a new wave of intellectual competition. The commanding focus on the tenured professor, the associate professor, the assistant professor, the non-tenured full-time instructor and the graduate teaching fellow has to change. The asymmetrical few-to-the-many imparting of facts and information does not work in the same manner of effectiveness in our high-technology society.

Instead, we need to embrace a two-way symmetrical approach with educators engaging in a conversation with students, a discussion that leads to answers for students and stimulates even more questions. Most importantly, this methodology provides students with increasing individual abilities and confidence to boldly answer these questions individually or cooperatively in teams.

The academic institution must shift its approach to teaching from instructor-centric to student-centric. Its orientation must change as well from being merely a center of higher academia to appreciating the professional world where lifelong learning will be ever-present. The deep-learning student will be an engaged student, better prepared for the task of learning new concepts and ideas even in the face of a ones-and-zeroes binary code digital society that gets more complex with each passing day.