Lauri-Ellen Smith, MPIO, APR
Lauri-Ellen Smith’s (aka “LES”) experience in Government and Corporate PR includes serving as communications lead in more than 30 Incident/Unified Commands. Her career took a turn in the direction of emergency/crisis/risk communication and management, with her appointment as spokesperson for Super Bowl XXXIX (39) Safety and Security and lead PIO for the event.
She has “stood up” or run many Joint Information Centers for hurricanes and weather events; high-profile murder trials; industrial incidents; civil unrest/riot; and a campus shooting all during her 15+ years as the appointed press secretary to two elected Sheriffs in Florida and a Mayor in Mississippi. Her appointments have included: leading the PIO unit and serving as lead comms strategist/press secretary for the Sheriff of the nation’s 14th - largest law enforcement agency; serving as a city’s Community Relations Director on the Mississippi Gulf Coast; a Government Relations Officer and Emergency Manager for a state regulatory agency on the Gulf Coast. She has served three elected officials in six appointed positions in her career in the public sector; and three CEOs in the private sector.
Today, Smith is a crisis/risk communications strategist and media trainer for C-Suite members and both government and non- government spokespersons. She is also a designer of and trainer for emergency management tabletop exercises and a contract instructor for FEMA through it’s emergency management university program.
In her “prior PR life” Smith spent 10 years as the PR/Marketing Director for a large health system in Florida, also serving as their government affairs director and lobbying at the state and federal level. She most notably led communications during a rebranding and major expansion initiative and co-authored a “best practice” guide for communicating adverse medical incidents on behalf of the Florida Hospital Association.
Lauri-Ellen advises clients (government, first responders, healthcare, higher education, utilities, and private corporations) on their integrated marketing/communications and public affairs programming. She most enjoys developing tactical strategies and policy development/support; analyzing/supporting PIO staffs' functionality and JIC skills; training spokespersons; teaching social media best practices; and advancing common-sense social media policies that are enforceable and understood by employees.
She is highly regarded as an advisor on risk/reputation management and customer service trainer.
Smith serves on the Board and Executive Committee of PRSA's Public Affairs and Government Section. She is the 2015 recipient of the Lloyd B. Dennis Distinguished Service Award in Public Affairs, PRSA’s highest honor for PAO’s and PIOs. She earned her bachelor’s degree from the nationally ranked PR program at the University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications.
Lauri-Ellen is a 2021 graduate of FEMA’s Master PIO (MPIO) program and now joins an elite group of the nation’s top emergency management crisis communicators – the first credentialled MPIO in her adopted state of Mississippi and was the first APR accredited in Florida under the Universal Accreditation Board in January of 1998.
She has “stood up” or run many Joint Information Centers for hurricanes and weather events; high-profile murder trials; industrial incidents; civil unrest/riot; and a campus shooting all during her 15+ years as the appointed press secretary to two elected Sheriffs in Florida and a Mayor in Mississippi. Her appointments have included: leading the PIO unit and serving as lead comms strategist/press secretary for the Sheriff of the nation’s 14th - largest law enforcement agency; serving as a city’s Community Relations Director on the Mississippi Gulf Coast; a Government Relations Officer and Emergency Manager for a state regulatory agency on the Gulf Coast. She has served three elected officials in six appointed positions in her career in the public sector; and three CEOs in the private sector.
Today, Smith is a crisis/risk communications strategist and media trainer for C-Suite members and both government and non- government spokespersons. She is also a designer of and trainer for emergency management tabletop exercises and a contract instructor for FEMA through it’s emergency management university program.
In her “prior PR life” Smith spent 10 years as the PR/Marketing Director for a large health system in Florida, also serving as their government affairs director and lobbying at the state and federal level. She most notably led communications during a rebranding and major expansion initiative and co-authored a “best practice” guide for communicating adverse medical incidents on behalf of the Florida Hospital Association.
Lauri-Ellen advises clients (government, first responders, healthcare, higher education, utilities, and private corporations) on their integrated marketing/communications and public affairs programming. She most enjoys developing tactical strategies and policy development/support; analyzing/supporting PIO staffs' functionality and JIC skills; training spokespersons; teaching social media best practices; and advancing common-sense social media policies that are enforceable and understood by employees.
She is highly regarded as an advisor on risk/reputation management and customer service trainer.
Smith serves on the Board and Executive Committee of PRSA's Public Affairs and Government Section. She is the 2015 recipient of the Lloyd B. Dennis Distinguished Service Award in Public Affairs, PRSA’s highest honor for PAO’s and PIOs. She earned her bachelor’s degree from the nationally ranked PR program at the University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications.
Lauri-Ellen is a 2021 graduate of FEMA’s Master PIO (MPIO) program and now joins an elite group of the nation’s top emergency management crisis communicators – the first credentialled MPIO in her adopted state of Mississippi and was the first APR accredited in Florida under the Universal Accreditation Board in January of 1998.