Denise A.

Hughes
(917) 549-2621-or, E-mail dhf81634@westpost.net SKYPE: deniseannhughes
Public Relations/Media/Strategic Communications& Marketing Profession
al
Over Twenty-Years of Experience in the PR, Media, Television & Communications In
dustries
* Over 12 years of public relations, strategic communications, branding and medi
a experience working for cause related, non-profit, anti-poverty, social justice
, health, environmental, and sustainable food causes. Work on both Traditional a
nd New/Social Media Campaigns.
* Public Relations & Communications Consultant for largest, privately owned U.S.
Environmental Foundation, the GRACE Communications Foundation 2006-Present
* New Director of Jamii Bora America, Good Families Foundation (Working to raise
money for Jamii Bora in Kenya) May 2010-Present
* U.S. Editor, Microfinance Focus March 2010--Present
* Launched Creative-Connectors a New York and Los Angeles based PR/Communication
s and Marketing Consultancy with Alex Raksin, recipient of the 2002 Pulitzer Pr
ize/Editorial Writing. www.creative-connectors.com From December 2006-Present
* Senior Media Director GRACE Communications Foundation From May 2006-March 2007
* Over seven years of public relations and communications consulting experience
with international, anti- poverty groups and international health organizations
as a Washington D.C based communications & media consultant From 2001-May 2006
* Over two years experience working with international anti-poverty organization
s as Director of PR, Media & Communications for two different organizations (R
ESULTS and the Microcredit Summit) From 1999-2001
* Created Media Nation; a full service advertising/TV production company From
1996-1999
* Worked as an Advertising Executive at TCI Media Services in New York From
12/97-6/98
* Eight years as a US NAVY Combat Camera television writer, producer, director
From 1988-1996
Most Recent Communications, Public Relations and Advocacy Campaigns Include:
* Working with Meatless Monday founder Sid Lerner to promote the brand. www.meat
lessmonday.com
* Working with international Aquaponics Company to expand the reach of sustainab
le aquaculture and food production and limit the usage of fresh water through 'V
irtual Water Trade." Working on new website and re-branding effort under new nam
e.
* Working with the Meatless Monday and Kids Cook Monday campaigns, with a sharp
focus on FOOD PR
* Lead Consultant/Publicist for the Microcredit Summit Campaign 1999-Present
* Led Press and Communications work for the Africa-Middle East Region Microcredi
t Summit April 2010 the largest regional summit they ever held. Tour included pr
ess work with H.R.H Princess Maxima of the Netherlands, H.R.H Queen Sofia of Spa
in, and former President of Peru Alejandro Toledo
* Working on Food Issues as they relate to public health in America for www.mond
aycampaigns.org
* Working on a Coffee Table book called Witness to a Movement to provide a histo
rical overview of the Microfinance Movement.
* Recently returned from leading a press/donor tour to visit Africa's first Micr
ofinance ECO Town, Kaputiei, a project of Jamii Bora Trust.
* Working on New Media Campaigns for most of my international clients. This inc
ludes blogging, and strategic social media campaigns.
* Created the new concept for Food & Water Watch's Edible Eco Underground Micros
ite.
* 2008 & 2009 worked extensively with Maude Barlow, Head of the Council of Canad
ians, National Board Chair of Food and Water Watch, and activist, author and sta
r of the movie FLOW (For the Love of Water) for two years. I focused primarily
on the international water crisis and water issues in North America. Was the lea
d publicist on a national book tour for her latest book Blue Covenant: The Globa
l Water Crisis and the Coming Battle for the Right to Water, which is now the si
xth leading political science best seller in North America.
* January 2009: Worked on the 60th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of H
uman Rights at the United Nations with U.N. General Assembly President Miguel d'
Escoto Brockmann where he and Maude Barlow, his Senior Advisor on Water, called
upon members of the General Assembly to make the right to water a basic human ri
ght. This is the beginning of a year long campaign.
* Worked with Microcredit Summit Campaign and Muhammad Yunus on the Asia Pacific
Regional Microcredit Summit Meeting of Councils in Bali, Indonesia in 2008, whi
ch generated massive media both nationally and internationally.
* Worked on the release of the 2007 Microcredit Summit Campaign Report with a co
ver story in Businessweek Magazine (report & story examined bad investments in m
icrofinance) This work also resulted in a New York Times story.
* Recently completed more than 10 years of work with the Microcredit Summit Camp
aign (MCS) and its Co-Chair, Professor Muhammad Yunus, Director of GRAMEEN Bank,
recipient the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize. Highlighting the work of Professor Yunus
and the best practices of the MCS.
* Current Clients include:
* Maude Barlow www.Canadians.org
* Food & Water Watch www.foodandwaterwatch.org
* World Pulse www.worldpulse.com
* The Microcredit Summit Campaign www.microcreditsummit.org
* GRACE Communications Foundation www.gracelinks.org
* Jamii Bora www.JamiiBora.org
* Sailors for the Sea www.sailorsforthesea.org
* Monday Campaigns www.mondaycampaigns.org
* Frequently work with some of the nation's leading environmental experts such a
s Robert Alvarez, Senior Scholar, at the Institute for Policy Studies; Dr. Rober
t Lawrence, Director, Johns Hopkins University's, Bloomberg School of Public Hea
lth's Center for a Livable future; Maude Barlow and Wenonah Hauter, Food & Water
Watch- all through GRACE Communications Foundation (a national environmental fo
undation- www.gracelinks.org)
* Completed publicity push and Live Webcast for Sustainable Table's "Eat Well Gu
ided Tour of America." Clips were generated in the New York Times and many othe
r publications, including online blogs and TV and Radio.
