Don Upton Email & Phone Number

Charlotte, North Carolina Area

• Guide the company’s mission and aspirations, aligning relationships and projects with ethical principles and long-term goals. • Invest in client successes, anticipate evolving needs and prepare for changing conditions, ensuring a proactive approach to delivering value.• Set policy expectations, emphasizing early interventions, rapid responses, and the delivery of client insights. • Lead projects in areas of expertise, client urgency, and transformative product development.• Actively engage with over 250 C-suite leaders, gathering insights on change, collaboration, and system complexity to drive firm strategy. • Provide strategic oversight for fiscal, talent, and policy/legal aspects, fostering high-performance cross-sector collaboration and enterprise leadership. • Extend the NSE Collective Analytics suite of services to ensure custom dashboard, modeling, and predictive capacities for clients.

Tampa, Florida

• Led Fairfield Index, Inc. in facilitating the growth and competitiveness of diverse clients, including Fortune 500 companies, non-profits, and educational institutions.• Directed the team's efforts across various critical areas, including economic development, talent acquisition, higher education, integrated communications, and reputation management.• Identified revenue opportunities, training needs, and growth strategies to enhance clients' performance and impact in their respective sectors.• Established the company as a thought leader and subject matter expert (SME) in the fields of corporate citizenship, strategic philanthropy, and cross-sector collaboration.

Clearwater, Florida

• Led the economic development strategy and scorecard oversight for a $2 billion operation, ensuring alignment with growth and recruitment targets in target industries.• Fostered critical public/private alliances and civic engagement to support the organization's objectives and initiatives.• Managed public sector relations and led a team, including regional executives, community relations personnel, and governmental sales professionals. Introduced innovative approaches to reputation management and resource allocation to drive organizational goals.

Tampa, Florida

• Managed the offices of public affairs, communications, strategic philanthropy, and economic development, overseeing activities such as reputation scorecards, economic development, education initiatives, media affairs, and market response.• Led efforts in multi-unit brand integration and internal communications, ensuring effective engagement with a large team of over 14,000 employees and a diverse range of stakeholders.

Atlanta, Georgia

• Provided regulatory affairs and government relations leadership for teams in Georgia and Alabama, overseeing the design and implementation of regulatory and legislative strategies.• Led negotiation and problem-solving efforts related to public issues, industry relations, conflicts, and policy change to achieve strategic objectives.• Point executive on regulatory due diligence and audits.

Montgomery, Alabama, United States

• Established GTE team strategies and offices in Alabama Capitol.• Led legislative and regulatory strategies; and established post-M&A reputational agenda.• Conducted industry affairs across Mississippi and Alabama.

Pell City, Alabama, United States

• Led media affairs and reputation management during critical M&A period across four-state operating area.• Achieved rapid results in matters of compliance, rates, and reputation.

Georgia, United States

• Championed operating unit success as rate case and industry affairs manager during a period of rapid change in the telecommunications sector.• Liaison to local governments and congressional delegation.• Chief contact for statewide industry affairs and sector relationships.• Engaged in due diligence in assessment of acquisition targets.

Doctor Of Law - Jd, Law

Activities and Societies: Focus on trial clinics and intellectual property.

Ba

Liberal Arts