Meet the Mentors

ERIN ALLSMAN

Public Relations Director, Brownstein Group

Erin Allsman is the Public Relations Director at Brownstein Group, an integrated marketing agency in Center City, Philadelphia. As such, Erin oversees accounts in the automotive, pharmaceutical, healthcare, real estate, and architecture industries, manages the department, and leads new business development. Prior to joining Brownstein Group, she was Director of Public Relations for two joint-venture companies, Mitchell & Ness Nostalgia Co. and DMi Partners. For Mitchell & Ness she managed media relations, corporate communications, product placement, new product launches, and events. For DMi, her communications efforts helped this start-up firm establish itself as a leader in interactive marketing and e-commerce.

Earlier in her career, Erin served as the Director of Public Relations for the General Building Contractors Association, where she managed the association’s Construction Excellence Awards Program and other events, publications and media outreach.

Erin has a strong media relations background and has placed stories with national outlets such as The New York Times, CNN, FoxSportsNet, The Wall Street Journal, Entrepreneur, VHI, and MTV, and local outlets such as The Philadelphia Inquirer, Philadelphia Business Journal, Philadelphia Magazine, and all regional broadcast affiliates. She also served as the Editor of Construction Today magazine and as a contributing writer for Philadelphia STYLE. Erin holds a BA in English from Dickinson College and an MA in Communication from the University of Delaware, and has spent time studying and working abroad at the University of East Anglia in Norwich, England, and at the World Health Organization in Geneva, Switzerland.

CANDACE STEELE, MBA

Senior Director, Product Communications, Cephalon, Inc.

Candace Steele is a healthcare public relations professional with pharmaceutical, public relations agency and patient advocacy experience. Over the past 16 years she has led more than 40 consumer awareness and public relations campaigns. Her therapeutic category experience includes: biologics, central nervous system (addiction, pain, wake-enhancement), dermatology (psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis), hematology (hemophilia, plasma), immunology (primary immune deficiencies), oncology (renal cell carcinoma, stem cell transplantation, leukemia, lymphoma), women's healthcare (oral contraception, hormone therapy, osteoporosis).

Ms. Steele joined Cephalon, Inc. in 2007, as the Senior Director of Product Communications, where she oversees all U.S. product public relations activity. Prior to joining Cephalon, Ms. Steele served as a Senior Director of Global Public Relations for Wyeth Pharmaceuticals where she provided global public relations leadership, strategy, issues management and oversight within the Women’s Health Care and Biopharma Business Units.

Prior to joining Wyeth, she held several progressively responsible marketing communications roles including serving as Vice President/Group Manager for Ketchum Public Relations in Washington, D.C. Ms. Steele also led external relations groups for several national non-profit foundations.Ms. Steele earned a bachelor’s degree in History of Art from the University of Michigan and a MBA from the Johns Hopkins University.

Currently, she serves as Board Secretary for the Center for Emerging Visual Artists in Philadelphia, PA. Ms. Steele also serves on the Board of Directors of the Philadelphia Chapters of the Public Relations Society of America and the Healthcare Businesswomen’s Association. She is also the fundraising sub-committee chair for the Advisory Board for the Leadership Development Program at the Johns Hopkins University.

TIM SPREITZER

Vice President, Tierney Communications

Tim Spreitzer joins Tierney Communications with a strong background in communications and policy work at the city, state and federal levels. Most recently, Tim served as the Communications and Policy Director for the Dwight Evans for Mayor campaign in Philadelphia, where he helped craft message, policy and strategy for a dynamic race for mayor of the 6th largest city in the nation. Prior to that, Tim served as Deputy Chief of Staff at the School District of Philadelphia, where under CEO Paul VAllas, he led the communications and government relations teams in helping tell the story of one of the most dramatic and successful reforms of a large urban district - reform that has resulted in six straight years of test score growth.

Originally from Chicago, tim also served as an Education and Workforce Policy Advisor for the Office of the Governor of the State of Illinois. Tim earned his bachelor's degree from Western Illinois University and his MBA from St. Joseph's University in Philadelphia.

As Vice President at Tierney, Tim manages a variety of accounts, including Educational Testing Service and Fox Chase Cancer Center, while also working on crisis communications for a range of clients.






REBECCA DEVINE

Co-Founder & Principal, Maven Communications, LLC

Rebecca Devine comes from a strong strategic communications background with extensive experience in public relations, issues management and corporate communications. As Co-Founder and Principal of Maven Communications, Rebecca is currently responsible for client management, new business development, strategic planning and campaign management on behalf of the agency's regional and national clients.

Rebecca's creative problem solving skills and media savvy have led to the successful development and execution of communications campaigns in technology, professional services, residential and commercial real estate, financial services and b-to-b/consumer start-up companies. Rebecca is also experienced in crisis/issues management response in areas including criminal investigations, food contamination, corporate mergers and acquisitions and real estate development.

Prior to launching Maven, Rebecca worked at Tierney Communications in Philadelphia, where she spearheaded corporate crisis, corporate communications and media relations efforts for local and national clients. Previous to that, Rebecca was a Penn Schoen and Berland, where she served as a Project Manager heading up initatives ranging from crisis management for The Dixie Chicks to new customer acquisition and branding for multi-national corporations like Vodafone and America Online.

Rebecca received a B.A. from Brown University, where she graduated with a degree in Political Science. She is an active member of the Philadelphia Public Relations Association, Public Relations Society of America and the Urban Land Institute.

RICHARD BARNES

External Affairs Manager, New Jersey and Long Island American Water

Richard Barnes is an experienced public relations professional with 14 years experience encompassing corporate, higher education, nonprofit and mass media communications. The amalgamation of his award-winning writing, media savvy and strategic prowess has catapulted Richard into numerous leadership roles within the public relations industry. Most recently, Richard joined New Jersey American Water as external affairs manager.

At American Water, Richard develops and manages comprehensive strategic communications planning with supporting materials for public communications. He also spearheads media relations, crisis and event management communications, conference participation, and community relations and events.

Prior to American Water, Richard was associate director of communications for Drexel University's LeBow College of Business. His duties included serving as associate editor and senior writer for the college's LEAD magazine, increasing LeBow's media outreach and raising awareness for faculty research to local and national media. While there, he won the 2007 Apex Award for excellence in newsletters and publications.

Before his tenure at LeBow, Richard served as communications manager at the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce, where he led junior staff members to publicize events and new initiatives, and devise communications strategies for Pennsylvania's largest business organization. Richard researched and collaborated with the Chamber's Government Affairs Department to develop positions on business issues and promote initiatives to the news media; most notably, he led publicity efforts during the Chamber's successful campaign to lower Philadelphia's wage tax.

Richard also has experience in the mass media, first in the journalist's role as business/health news editor, The Philadelphia Tribune; sports editor, Richmond Hill-Bryan County News; radio personality, WEAS-FM; and reporter, The Bergen Record, and then soon after in the communicators role as public information associate at WHYY, Inc.

Richard received a bachelor's degree in journalism and mass media from Rutgers University. He also is a mentor with Big Brothers Big Sisters of America in Philadelphia.