About the Board
The Advertising + Public Relations Professional Advisory Board is an important link between the Department and the professional world. Board members assist the faculty in evaluating and planning the curriculum. They also mentor students, visit classrooms, speak to students, host internships, and assist in strategic planning.
Statement from Members
We are proud of the Department’s many achievements, but more importantly, excited for its bright future. A large part of our celebration will aim to expand and rejuvenate the relationships between alumni, students and faculty. The Professional Advisory Board is the keystone in our effort to deepen the interaction among these three groups.
Objective
To infuse real-time marketplace learning opportunities into the communications program using currently-employed professionals from the communications industry (agencies and non-agency people).
Professional Advisory Board Members
Please scroll below for individual bios.
SENIOR DIRECTOR, ACCOUNT MANAGEMENT
REVOLT TV
Bree K. Balogun is an award-winning advertising and marketing professional with a strong acumen in Account Management and Client Service. With more than 15 years of agency experience she has worked with a plethora of brands, varying from fortune 500 companies to emerging start-ups, in developing integrated national advertising campaigns and effective marketing strategies across all mediums.
Having worked with a wide range of industries, such as Retail, Automotive, Consumer Packages Goods, Financial Institutions and Lifestyle Brands, Bree is passionate about leveraging branded content, event activation, and influencer initiatives to cultivate meaningful relationships between brands and their core diverse audiences and consumers.
As VP of Account Management at REVOLT TV’s internal creative agency, #000000, Bree leads the Account Management and Project Management departments, oversees operations, and safeguards the client portfolio. She has a strong passion and understanding of diverse markets, allowing her to lead strategies uniquely structured to make an impact on targeted audiences.
Bree holds a bachelor’s degree in Advertising from Michigan State University, where she sits on the College of Communication’s advisory board. She loves tacos, traveling and documentaries. On weekends you can find her exploring Atlanta’s food scene with her husband and four year-old son.
ERIC BENDEROFF
PRINCIPAL
BENDEROFF COMMUNICATIONS
Eric Benderoff is an accomplished communicator with over 25 years of experience working in integrated communications agencies and top-tier newsrooms. He is a specialist in executive media training by helping leaders find their voice to confidently tell their story.
At Benderoff Communications, Eric offers a range of customized services, including media strategy, executive media training, presentation training, crisis communications and writing.
As a senior vice president for nearly a decade at BCW, a global Top 3 communications firm, Eric trained hundreds of senior executives at Fortune 500 firms, including Accenture, Bank of America, Ford and Special Olympics International.
A former journalist, Eric worked at the Chicago Tribune as a business editor, personal technology columnist, reporter and feature writer specializing in the intersection of technology and culture. He discussed technology trends weekly on Chicago's top morning radio show, hosted a weekend TV segment and appeared regularly on Chicago public television. At the Chicago Sun-Times, he was a business and real estate editor and columnist.
Eric is a graduate of Michigan State University and serves as a founding member of the school’s Professional Advisory Board for the Advertising & Public Relations departments. He is also an Associate Professor at MSU and studies improv at Chicago’s Second City.
ANDREA BRIMMER
CHIEF MARKETING AND PUBLIC RELATIONS OFFICER
ALLY FINANCIAL, INC .
Andrea Brimmer is the chief marketing and PR officer of Ally Financial and is responsible for leading all aspects of integrated marketing and brand transformation at the company, driving unprecedented growth and disruptive consumer engagement.
Brimmer joined the company in 2006 and spearheaded the creation and launch of the Ally brand in 2009. Since becoming CMO in 2015, she has unified the brand under the company’s “Do It Right” mantra, and at her direction, Ally has established itself as a “different” kind of financial services company, dedicated to solving customer pain points that traditional institutions ignored.
Brimmer is widely recognized as one of the country’s most innovative and effective marketing leaders, known for being dynamically disruptive and a culturally astute trailblazer. Her many honors include being named a winner of the 2020 Adweek Brand Genius award, three-time honoree on the Forbes’ list of World’s Most Influential CMOs and the only three-time winner of the Financial Communications Society Marketer of the Year award.
Brimmer is passionate about advancing diversity, equity and inclusion, and using her platform to create good in the world. In 2022, she launched the marketing industry’s first 50/50 pledge to spend equal amounts in advertising for women’s and men’s sports within five years. Her leadership in gender equity also resulted in her being named to the 2022 Adweek Most Powerful Women in Sports list and as the 2022 WISE Woman of the Year.
