Melinda Brunell Email & Phone Number

Strategy Muse is a different kind of company. We are a consulting co-op with a wide range of expertise and deep experience in communication, leadership, change management and design. We combine critical thinking with creativity to spark innovation that turns our clients’ strategies into action.OUR BUSINESS IS DESIGNED WITH CLIENTS IN MINDWe are a network of independent consultants working under the Strategy Muse™ brand name. This operating model keeps our overhead costs and billing rates low.WE WORK WITH BOTH SIDES OF THE BRAINOur team is a motley crew—we are communicators, designers, storytellers, political strategists, facilitators, scientists, artists and coaches. The diverse backgrounds fuel creative problem solving and innovation.WE FLEX OUR STYLE TO WORK IN YOUR ORGANIZATIONCreativity inspires us and we like pushing the envelope…but we’re not tone deaf. We have worked in corporate, agency, academic, arts, government and non-profit environments and are skilled in navigating different types of organizations.

Greater Chicago Area

Responsible for attracting, developing and retaining outstanding talent for DMI. Worked closely with Executive Team to develop systems, practices and tools to enable a higher performance organization, including:- Customized annual employee engagement survey.- Employee engagement strategies and plans (based on survey findings) to establish greater individual and team line of sight to business strategy, and improving teamwork and collaboration. Focus areas included Leadership Communication & Development, Building Business Acumen, Teamwork & Collaboration, and Community-building.- Performance management systems and employee development programs. - Customized, organization-wide training programs on topics such as Change Management, Giving & Receiving Feedback, Accountability and Professional Presence.In addition, I coordinated work of subordinates and staff relating to recruiting, employment, employee relations, employee engagement and events, and led a cross-functional team that contemporized the organization's outdated personnel policies.

Greater Chicago Area

Developed category-level business plans that helped leading food and beverage companies to innovate with dairy for the health & wellness minded consumer while improving the company’s image. Facilitated a forum of about a dozen leading marketing directors to provide direction to consumer and food science research needed to identify and address opportunities and threats for dairy related to health & wellness. Engaged hundreds of professionals from 80 leading organizations in results oriented strategic plans, forums and research initiatives to accelerate category growth. These included: - "Innovation Labs" with food and beverage companies and foodservice operators to expand dairy-centered in breakfast menu offerings at schools and quick service restaurants. - Research and technology applications to enable manufacturers to address sodium levels in cheese, in response to public health challenges.- Articulating dairy's market opportunities among consumers interested in "Real, Fresh, Natural" foods and the benefits of protein.

Greater Chicago Area

Served as staff lead for DMI's pilot initiative to supercharge efforts to address the epidemic of childhood obesity and enhance wellness within the nation's 7th largest school district, the Houston Independent School District (HISD). The Healthy Kids, Healthy Schools Summit brought together 300 community stakeholders from across Greater Houston in an Appreciative Inquiry process to chart a new course leading toward a healthier generation of Houstonians. Designed as a national model, this summit enabled representatives of the ‘whole system’ to collaborate in an innovative, interactive way to develop and deliver solutions to this issue within HISD. The summit catalyzed more than a dozen community-based test projects related to nutrition and physical activity within HISD schools. These pilots helped shape Fuel Up to Play 60, the National Dairy Council's nationwide schools program focused on fighting childhood obesity by empowering kids to take control of their own health.

Greater Chicago Area

Built an internal communications function and an overarching strategy and message platform to engage employees in a radically new business strategy and business model, shifting from driving demand through direct-to-consumer promotion to driving sales through consumer-focused innovation within the dairy industry. Aligned and equipped senior leaders at national and state & regional organizations to communicate the organization's new strategic direction and trained them to manage change within and across teams and industry organization. Gathered hundreds of representatives from their organizations in a national "dairy federation summit" to engage hearts and minds and begin building organizational capability to deliver on the new business model.Created and executed communications and brand strategy for launch of the new affiliated company formed to enable the new business strategy: the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy.

In my role as Chief Operating Officer for this start-up employee engagement and strategy implementation consulting firm, I built all business management and administration functions from the ground up, including human resources, finance and legal. Also served as a counselor to clients, advising on merger integration, business/culture transformation, strategic employee communications, reorganization, strategy implementation and employee engagement. In this capacity, I:- Created strategic plan, messaging and materials to launch a new system of job structures and rewards worldwide at Accenture.- Led a seven-person team that created and delivered a program to engage management and employees to change their behavior to deliver on a new brand promise at International Truck and Engine Corporation. Responsible for planning and managing work, team assignments and multi-million-dollar budget to accomplish client goals.- Directed International’s “Face-to-Face” executive site visit program, which successfully generated greater respect between employees and management by breaking down communication barriers.- Planned and executed annual Leadership Conference for International’s top 500 executives.Clients: Accenture, Navistar, United Airlines, CNH Global.

Directed a team of five account executives, two writers and two designers for this mid-size independent advertising and public relations agency. Clients: Navistar, Waste Management, SC Johnson, SteinRoe & Farnham. Founded and built a highly profitable custom publishing (content management) capability, producing award-winning business-to-business magazines and newsletters targeted to achieve strategic business results for Fortune 500 companies, such as repositioning a brand, establishing thought leadership, or building relationship marketing opportunities.

Communications strategy and services, including message development, internal communications and media relations. Clients: Covia Partnership (owns Apollo travel reservation system), Pitman-Moore, Kemper Securities, Kemper Financial Services.

Greater Chicago Area

Provided strategic counsel to major corporations on reputation management and issues management. • Counseled Bristol-Myers Squibb on silicone breast implant issue.• Led national consumer and medical media relations for Mead Johnson's market withdrawal of a controversial antiarrhythmic heart medication, which was executed without damage to company reputation. • Created community/media relations program for Asea Brown Boveri that resulting in winning siting approvals for a waste treatment plant.

Seattle, Washington, United States

Managed staff of six and budget over $4.5 million. Responsibilities included strategic direction and oversight of media relations, financial, employee and customer communications, advertising and branch merchandising.

Responsible for developing and executing strategic public relations plans for clients in the financial services, retail, hospitality, real estate development and CPG sectors. Clients included Washington Mutual, REI, Four Seasons Hotels, Wright Runstad and Tree Top.

Professional Certificate, Human Resources Management

Professional Certificate, Publishing

B.A., Communications

Activities and Societies: Public Relations Student Society of America

Political Science, English Literature

Foreign exchange student