John Pepper Email & Phone Number

Pittsburgh, Pa, Us

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States

Strategic communications lead for multi-billion-dollar growth segment at one of the nation's top 10 insurers. Government program responsibilities include Medicaid, Medicare Advantage, Dual-Eligible, Affordable Care Act, and Children's Health Insurance Program.

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States

Lead all internal and external communications for $2.5 billion managed care organization serving more than 355,000 Medicaid and Medicare members in Pennsylvania. Team responsibilities at corporate level include communications strategy, message development, organizational positioning, executive thought leadership strategy and execution, media relations, social media, and ownership of all internal communications channels. Provide communications strategy and execution for internal clients across all levels of the enterprise.

Greater Pittsburgh Area

Plan and direct the organization's strategic communications and marketing activities across multiple disciplines, including social, digital, media relations, influencer, advertising, event, partner, crisis, public relations, and community engagement. Deliver strong brand consistency and message coordination across multiple audiences. Key communications contact with the City of Pittsburgh. Responsible for supporting internal development team, educational programming, community engagement, and serve as key media contact for organization's president and CEO. Received 2019 PRSA Pittsburgh Communicator of the Year Award for the Pittsburgh Parks for All referendum campaign, the first successful ballot referendum in Pittsburgh in nearly 10 years.

Greater Pittsburgh Area

Serve as marketing communications strategist, client and project manager, media relations representative, content developer, and storyteller for clients in manufacturing, electrical distribution, and healthcare industries.

Greater Pittsburgh Area

Based in Los Angeles, Wondros is a full-service creative agency and production company in service of ideas that change culture. Clients include MD Anderson Cancer Network, Apple, Harvard Medical School, UCLA, TED, and One.• Lead all marketing communications activities for Pittsburgh-based clients, including the University of Pittsburgh CTSI and Altian Education• Other clients supported include XPrize, Carnegie Mellon University, and the National Institutes of Health (NIH)• Created go-to-market communications plan for Altian Education, a consulting firm operationalizing an education finance reform concept originally conceived by the University of Pittsburgh chancellor • Built marketing communications plan in support of All of Us, Pennsylvania, a member of the All of Us Research Program cohort, the largest medical research project ever attempted• Co-lead of team that created go-to-market communications plan for Eureka Partners, a research accelerator for healthcare discoveries and new treatments• Responsibilities include marketing strategy, research, message development, media relations strategy, copywriting, customer journey mapping, and new business proposals/support

Greater Pittsburgh Area

Selected by Chief Operating Officer to fill new senior management position charged with increasing collections at community donor centers across three states. Results delivered through an enhanced customer experience, stronger segmented messaging, increased community awareness and engagement, and improved operational efficiency. Led teams of field recruiters, internal customer contact center and external call center partner. Responsible for $4 million budget.• Oversaw 52 community donor centers responsible for 45 percent of the organization’s blood collections, including its most profitable products• In a shrinking market, donor centers exceeded performance of the mobile collections team by 10 percent• Despite overall base erosion, donor center collections for O negative blood, one of the most critical products, remained steady• Decision-maker for all marketing initiatives; worked closely with internal MarComm team on strategic planning and execution• Managed donor loyalty program of more than 300,000 enrollees. Achieved more than 80 percent enrollment at two of the three blood centers• Through collect-to-need strategy decreased product outdates to approximately two percent• Developed field recruiter strategy that resulted in annual collections of more than 6,000 units• Achieved outstanding financial performance on $4 million budget• Developed platelet recruitment program that grew collections more than 10 percent in the first two years of the program• Launched donor conversion program resulting in improved bedside recruitment rates of more than 50 percent at two blood centers• Developed multi-year strategy to reduce outside call center costs by more than 25 percent• Restructured internal customer contact center while improving KPIs in the areas of calls per hour, appointments per hour and donor show rate

Greater Pittsburgh Area

Selected by senior management to oversee start-up department with charge of increasing operational efficiency and performance in the areas of recruitment, collections, staffing, calendaring and distribution. Retained ownership of Marketing Communications. Led process to develop and implement new business practices, including aligning collections to distribution needs based on specific blood types. Day-to-day leader of blood center’s recruitment and collections operations. Manage seven-person staff, with dotted line oversight of 11-person sales force, and $2 million budget.• Member of five-person Marketing Leadership committee, tasked with developing strategic communications plans over multiple disciplines and organizations• Led all marketing communications activities, including donor communications, internal communications, advertising, stakeholder and community outreach and partner engagement• Created organization’s digital footprint, including Twitter, Facebook YouTube and Instagram accounts, and hit short-term growth goals post-launch• Launched robust email marketing program through Silverpop and website retargeting program; worked with Data.com on lead generation• Achieved outstanding performance on FY2012 - 2014 departmental financial goals• Daily management of all staffing, transportation, and equipment resources to maximize collections in a cost-efficient manner• Increased staff efficiency (DASH rate) through changes in staffing metrics and emphasis on accurate blood drive goals• Decreased product outdates after launching collect-to-need recruitment program that aligned collections with distributions based on specific blood types• In conjunction with Finance, developed cost-per-unit model that helped drive recruitment decisions