* Continuing to work with world-wide leaders in the Microcredit movement.
* Media Consultant for RESULTS www.RESULTS.org for more than seven years working
on the international issues of AIDS, TB and Malaria and Microcredit. Worked wi
th them on the promotion of key U.S. federal legislation that resulted in hundre
ds of millions of dollars in U.S. foreign investment into the treatment of these
major diseases and the funds for the expansion of microcredit. Also focused on
International Debt Relief.
* Organized a world wide internet, live webcast from the Society of Environmenta
l Journalists Conference in Burlington, Vermont. Our client went head to head w
ith the Nuclear Power Industry in a live debate. The event was a huge success.
It created a platform for our client to speak directly to the environmental move
ment in order to dispel the myth that Nuclear Power is the answer to climate cha
nge.
* Directed Media outreach efforts at the 2006 G8 Summit in St. Petersburg, Russi
a for GRACE to stop the spread of the Bush & Putin led Global Nuclear Partnershi
p (GNEP). We released a major report on Sustainable Energy that resulted in med
ia clips in the New York Times, Washington Post, Boston Globe and many other med
ia outlets.
* Worked on the release of the 2006 New Global PLAN to Fight TB at the World Eco
nomic Summit in Davos, Switzerland for the WHO and the TB Control Report Card le
ading up-to World TB Day in March 2006
* Organized numerous International Press Tours with Professor Muhammad Yunus, Qu
een Sofia of Spain and Queen Rania of Jordan around many different International
and Regional Microcredit Summit meetings on four continents from 1999-2006. Al
so organized strategy & press coverage for all of these meetings. www.microcredi
tsummit.org. Organized Press outreach and tours througout Africa, India, China,
Chile, Bangladesh, Bolivia, Bali and Mexico, resulting in extensive press cover
age including a New York Times page three exclusive the day after the U.S. bombe
d Afghanistan. Organized media visit of Paul O'Neill and U2's Bono to FINCA Ugan
da in 2002.
* Generated 100's of Regional, National and International Media clips, on Microc
redit, Tuberculosis, Debt Relief, Education for All, World Bank and IMF critique
s and HIV/AIDS, including two front-page New York Times articles, many different
NY Times Editorials, and features. Responsible for the appearance of Editoria
ls, Op-ed's and features all appearing numerous times in the Washington Post, LA
Times, Boston Globe and many different Regional Newspapers across the United St
ates. Worked with the British Media resulting in exclusives in the Economist, F
inancial Times and the BBC. Developed an extensive relationship with the Intern
ational arm of CNN over the past two years resulting in 8 news features and 4 In
ternational on the ground program visits.
* Crafted a Strategic Communications Plan for the launch of Poverty Frontiers a
new website of USAID launched in early 2005. Also crafted a complete outreach p
lan for the office of Poverty Reduction and Social Safety Nets (PASSN) at USAID.
Crafted a complete communications guide for outreach to USAID missions, NGOs/D
onors and the U.S. Congress and Administration.
* Generated media surrounding the Microcredit Summit Campaign's Meeting of Counc
ils in Amman, Jordan October 2004. Responsible for all media generation around
this meeting. Worked closely with Professor Muhammad Yunus of Grameen Bank and
Co-Chair and Queen Rania Al-Abdullah as meeting host. Generated over 300+ media
clips world-wide and over 100 media clips in newspapers around the United State
s. Also developed a Strategic Communications plan for the Microcredit Summit Ca
mpaign to lead into 2005's International Year of Microcredit at the U.N.
* RESULTS/Open Society Institute (George Soros's organization) and WHO-Stop TB D
epartment media work at the International AIDS Conference in Bangkok, Thailand.
Held press conference on TB-HIV and generated numerous clips on the links betwe
en these two diseases. Most notably started a Lifesaving Health Campaign to save
the lives of people who were infected with HIV by immediately treating their TB
, which is also the number one killer worldwide of people living with HIV. Supp
orted the Gates Foundation media work on TB-HIV and their Press Conference with
Nelson Mandela.
* WHO Canadian Media Campaign focused on the Global Drug Facility to Fight TB, a
nd the WHO 3X5 Initiative. Promoted Dr. Jack Chow, then Deputy Director General
, for AIDS, TB and Malaria, WHO. As a direct result of these campaign efforts,
Prime Minister Paul Martin announced a $100-Million dollar commitment to the 3X5
Initiative, which is targeted at treating 3-Million people with AIDS by 2005- M
edia appearances were made on CBC-News Morning Canada's National TV morning show
, National radio and print coverage and direct testimony was given to Canadian P
arliament's Human Rights and International Relations, Subcommittee. April 2004
* WHO Stop TB Partner's Forum in New Delhi India, March 2004: Generated over 30
0 global media pieces with over 75 quotes in U.S. Newspapers. Organized all comm
unications and media outreach for this meeting including exclusive WHO Stop-TB r
eport coverage in USA Today, The Washington Post and the Economist. Also organi
zed media press interviews and events for Dr. J.W. Lee, Director General, WHO, D
r. Jack Chow then Deputy Director General WHO, Dr. Mario Raviglione, WHO and Dr.
Marcos Espinal, WHO
* Asia Pacific Microcredit Summit Campaign Meeting of Councils in Dhaka, Banglad
esh February 2004. Promoted Microcredit programs that reach some of the world's
poorest people. Highlighted spokespeople like Queen Sofia of Spain, Professor
Muhammad Yunus, Fazel Ahbed and Campaign Director Sam Daley-Harris. Generated o
ver 400 International Media clips focusing on Microcredit and the meeting-Media
clips included, The Economist Magazine, The New York Times, The Washington Post,
The San Francisco Chronicle, The Boston Globe, The BBC, CNN International, The
International Herald Tribune and many others. (Samples available upon request)

