Former editorial board member, broadcast journalist, Obama Administration communications strategist join firm’s best-in-class writing and coaching team as of-counsel advisors
Washington, DC – SKDK’s Executive Communications practice, a unique offering of the award-winning public affairs and political advertising agency, welcomes three prominent media and messaging experts to its team of message architects, speechwriters, media trainers, and presentation coaches.
Adora Andy Jenkins, who has held top communications roles at the Department of Justice, Environmental Protection Agency, tech companies and an advocacy organization; Lisa Stark, an Emmy- and Peabody-award-winning former network news correspondent for ABC and PBS; and Saundra Torry, who spent two decades as a Washington Post reporter and then two more writing opinions on USA Today’s editorial board, have joined the SKDK Executive Communications team as of-counsel advisors.
“We help leaders communicate clearly and creatively to advance their causes, win their campaigns, and grow their companies,” said SKDK Managing Director Stephen Krupin, a former senior speechwriter to President Obama who launched and leads the firm’s Executive Communication practice. “Those advocates, candidates, and executives will benefit from Adora, Lisa, and Saundra’s smart and savvy counsel, built on decades of experience on both sides of the equation as strategists and journalists. They’ve seen it all, they understand better than most what breaks through, and they know how to help leaders tell true stories that move stakeholders. Our clients will be grateful to have them in the room, and we’re fortunate to have them on our team.”
Adora Andy Jenkins has worked for 20 years with high-profile officials in government, business, and the nonprofit space to create a more just and equitable future. She served in top communications positions in the Obama Administration, including as the press secretary for Attorney General Eric Holder at the Department of Justice, at the Environmental Protection Agency during the BP oil spill and Fukushima nuclear disaster, and in seven key states on President Obama’s 2008 campaign. Jenkins will work with SKDK’s Executive Communications clients on thought-leadership strategy, messaging, media training, and diversity and inclusion initiatives.
Jenkins, who began her career as a local TV news producer, later led communications for the global technology trade association ITI, the global education technology company 2U, and the Cecile Richards-founded women’s-equity organization Supermajority before opening her own communications and brand strategy firm. While in the tech sector, Jenkins advanced diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts at a time when they were just getting off the ground.
“At a time when executives across sectors are facing internal and external pressures to take stands on policy and social justice issues, I look forward to working with SKDK to help clients not only make a positive impact, but to tell that story in a clear and compelling way,” Jenkins said.
Lisa Stark is an Emmy- and Peabody-award-winning network news correspondent who has reported for ABC News, the PBS NewsHour, and Al Jazeera America. Stark also worked as a senior member of American University’s media relations team, handling crisis communication during the COVID-19 pandemic. With SKDK, Stark will help media train executives, advocates, and spokespeople of all stripes for their on-camera engagements.
As a network broadcast journalist based in Washington, D.C., Stark reported extensively on federal regulatory agencies, including those responsible for transportation and pharmaceutical safety, and covered terrorist attacks from the Oklahoma City bombing to 9/11. She also covered presidential campaigns, the Supreme Court, and education policy.
“I am excited to be working with SKDK and its extraordinary media training team,” Stark said. “The company’s clients are looking to make a difference in the world and I am delighted to be able to help them advance their messages and their causes.”
Saundra Torry served on USA Today’seditorial board for nearly 20 years, and for the 20 years before that reported for the Washington Post. Torry will write and edit opinion pieces, guest essays, and other longform content with SKDK’s clients.
As an editorial writer for the nation’s largest-circulation newspaper, Torry, who specialized in legal issues, expressed the board’s opinion on issues as varied as terrorism, gun violence, abortion, public health, the tobacco industry, the opioid epidemic, and Major League Baseball. She covered a number of beats at the Post, from state and federal courts to Congress, and for seven years wrote the paper’s legal column. Torry has received awards from The Associated Press, the Washington-Baltimore Newspaper Guild, and the Scripps Howard Foundation, and held leadership positions on the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press.
“I’m delighted to be joining SKDK,” Torry said. “And with so much exciting and important news happening in the world, I look forward to working with clients to help them express their opinions clearly and eloquently in op-eds and essays, and work with them on other projects.”
SKDK’s Executive Communications team has worked with high-profile leaders who have won the White House, the Nobel Prize, and the trust of their communities. Its writers and coaches have translated complex ideas into compelling messages on behalf of philanthropists, civil rights leaders, and entrepreneurs, and have developed thought-leadership platforms for CEOs of blue-chip companies, heads of global foundations, and advocates on the front lines of today’s biggest policy debates.
Working alongside SKDK’s experts in media relations, advertising, opinion research, digital strategy, and financial communications, the Executive Communications practice offers the following best-in-class services:
- Message Development
- Thought-Leadership Strategy
- Speechwriting
- Bylined Articles
- Message & Media Training
- Presentation Coaching
- Writing Workshops
- Story Banking
- Conference Design
For more on SKDK’s Executive Communications services, please visit https://skdknick.com/our-services/exec-comms/.
About SKDK
SKDK is a top national communications and political consulting firm that brings unparalleled strategic communications experience to Fortune 500 companies, nonprofits, philanthropic organizations, and labor unions, as well as political committees and candidates. With offices in Washington, New York, Los Angeles and Albany, SKDK offers strategic support to organizations that need to manage a crisis, protect a brand, advocate for an issue, or win an election.
In 2022, SKDK served as strategists and admakers for winning campaigns including Governor-elect Wes Moore of Maryland, Senator Mark Kelly of Arizona, Governor Laura Kelly of Kansas, and Governor Ned Lamont of Connecticut – and in 2020, was a key adviser to the historic Biden-Harris campaign. SKDK has won the Holmes Report’s influential North American Public Affairs Agency of the Year multiple times and was recently listed by the Observer as one of the best public relations firms in America.
To learn more about SKDK, visit our website at www.skdnick.com. SKDK is a proud member of Stagwell, a digital-first global marketing network that delivers scalable, seamless solutions through a unique combination of culture-moving creativity and leading-edge technology.