Each week Dr. Payne interviews some of the leading academics, experts, and practitioners in the realm of politics, public opinion, and global affairs. He is the Co-Director of the Emerson Blanquerna Center for Global Communication and received an “Honoris Causa” from the Blanquerna School of Communication and International Relations, University of Ramon Llull in Barcelona. Dr. Payne has taught at Yale and Tufts University as well as Occidental College. He has also received his B.A, M.A. and Ph.D at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and his MPA from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. He is the co-author of Tom Bradley: The Impossible Dream, Mayday: Kent State, the play Kent State: A Requiem, and has authored academic and popular articles and book chapters for publications worldwide. After writing the first dissertation on the shootings at Kent State at Illinois, he is a noted expert on the May 1970 tragedy and its aftermath. He directed three, global conferences on Celebrity/Spectacle on the aftermath of the death of Princess Diana, and has continued to highlight this issue in politics as well as the infatuation with the British Royal Family. He is on the Advisory board of the Journal of Health Communication, Tripidos, American Behavioral Scientist, Media Ethics, Journal of Promotion Management, among others. Dr. Payne has served as Editor for American Behavioral Scientist’s special edition on the U.S. presidential campaign for every election since l988. He is past President of the International Academy of Business Disciplines, past chair of the Political Communication Division of the National Communication Association, Executive Advisory Board member of the Global Communication Project, and the Academic Director of the global Team Harmony Project dedicated to eradicating hate. Payne has directed numerous global public diplomacy projects for governments, corporations, NGOs and community groups. He is the co-founder of the Saudi American Exchange, the first grassroots, people-to-people public diplomacy effort in the wake of 9/11, honored at the inaugural Clinton Global Initiative and the Middle East Public Relations Association. Payne has served as speechwriter for Sec. of State Hillary Clinton, Senator Robert Dole, Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley, former Boston Mayor Ray Flynn, Queen Noor of Jordan, Prince Faisal of Saudi Arabia, as well as numerous CEO’s and heads of organizations internationally. He has consulted with the U.S. State Department, the U.S. Department of Defense and U.S. Department of Treasury, City of Boston, City of Los Angeles, National Republican Institute, National Institute of Health, Atomic Energy Commission and U.S. Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), Bechtel, Fidelity Investments, Watson Pharmaceuticals, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Formula One, among others.Dr. Payne received the Robert F. Kennedy Award for Public Service, the first University of Illinois’ Speech Communication Alumni Award, the NCA Humanitarian Award, honors from the US Treasury, UNICEF, Formula One Racing, Friends of the Majestic Theatre, and the President’s Award, and the Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Association of Business Disciplines. He received grants from the U.S. State Department and the National Republican Institute, among others. He is a Schweitzer Fellow in health communication.
Kevin Mercuri, Public Relations and the Emerson College Tradition
•Dr. Gregory Payne
Kevin Mercuri is CEO of Propheta Communications, an NYC-based PR marketing, and social media agency. Tune in to hear about the professional expertise of Kevin along with stories from the history of collaboration with Dr. Payne.
Kevin began his career in Washington, DC, where he acted as PR counsel and spokesperson for interests ranging from Internet gambling to Microsoft, chemical manufacturers, and the national AIDS Lobby. He holds more than twenty years of experience featuring noteworthy work with industry leaders as well as some of the most promising entrepreneurial start-ups.
Want to discuss Public Relations for your company or organization? Call Kevin directly at 212-901-6914, extension 701.
A former senior vice president with 5W PR and senior supervisor for New York-based public relations agencies, Kevin led technology teams through the dot com era, through Web 2.0, and now the Internet of Things. He acquired a wealth of experience in the business, technology financial, and consumer news media during that journey.
Kevin is a graduate and part-time instructor at Boston's Emerson College; he holds a master's degree in communications.