* Some 2003 successes included: The Hope for African Children Initiative (HACI)
Capitol Hill press events with Dr. Jeffrey Sachs, Dr. Pat Youri and 5 time Gramm
y Award winning Artist Alicia Keys. Worked extensively with RESULTS and Action A
id USA on many different projects.
* Another successful project was the Drop the Debt/Jubilee USA campaign, which o
ccurred during the 2002 Spring Meetings of the World Bank and IMF resulting in t
argeted media coverage in the Financial Times, LA Times, Boston Globe, NPR and B
BC interviews. Also highlighted Actionaid in a front page Washington Post artic
le on their work in Bangladesh during these same meetings. The piece featured Po
verty Reduction Strategy Papers in Bangladesh also appeared in the International
Herald Tribune.
* Promoted numerous Press Conference Calls with RESULTS and Dr. Jeffrey Sachs, I
nternational Economist and Director of Columbia University's Earth Institute, wh
ich focused on HIV/AIDS and Debt Relief. In one-hour these calls resulted in me
dia generated in publications such as, The Washington Post, as well as coverage
in the Financial Times, The Boston Globe, The Atlanta Journal Constitution, Wall
Street Journal. Also secured interviews for Stephen Lewis, then Special Envoy
to Kofi Annan on HIV/AIDS on NPR, and USA Today. Also organized numerous Nation
al Press Club & Capitol Hill Press Events From 2001-2005
* Coordinated African Voices Press Event and Response to Nepad at the G-8 Summit
in Calgary, Canada June 2002. Featuring Speakers from Actionaid UK, Jubilee US
A, 50 Years is Enough Network and RESULTS Canada. Resulting in numerous press p
ieces in Canadian Press, and International Press such as The Financial Times, NP
R, BBC and AP and Reuters television and Print.
* Engaged in Pro-Bono work for the Global AIDS Alliance in 2001, 2002 which resu
lted in numerous press pieces in the National U.S. Press and International press
. Built solid brand name and image recognition for this organization and its cor
e mission among Washington Policy makers and the International press with Dr. Pa
ul Zeitz, which resulted in more funding dollars from donors and established the
m firmly as a branded organization.
* Organized a Media Event at the United Nations Beijing +5, June 2000 with then
First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton's office, where Mrs. Clinton, Kofi Annan, Noel
een Heyzer and others, presented cutting-edge reports on the Progress of the Wor
ld's Women and Microcredit.
* Organized a book tour in three different states with author, Dr. Lee Reichman
Timebomb, The Global Epidemic of Multi-Drug Resistant Tuberculosis. This result
ed in book signings at major chain bookstores and numerous Editorial Board Meeti
ngs and local TV and Radio coverage.

