Jennifer Patterson Email and Phone Number

Providing communications direction to the GHAI Bangladesh Drowning Prevention Project; collaborating with communications staff across programs to continue to build media advocacy capacity and supporting visibility, marketing and communications efforts across the Incubator.

Provided strategic communications and partnership guidance to help organizations educate, engage, and influence stakeholders and the media around issues that drive positive behavior change. Clients include the UN Foundation, the International Rescue Committee and Five Heads Strategic Communications.

Jennifer oversaw all communications activities at USA for UNHCR, while developing strategies to expand visibility through community engagement activities and through potential advocacy strategies with the goal of educating Americans about the global refugee crisis and how they can support and take action. She was part of the senior leadership team and provided day-to-day leadership in the D.C. office; managed relationships with senior UNHCR staff and Goodwill Ambassadors, worked collaboratively across all departments to ensure the successful execution of overall strategic plan; developed new processes and approaches needed to achieve it; and represented the organization at high-level meetings.

Jennifer directed and oversaw all internal and external communications, supporting all fundraising, awareness and engagement efforts to ensure consistency of message across all platforms with the goal of raising awareness and educating Americans about the global refugee crisis and how they can support and take action.

In 2016, Jennifer was detailed to work as the Project Director for the Partnership for Refugees initiative, a White House initiative established through collaboration between the U.S. State Department and USA for UNHCR, with significant support from Accenture. The Partnership was established to support a Call to Action from the White House for the private sector to make new, measurable and significant commitments with a durable impact on the well-being of refugees. It also guided the private sector, helping ensure that pledges responded to refugees’ needs.The Partnership team secured 51 companies across various industries to make commitments answering the President’s Call to Action to provide support for refugees. This is more than double the original goal set forth by the State Department, and these commitments represent more than 2.5 million employees, more than $775 billion in annual revenue, and more than $3.2 trillion in market capitalization.

Jennifer specialized in health communications and social marketing campaigns to promote social change. She worked on a variety of issues including heart disease, cancer, eye health, epilepsy, teen dating violence, and terrorism and disaster preparedness for clients including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Centers for Medicaid & Medicare Services, the Department of Homeland Security, the Epilepsy Foundation, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and the National Institutes of Health.Member of Ogilvy's leadership team, responsible for the management of clients, staff development, office visibility and new business pursuits. Spearheaded partnership recruitment and management for the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute’s award-winning women and heart disease education program, The Heart Truth®, which has resulted in more than 50 corporate partnerships over the last 10 years, including Diet Coke, General Mills, Celestial Seasonings, Johnson & Johnson and Burlington Coat Factory.Directed national media relations activities, such as press releases, bites and b-roll packages, satellite media tours to promote eye health and vision research on behalf of the National Eye Institute. Directed partnership development for the launch of Centers for Medicaid & Medicare Services caregiver initiative, Ask Medicare, working with strategic partners to promote the new initiative. Served as deputy director and provided strategic guidance for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s youth brand (Dating Matters), a national initiative targeting youth ages 11-14 to reduce their risk for participating in unhealthy relationships and teen dating violence. Previous positions at Ogilvy included: Vice President: June 2006 – June 2010Account Director: June 2003 – June 2006

Managed and expanded relationships with strategic corporate partners, executed national sponsorships around food and wine tasting events, developed cause-related marketing programs and built relationship loyalty with Brown-Forman Beverages, Evian, and Cutco Cutlery.

Maintained relationships with music companies and analyzed sales figures to optimize profitability of the Book of the Month Club’s music catalog, Sound Review.

Managed special projects and partnerships to increase revenue and visibility for the organization. Projects included management of a $2.3 million, multi-year national program and reading-awareness campaign for Visa. Responsibilities included coordination between marketing and public relations firms on the conception and roll-out of the traveling storybook show and book distribution program, development of grant-making program for school participation; and securing commitments with local partners to host reading activities.