serves as the Director of Government Relations & Compliance for , an environmental technology start-up company planning a $1.1 billion investment in a circular plastics recycling plant. Marr has led public affairs and crisis communications responses for some of the world’s top companies, including and . In 2008, he was on the frontline of the shutting down and restarting BP’s operations during the historic Hurricane Ike disaster. Recently, he led public affairs for Shell’s multi-billion dollar ‘cracker’ plant in Beaver, Pennsylvania – managing environmental group protests on one hand and s ..read more

To launch On Crisis Season 2, host Joanna Doven sat down with 's , one of the nation's most esteemed national journalists writing about major American crises, from Flint's Water Crisis to the spread of PFAS contamination in American communities.    Kris just launched his book, , last fall. Telling the story of an environmental lawyer who waged a seven year legal battle with a large coal company over what was suspected to be a contaminated water supply in Mingo County, West Virginia, the book has been very well-received.   Learn what makes Kris tick, and understand the mindset of ..read more

Jeff Hahn is one of the nation’s top experts in crisis communications and recently published his first book, Breaking Bad News. His Austin-based integrated agency combines data analysis with time-proven and researched methods on how to best respond to crises in order to preserve brands’ reputations. In this episode, we talk about why crisis communications isn't a "feeling thing", but why it's an acquired skill set necessary more than ever in the age of social media and cancel culture. We riff on why universities are so slow to respond adequately to crises even though they are at the epicenter ..read more

What is really happening inside of nursing homes and why should we care? COVID-19 has thrust nursing homes and senior care facilities -- rarely in the national spotlight -- into a crisis communications storm.  We talk with award-winning reporter Sean Hamill who has reported for The New York Times, Chicago Tribune and is currently the lead health reporter at his hometown city’s paper, The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Sean’s recent series on one of the largest COVID-19 outbreaks of any nursing home in America has led to data reporting changes and attorney general investigations that will increa ..read more

These days, you can get by without ever leaving your home – which is a nightmare for victims battling domestic abuse or sexual assault. A recent report calls domestic abuse within the larger pandemic the “shadow pandemic”. Backed by data, Jeffrey Kluger’s reporting points out that U.S. police departments are reporting increases in domestic abuse calls in the double-digits. Only when the lockdown restrictions lift, will the full scope of its impact on in-home violence be known. This week, we’re celebrating International Women’s Day and shining the “On Crisis” spotlight on a non-profit victim se ..read more

With distrust in traditional media at an all-time high as news outlets increasingly become platforms for far right and far left ideologies, one thing is certain: "The world needs more Sandy Tollivers." In episode six, we talk with Pittsburgh's chief information officer, Chris Togneri. After receiving his master's in journalism from the University of California, Berkeley, Chris covered crime as a beat reporter in California, and then went on to Pittsburgh as a trailblazing journalist, writing award-winning features for one of Pittsburgh's top newspapers. Looking to get an insider's perspective ..read more

Get ready; it’s coming. What does a self driving future look like and how do we get there? From a 40,000 reduction in vehicle-related deaths to turning parking lots into parks -- and, let’s face it, convenience -- we dissected the industry’s possibilities  with two leaders of the self-driving vehicle technology company, . Led by former Google, Tesla and Uber executives, their recent acquisition of Uber’s autonomous driving unit will bring the “Aurora Driver” to the world’s leading ride-hailing network. valued the company at $10 billion, further solidifying their role as the most technical ..read more

As head of women's fashion for Zappos, one of the most revolutionary online shopping companies of all time, Allison Bentley of Hemp Synergistics learned alongside the renowned and brilliant -- the late Tony Hsieh. Before online shoes and online shopping were a thing, Hsieh believed that online shopping powered by transparent, real-deal customer service (even executives, like Bentley, answered customer calls) could engage early adopters and create an online shopping industry. Now, Bentley turns her focus onto CBD, as one of the only female leaders in the growing, yet unpredictable hemp industry ..read more

With a myriad of health regulations issued almost weekly, school districts are faced with conflicting obligations: educate all children, despite each one's varying needs in a remote environment; keep teachers safe, yet working; and close classrooms, but balance parents' demands to keep athletics games on. As cyber-charter school enrollment hits an all time high, public school districts competing against private schools and nearby districts for students [and their tax dollars] face the toughest challenge in controlling their respective futures: keeping children educated at all costs while also ..read more

Since the pandemic swept the globe, financial markets have been in a "crisis of clarity" and financial advisory firms have been thrust into an uncomfortable dual role:  becoming both financial and crisis communication experts. We talk with Mike Shebak, senior managing director of , one of the largest independent financial advisory firms in the Midwest, on how they pivoted their firm from not just managing nearly $25 billion in client assets, but setting daily steadfast client communications that quelled fears and created opportunities to foment even stronger client relation ..read more