Biographies
Pat Walsh, President/CEO
Pat Walsh is a public relations strategist who advises clients in the United States, and has worked with clients in Australia and China. He has assembled a strong team of public relations and public affairs professionals who are dedicated to understanding a client's business, setting goals, and then creating and implementing successful programs that support an organization's overall marketing objectives. This equation works. The firm has maintained many of its core clients for well over a decade.
With specific expertise in media relations and crisis communications, Pat has helped his clients garner strategic media coverage from the nation's top broadcast, online and print outlets, including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Los Angeles Times, The NewsHour, MSNBC, The Washington Post, USA Today, National Public Radio, ESPN, Sports Illustrated Inc., Business Week/Bloomberg and Forbes.
Pat joined The Ulum Group/Vox Public Relations Public Affairs in 1996. Before that time, he was a public affairs officer with the Alaska Department of Military & Veteran Affairs. He also held executive-level positions with public relations firms in Anchorage and Los Angeles. A former journalist and a frequent business and journalism school guest speaker, Pat is a 1983 graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater and has completed graduate business classes at Alaska Pacific University.
He serves on the board of directors of several civic and social service organizations including: Eugene Area Chamber of Commerce, ShelterCare, Direction Service, Habitat for Humanity and Catholic Community Services.
Patricia Pearson, Executive Vice President
Patricia Pearson is Vox PRPA’s executive vice president and a partner in the firm. Based in the Portland office, she brings more than 30 years of international and national experience in public relations, journalism and advertising to Vox. Previously she was principal at Portland-based CFM Strategic Communications, where she headed the public relations practice. Before that she worked with a London-based public relations firm as managing director and as managing director for Burson Marsteller in San Francisco and Chicago. In the late 1990s, Patricia was president of a Chicago public relations firm that she sold to Publicis SA in Paris.
Patricia has experience in healthcare, retail, construction, corporate, education (secondary and higher), residential and commercial real estate, manufacturing, financial and nonprofit organizations. A strong writer who began her career as a journalist, she has written one book (“Life on a French Poster”)and contributed many articles to both popular and professional journals. She has served as a part-time lecturer at several universities, including the Universite de Toulouse in France and the University of Bath, England.
Patricia is a successful manager and entrepreneur who has started, developed and sold three companies – the first based in Indianapolis where she grew up. She speaks French as a second language and holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in English, psychology and marketing from Ball State University and a Master of Arts degree in journalism and public relations, also from Ball State.
Sadie Dressekie, Vice President
Sadie Dressekie joined Vox PRPA as a vice president in 2011. She brings 20 years of strategic marketing, public relations and event management experience to the firm. Previously, she worked for six years as the marketing director for Arlie & Company, a real estate development firm. During her tenure at Arlie, she led the creation and development of the brand for Crescent Village, Eugene’s first mixed-use urban village. Sadie has held marketing positions in such diverse areas as sports, software and wood products. She has consulted for companies in a wide variety of industries to develop marketing plans, business plans and exit strategies for business owners. She holds an MBA with a concentration in sports marketing from the University of Oregon.
Dan Pearson, Vice President
Dan Pearson joined Vox as a vice president in 2011. A self-described business development professional, he has broad experience in public relations and public affairs, direct sales and marketing, Internet commerce, market research, advertising and fundraising. He has served corporate, government and non-profit organizations as a senior manager and as a consultant, and co-founded marketing services businesses in the Midwestern United States and London, England.
Dan headed the healthcare practice for a Chicago PR agency and has worked for global PR firms, including Porter Novelli, Publicis and Citigate. His clients have included universities, pharmaceutical companies, biotechnology firms, healthcare providers, manufacturers, professional associations and government agencies.
A particular strength of Dan’s is crafting new product/service launches and directing issues and brand management initiatives. An accomplished creative and technical writer, he has written for Forbes, The Chicago Tribune, the Times (London) and other publications. He has co-produced stories for TV, print and the Web on topics ranging from cosmetic procedures to hospital infection control to retail fashion.
Dan holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Butler University and an master’s degree in public relations from Ball State University. He has achieved professional accreditation from the Public Relations Society of America, the International Association of Business Communicators and the National Society of Fund Raising Executives. Dan has been an active member of Rotary International for more than 20 years. He has a soft spot for dog charities.
Amber Williamson, Director
Amber develops and executes media relations strategies, provides community and government relations counsel, and specializes in coalition building and public participation.
Amber’s creative media relation tactics have resulted in positive media coverage for her clients in national trade journals and numerous regional news outlets.
Amber earned bachelor’s degrees in communications and business from Linfield College. She joined The Ulum Group / Vox in 2002 and serves clients in retail, commercial and residential development, equipment sales and natural resource industries.
Lewis Taylor, Senior Writer / Editor
Lewis joined The Ulum Group / Vox in 2008. A former journalist, Lewis brings more than a decade of daily newspaper experience to Vox, providing clients with strong writing and editing skills. He worked most recently for The Register-Guard in Eugene, Ore., where he covered entertainment, trends, the arts and youth culture. He holds a master’s degree in journalism from Columbia University and a bachelor’s degree in English from Tufts University.
Adrienne Webb, Public Relations Senior Manager
Adrienne manages client accounts, and provides research and writing support for various Vox accounts. She graduated from the University of Oregon's School of Journalism and Communication in 2009. Before joining us full time, Adrienne interned with The Ulum Group / Vox and several Oregon-based magazines, served as an account supervisor for a student-run public relations agency and worked with the 2009 UNESCO conference public relations team. Having majored in both magazine and public relations, she is interested in strategic public relations and in journalism's adaptation to social media platforms.
Lance Heisler, Associate
Lance provides research and writing to the firm and its clients. He graduated from the University of Oregon’s School of Journalism and Communication in 2010. He has bachelors’ degrees in public relations and Spanish, as well as a minor in communication studies. Before coming to Vox full time, Lance interned with The Ulum Group/Vox in 2010. He also served as an account executive for a student-run public relations firm, and as the public relations director for an award-winning multicultural magazine. Lance takes a great interest in strategic public relations planning and social media integration in public relations strategy.
About our Founder
Jenny Ulum, Founder
Jenny Ulum, APR, serves in an of-counsel role. Before founding The Ulum Group (now Vox Public Relations Public Affairs), in 1995, she was the executive responsible for community and government relations at PeaceHealth, which includes Sacred Heart Medical Center and PeaceHealth Medical Group in Eugene.
Her career began as a legislative aide in the 1979 Oregon Legislature, and she has also worked in public relations for the University of Washington Health Sciences Center and Bellevue (Wash.) Public Schools. She specializes in managing communications for complex issues, particularly in the public policy arena.
Jenny has served as board chair for the Eugene Area Chamber of Commerce and as president of the Greater Oregon Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America. She is past president of the United Way of Lane County board of directors and is a board member for the Relief Nursery, University of Oregon Alumni Association and Oregon Public Broadcasting.
Her undergraduate degree is in communications and sociology from Linfield College, and she has a master’s degree in journalism from the University of Oregon. She is accredited in public relations.