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Key Partners and StaffPaula Kovacs Communications has built a partnership of the best risk communications and community relations consultants to serve client needs. |
Paula Kovacs Ross
Before starting her own practice, Paula managed communications efforts at eight project sites across the U.S. for Energy Development Group (EDG), an independent power producer. Prior to EDG, she worked at DecisionQuest, a strategic communications consulting firm, working for numerous Fortune 100 and government clients. Her current and past clients include a top U.S. technology manufacturer, a top-three U.S. auto manufacturer, an international petroleum/energy company, and a major U.S. electronics manufacturer, as well as several PRP Groups made up of Fortune-100 and Fortune-50 corporations. While Paula's specialty is communicating with concerned residents, she also has experience corresponding with special interest groups, regulators, elected and non-elected officials, and the media. Paula is a skilled planner and implementer of creative community involvement activities that fit the needs of her clients to manage public concern. Such activities include open houses, public meetings, press events, local project office openings and staffing, door-to-door community relations campaigns, charter tour events, and relocations. She writes effective website material, fact sheets, press releases, letters, presentations, and brochures to supplement her on-the-ground programs. Paula earned a B.A. in Environmental Studies and English from Allegheny College in northwestern Pennsylvania. She also studied sustainable development at the School for Field Studies in Atenas, Costa Rica. She also has completed IAP2 (International Association of Public Participation) training and is certified by IAP2 in Public Participation. |
Alison SpareAlison Spare has more than 19 years of experience in designing and implementing innovative public involvement programs for multidisciplinary projects including hazardous waste cleanups, transportation planning and design studies, and landfill and transmission line siting studies. She has worked with communities on high profile environmental project involving issues as groundwater vapor intrusion, drinking water contamination, soil contamination, and emanate domain. She has managed strategic communications for international manufacturing companies, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, EPA, DOE, FEMA and state and local governments. Alison is experienced at communicating with special interest groups, regulators, local officials, and the media. She has a working knowledge of CERCLA, RCRA, NCP, and NEPA community relations requirements. She is skilled at tailoring public meetings and innovative citizen participation activities to fit the needs of her clients and the level of community concern. Her experience includes public involvement training and public meeting coordination. She has established and facilitated numerous citizen advisory groups and written more than 100 fact sheets, newsletters, press releases, and brochures. Alison earned a B.S. in Environmental Education from West Virginia University. |
Rachel Schanck
Rachel has experience with many programs, including PhotoShop, Illustrator, Quark Express, Dreamweaver and other design programs. Rachel graduated from the State University of New York, College at Oneonta, with a Bachelor of Art in Computer Art. |
Paula Kovacs Ross specializes in developing and implementing intensive, on-the-ground community relations and involvement programs for environmental cleanup and controversial siting projects. Paula has developed community relations plans for environmental projects involving vapor intrusion, groundwater, soil, indoor air, and outdoor air emissions. Her projects have included those that involved lead, zinc, arsenic, VOCs, PCBs, former defense sites, and Brownfields redevelopment. She has experience with Superfund and RCRA sites, planning and carrying out strategic communications plans for individual large companies and Potentially Responsible Parties (PRP) Groups. At many sites, she worked with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the U.S. EPA, in addition to state environmental agencies. She was a key participant on a team that successfully developed and led the experimental Multi-Stakeholders' Group at EPA's pilot site for Brownfields redevelopment.
Rachel Ross is PKC's graphics guru! She is responsible for PKC's graphics materials and is available to work on website content and layout for clients' online projects. Rachel also can lend her expertise to hard-copy projects, such as newsletter layout and other publications in various programs.