MARKETING and FUNDRAISING

* Director of newly forming Jamii Bora America Foundation, working closely to de

velop this with Ingrid Munro, Founder Jamii Bora Bank - May 2010
* U.S. Editorial Director, Microfinance Focus working with Vikash Kumar as a con
sultant March 2010- present
* Non-Profit Fundraising Initiatives: Organized grassroots fundraisers around t
he country. Met with Major Donors to cultivate relationships reach. Generated n
ew donors through careful cultivation of key relationships. Organized Fundraisi
ng events and donor tours to visit projects. Wrote many fundraising campaign st
rategies and crafted fundraising brochures and direct mail. Generated media aro
und major initiatives and presented it to donors on an ongoing basis. Grant wri
ting experience and some foundation outreach.
* Wrote, Produced, and Directed, whole Advertising Campaigns for corporate clien
ts and acquired a long list of TV AD Sponsors.
* Bought and Sold Advertising through numerous Media Outlets in New York. 1997-1
999
* Created total Advertising synergy in all campaigns achieving and maintaining c
omplete Brand Name Recognition.
WRITER/PRODUCER/DIRECTOR
TELEVISION
* As a Television WRITER/PRODUCER/DIRECTOR for over ten years:
* Created high level informational videos for the Navy Chief of Information at t
he Pentagon;
* Produced and directed a documentary for the US Navy at the 1996 NATO Summit in
Belgium.
* Created numerous documentaries, training videos, marketing videos, PSA's and c
ommercials for various Federal Agencies in and outside the Department of Defense
.
* While with the US Navy, I was Promoted to Head Writer to solve original script
ing and structural problems;
* Trained and Directed a staff of ten writers and editors on the key elements of
documentary production;
* Documentary Producer overseeing scripting, talent scouting, contract negotiati
ons, scheduling shoots, edits and client viewings;
* Managed the buying and selling of airtime for commercial sponsorships of numer
ous TV productions. Well versed in the use of NIELSEN and SCARBOROUGH rating sy
stems.
LEADERSHIP

* Currently manage many different media campaigns for International Non-governme

ntal organizations.
* Recently appointed to the Board of The Microfinance for Youth Foundation in So
uth Africa
* Managed Media Departments for two International Non-Profit Organizations
* Utilize Total Quality Management techniques.
* While at Combat Camera, (US Navy), Schooled, Supervised and Evaluated Multi-Cu
ltural Personnel for World-Wide Assignments;
* Saved The Department of Defense thousands of dollars by developing and impleme
nting a comprehensive, type-line training program to ensure maximum use of asset
s;
* Managed Editorial Office and Training Program;
* Worked with high-level Federal, State and Local Agencies.
EDUCATION

* Graduate of SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY'S prestigious NEWHOUSE SCHOOL OF COMMUNICATION

S ON FULL SCHOLARSHIP through the U.S. NAVY. Studied Broadcast Journalism and T
elevision, Radio and Film. May 1995-MMMSP.
* NATIONAL PRESS PHOTOGRAPHER'S TELEVISION NEWS Workshop as a SHOOTER/EDITOR. Ma
rch 1996
* TCI Media Services, "PERSONAL SELLING SKILLS." 1998
* US Naval Schools of Photography for TV & Video Production. 1991
* US Naval Schools of Photography for Photography. 1988
* Intimately familiar with Cision & Vocus Professional Media Tools