Prior to joining Ally, Brimmer spent 20 years on the agency side in Detroit, where she led the Chevrolet account. She holds several board positions with organizations including eHealth, the Ad Council, Effie Worldwide and the Mobile Marketing Association. She serves Michigan State University as a board member for the Sports Management Advisory Board and chair of the Professional Advisory Board of the College of Communication Arts and Sciences. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Michigan State University, where she also played varsity collegiate soccer for four years.
HANNA GBORDZOE
SENIOR MANAGER, SOCIAL MEDIA
W20 GROUP
Hanna Gbordzoe (Porterfield) is a Senior Director of Content & Social at Development Counsellors International (DCI), based in Boston. She first joined DCI in 2014 and worked in the firm’s economic development division for five years before a brief pivot to healthcare/pharma social media at W2O Group. Hanna returned to DCI in 2021 to lead social media and content marketing, working across business, talent and visitor attraction for cities, states, regions and countries.
Throughout her career, Hanna has helped places from Baton Rouge to Orlando and Michigan to the Netherlands to tell their story to potential investors, talent and travelers online. While her specialty lies in social media and content marketing, Hanna’s attention to detail allows her to connect the dots across broader integrated marketing communications programs.
Hanna holds a bachelor’s degree in advertising with a specialization in public relations from Michigan State University. She is a member of the MSU College of Communication Arts & Sciences, Department of Advertising and Public Relations' Professional Advisory Board and has hosted student groups in both NYC and Chicago during agency tours, in addition to guest lecturing in classes. Hanna also served as Vice President of the MSU Alumni Club of Greater New York for nearly four years and is a member of the Public Relations Society of America, where she was the 2018 National Chair of the New Professionals Section.
MEGAN GOPP
FOUNDER + CREATIVE DIRECTOR
THE ADVENTURE AGENCY
The Adventure Agency’s founder Megan Gopp has been a graphic designer for 10+ years—or more, if you count the years she spent hand-making greeting cards and designing t-shirts for school functions. Before starting & growing The Adventure Agency, she worked her way up from unpaid intern to Senior Art Director for an ad agency in Downtown Chicago. Although the high-rise office and window with a view was nice, she chose to pursue the road less traveled instead. Today she’s an award-winning, highly valued creative partner to brands around the world who are doing great things.
Megan graduated from MSU in 2012 with a BA in Advertising. As of 2021, she has worked with over 50 companies (including Starbucks, Dunkin' and Hyatt), and has the pleasure of teaching courses at MSU. She loves to travel, her favorite food is cheese and she listens to true crime podcasts during the workday.
ERICA HUGHES
SENIOR DIRECTOR OF MULTICULTURAL MARKETING
ALLY
Erica Hughes is an award-winning marketing and advertising executive with a breadth of experience working for Fortune 500 companies. With a love of connecting brands with consumers, Erica has managed marketing strategies for iconic brands such as Chick-fil-A, Chevrolet, Slim Jim and Reddi-wip, just to name a few.
Currently, Hughes serves as the Senior Director of Multicultural Marketing at Ally. As the first ever multicultural marketing hire at Ally, Erica is responsible for creating and leading the vision and strategy for marketing to diverse consumers segments. Since joining Ally in 2020, Hughes’ team has made a huge impact on advancing the organization’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. Her team has fashioned programs including a HBCU entrepreneurship pitch competition called Moguls in the Making and a first of its kind partnership with United Masters and Earn Your Leisure focused on helping diverse communities become more financially savvy. Her work landed Hughes on Ad Age’s annual list that recognizes stars who are leading change across the industry, Ad Age 40 Under 40.
Before joining Ally, Hughes lead digital & social media strategy at Chick-fil-A. Prior to joining Chick-fil-A, Erica worked at Conagra Brands from 2012-2018. While at Conagra Brands, Erica took on a lead role in transitioning the organization from a traditional marketing company to a forward-thinking digital marketing innovator.
Erica Hughes is a native of Flint, MI and earned a Bachelor of Arts in Communication from Michigan State University, where she sits on both the advisory and alumni board of the College of Communication Arts and Sciences. In addition, she obtained a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Northern Illinois University.
NICK LUCIDO
MANAGER OF CONSUMER SERVICES,
HOME & OFFICE PORTFOLIO COMMUNICATIONS
HP INC.
Nick Lucido is manager of consumer services, home & office portfolio communications for HP Inc., a Fortune 100 technology company. In this role, Nick oversees new product launches worldwide for the print business and leads communications for its new consumer services business unit. Nick joined HP after more than 13 years on the agency side.