Greater Pittsburgh Area

Promoted to integrate and grow cross-functional staff in Pittsburgh/Chicago for $175 million healthcare organization that collects, tests, manufactures and distributes more than one million blood products annually to 100 hospitals. First-time implementation of strategic marketing communications programs for two blood centers, four additional business units and two joint ventures. Oversaw $2.5 million advertising budget and $1 million consulting budget.• Grew marketing communications within budget and timeline from a four-person department supporting two business units to a 12-person operation supporting six business units and two joint ventures• Annual double-digit growth in media relations placements during three-year tenure• Developed key partnerships with professional sports teams in Pittsburgh and Chicago, as well as radio and TV broadcasters, resulting in 10,000 units of blood collected annually• Achieved outstanding financial performance• Launched blood center donor loyalty program and enrolled more than 300,000 donors in three years• Launched marketing automation program that changed the way the blood centers communicated with its donors, placing an emphasis on a holistic relationship versus straight recruitment• Exceeded department collection goals throughout tenure. In FY2011 exceeded goal by 50 percent• Launched two joint ventures, including blood center in eastern PA• Produced first annual report in more than a decade, and all subsequent annual reports• Developed new organizational identity and executed largest trade show in company history• Increased web traffic through launch of new websites• Developed segmented communications programs that leveraged blood donor data and research

Greater Pittsburgh Area

Planned and executed all marketing communications/public relations activity for regional blood center that annually collects and distributes 400,000 blood products. First two years at the blood center were the highest collection years since 1992, excluding donations generated by 9/11. Managed $1.3 million departmental budget, including an $800,000 advertising budget. Delivered collection results along with strong fiscal performance. Hired and supervised seven-person team that had no turnover during tenure as Director.• Partnered with Pittsburgh Steelers to host largest blood drive in two decades with nearly 1,000 donors attending• Revived dormant media relations program and experienced annual double-digit growth in placements• Redesigned and updated all recruitment materials; developed and implemented new organizational brand identity, including creation of websites • Created new processes that helped grow recruitment programs including one geared toward pre-school education and another supporting the families of blood donor recipients that grew to collect approximately 10,000 units of blood annually• Successfully navigated national crisis communications event

Greater Pittsburgh Area

Client base: Cooper Power Systems; Cooper Industries; Eaton Electrical; Pittsburgh Paints; Pittsburgh Pirates; Duquesne Light; Green Building Alliance; TruCommerce. Developed and implemented strategic integrated marketing programs. Communications disciplines included research, media relations, trade shows, events, advertising, collateral and new media. Participated in new business outreach, including drafting of submissions and presentations, which resulted in $650,000 in additional business in FY2005 alone. • Managed communications supporting PNC Park construction and opening, which included changing traffic patterns and parking assets; changed behavior through The Voice of Color launch for Pittsburgh Paints and the Pennsylvania Electric Choice grassroots program• Influenced legislation and doubled sales of environmentally sustainable transformer and increased visibility and understanding of LEED and green buildings through support of Green Building Alliance and, at the time, the construction of the largest green building in the world, The David L. Lawrence Convention Center• Developed internal/change management plans to integrate Westinghouse employees after Cutler-Hammer purchase• Supervised seven employees• Worked with multiple offices and practices across global network• Participated in new business outreach with wins totaling more than $1 million in billings

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Area

Managed national media relations campaigns for two divisions of Rubbermaid, 3M, Pennzoil Marine, Smith & Wesson, two divisions of Wrangler and The Marlin Firearms Co. Selected as media spokesperson for national youth fishing program. Coordinated and staffed trade and consumer shows, including the Bassmasters Classic. Accomplishments included doubling media impressions for three consecutive years for Rubbermaid, establishing Pennzoil in the marine market and growing sales of Lady Smith & Wesson handguns.• Through new business and organic growth, built Blue Heron from a two-client, three-person agency into one of the largest agencies in the nation serving the outdoor recreational market• Developed and implemented strategic marketing programs that included media relations, media tours, trade shows, event and celebrity sponsorships, and collateral • Participated in new business outreach with wins totaling more than $750,000 in billings

Sacramento, California Area

The Sacramento Union was the final stop of my journalistic career that included a national beer trade magazine, national football weekly, a weekly newspaper with a circulation of one million and the Union. I worked as an editor/reporter at each stop.