Allison+Partners Expands Senior Leadership, Jackson Harrell Joins to Lead Dallas Office and Brings The Harrell Group Team Onboard

DALLAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Allison+Partners announced today that long-time public relations agency leader Jackson Harrell, Ph.D., has been named as general manager of its Dallas office. A senior public relations and public affairs strategist, Dr. Harrell brings with him significant experience in crisis communications, issues management, thought leadership, reputation management, legislative and regulatory support campaigns, litigation support, media relations and consumer product and service marketing.

“Our Dallas team is pleased to become part of the growing Allison+Partners family. Our client-first focus, commitment to quality and cultures are very compatible”

Widely recognized in the market for his work through The Harrell Group, he and his team will focus on client service across a variety of industries, while expanding the Dallas office and raising the visibility of the Allison+Partners’ brand in Dallas and the State of Texas. Also joining from The Harrell Group are Vice President David J. Dickson, Senior Consultant David Dunnigan and Office Manager Susan Salazar.

“The addition of Jackson and his team are a result of our commitment to the Dallas market and our Southwest practice. In recent years our corporate group has seen significant growth in Dallas and we have similar expectations for expanding into other key industries there,” said Scott Allison, chairman and CEO at Allison+Partners. “As seasoned and versatile communications strategists, their knowledge will benefit our clients in every region.”

The Dallas team’s industry experience includes sustainability communications, energy, environmental issues and services, banking and financial services, manufacturing, paper products, consumer products, economic development, education, professional services, health care, philanthropy and nonprofits, real estate, retailing, transportation and utilities.

“Our Dallas team is pleased to become part of the growing Allison+Partners family. Our client-first focus, commitment to quality and cultures are very compatible,” Dr. Harrell said. “For our clients, present and future, Allison+Partners offers significant new resources from the expertise the agency provides across specialties, to experienced, on-the-ground representation in markets throughout the U.S. and internationally.“

Before forming The Harrell Group in 1998, Dr. Harrell was a founding officer of Halcyon Associates, a company that he and its other co-founders developed into a premier Texas public relations firms. Prior to that, he was a vice president at Hill and Knowlton in its Dallas office, where he initiated its corporate and professional services practice.

The other senior Dallas team members have similarly deep experience handling challenging public relations assignments. Dickson has led Fortune 100 global media relations and crisis communications programs at Kimberly-Clark, ExxonMobil, Mobil and Texaco. Dunnigan, who for many years led the Dallas office of GCI/Read Poland, began as a reporter at the Dallas Morning News. He has deep community ties from his years of service as executive director of the Greater Dallas Planning Council and the Dallas Friday Group, as well as his leadership of the Press Club of Dallas and service on the boards of many venerable Dallas institutions.

About Allison+Partners

Allison+Partners, an MDC Partners company, is an international communications firm driven by a collaborative approach to innovation and creativity. The result is freshly imagined, customized approaches that provide concrete, measurable strategies to drive market and executive leadership. Expertise includes consumer PR and marketing, corporate communications, technology and digital media, brand innovation, social impact, public affairs and healthcare. The firm is headquartered in San Francisco, with offices in New York, London, Beijing, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., Atlanta, Chicago, Phoenix, San Diego, Seattle and Dallas. The company has a 50-state grassroots network and deep affiliations with quality firms worldwide through MDC Partners (NASDAQ: MDCA, Toronto Stock Exchange: MDZ.A), a progressive marketing and communications network, championing the most innovative entrepreneurial talent. Visit us at: www.allisonpr.com, m.allisonpr.com, http://facebook.com/allisonpr, http://twitter.com/allisonpr.