He previously was Senior Vice President, Consumer PR for Ogilvy in Chicago overseeing the Tyson Consumer PR business and the Chicago public relations team. Before Ogilvy, he spent 12 years leading integrated consumer programs for Edelman. He worked on a range of clients and worked in the U.S. and Brazil. During his time at Edelman he oversaw Edelman’s relationship with Mars Inc. in the US, while also designing and implementing global campaigns for Nissan, creating earned storytelling programs for GSK Consumer Healthcare and supporting Kellogg’s US Olympic Committee sponsorship.
DANIELLE MATHEWS
SR. DIRECTOR, PERFORMANCE & COMMERCE MEDIA
MOSAIC
Danielle manages the performance and commerce media for Mosaic North America. With over 12 years of experience, she believes that every dollar should be focused on changing consumer behavior to deliver measurable business results. Danielle has worked with many industries and clients such as Amazon, Google, Canopy Growth, Tishman Speyer, Impossible Foods and Ticketmaster. She has worked in both publisher and agency environments and has past experience in content marketing, influencer marketing and video production.
Danielle holds a bachelor’s degree in advertising Michigan State University (class of 2009). She is a member of the MSU College of Communication Arts & Sciences, Department of Advertising and Public Relations' Professional Advisory Board.
MONE' ROSS, MPS
VICE PRESIDENT, CYBER EXERCISES AND CLIENT ENGAGEMENTS
JPMORGAN CHASE & CO.
Mone' Ross is from Detroit, Michigan, and lives in Washington, DC. She leads JPMorgan Chase & Co.’s (JPMC) client-facing, cybersecurity educational effort that helps 250,000+ employees, domestic and international Fortune 500 companies, federal agencies, and other financial firms strengthen their cyber resilience. Mone’ is committed to amplifying the value of digital safety to all audiences and frequently presents cyber best practices as a guest lecturer at Michigan State University, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., and various Toastmasters International clubs across the country.
Before JPMC, Mone’ served as a project manager for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security; stakeholder relations manager for the U.S. Coast Guard Cyber Command – Office of Cyberspace Forces; congressional aide for the U.S. House of Representatives Oversight & Government Reform Committee; digital media manager for the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, Inc.; and communication intern for U.S. Senator Gary Peters of Michigan.
Mone’ graduated from Michigan State University in 2013 (Bachelor of Arts, Communication with Public Relations specialization) and Georgetown University (Master of Professional Studies, Public Relations- Corporate Communications). She is an active member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., JPMC’s Global Cybersecurity Diversity and Inclusion Council, The Lady Chapter, Inc. Executive Board, and the Michigan State University Professional Advisory Board for the College of Communication, Arts, and Sciences (Advertising/Public Relations Department).
BLAINE RUEBER
SENIOR MANAGER, STRATEGIC BRAND COMMUNICATIONS
PERNOD RICARD, USA
Blaine Rueber is a Senior Manager, Strategic Brand Communications at Pernod Ricard USA where he manages external U.S. campaigns for Pernod’s wine and spirits portfolio. Pernod Ricard is a French company, the world’s second-largest wine and spirits supplier, and owns iconic brands like Jameson Irish Whiskey, Absolut Vodka, Kahlua Rum, Malibu Rum, Chivas Regal, The Glenlivet, Perrier-Jouet, and many more.
Prior to Pernod, Blaine led the Newell Rubbermaid account at BCW (Burson Cohn & Wolfe). While at BCW, Blaine led the response to the This Is Us Crock- Pot Crisis in which his team was awarded a 2018 Cannes Lions Silver Lion in the Real-time Response Category.
Blaine started his PR career at Hunter Public Relations where executed consumer campaigns for E. & J Gallo, Sperry, Amazon, Campbell’s Soup Company, TripAdvisor, and Pepperidge Farms.
LARRY SWYER
MANAGING PARTNER
MEDIACOM
Larry is a true integrated communications expert developing solutions for major corporations. He started in the business 38 years ago when there were 3 television networks and has followed the evolution through today where consumers have over 5,000 media choices per day. He has seen the business evolve from one of “gut” decisions to a highly data driven metrics practice. He has successfully helped to grow brands in all categories: Subway Restaurants, Shell Oil Company, Audi, Staples, GlaxoSmithkline and many others.His work has been recognized in the industry with awards for Media Plan of the Year, Best Partnership, Emerging/Experimental Media and Innovations in Digital Solutions.
The one constant in this charging media landscape is Larry working for MediaCom his entire 38 year career.