Laura McGowan is a top-tier PR strategist and public relations consultant specializing in issues management and consumer product brand relationships, media and message training and influencer marketing/content creation. As the founder of The McGowan Group, a certified WBE for the State of Illinois and City of Chicago, Laura has served as the crisis strategist and spokesperson for public affairs issues for clients including Clarke and Aftermath, Inc., Norix Group, and Lutheran Life Communities.With extensive experience in regulated industries, Laura has consulted on crisis messaging and strategy in specialized industries. She has been quoted in the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Daily Mail (UK), al Jazeera, CNN and more than three hundred other media outlets on litigation issues, environmental concerns and business/labor issues. Laura has developed results-oriented events and consumer marketing campaigns for clients including McDonald's, Whirlpool, Allied Van Lines.As a messaging and media trainer, Laura has trained CEOs and chefs, pilots and safety managers, nonprofit executives and hospital presidents. Prior to founding The McGowan Group in 2005, Laura was a senior vice president at JSH&A Public Relations in Oakbrook, Ill., and worked in the consumer and education practices at Ogilvy PR and in the food marketing group at Edelman Worldwide.She has been honored with the Holmes Report Top 100 PR Program award, PRSA Silver Anvil Award, the PCC Silver Trumpet, the Ogilvy Professional Achievement Award and the Kraft Creativity Award.