Direct Impact Names Michael Fleischer President And General Manager
NEW YORK, June 30, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Direct Impact (DI), a leading national grassroots public affairs, public education and corporate reputation firm, has announced the appointment of Michael Fleischer as President and General Manager. Fleischer will oversee DI's wide-ranging work in building localized campaigns for clients seeking to mobilize communities around a host of public affairs, advocacy and corporate reputation issues.
With its competitive range of digital tools and a nationwide network of local experts, the firm helps clients leverage local support to spur action. Fleischer has served as the interim leader since April 2016 and has been an executive at the firm since the beginning of 2012.
"We are thrilled to name Michael as the leader of Direct Impact," said Mike Fernandez, U.S. CEO, Burson-Marsteller. "He understands the current political environment, knows the team that is in place and has experience in driving digital and community-based grassroots advocacy in support of clients in many sectors - from energy to environment, technology, transportation and financial services."
Fleischer has more than 20 years of experience in government and public affairs, specializing in legislative and regulatory communications, with expertise designing and implementing advocacy campaigns at the federal and state level. Before joining DI, Fleischer was a Vice President at Lighthouse Consulting Group, a boutique firm specializing in energy and environmental issues. Before that, he was Vice President of Public Affairs at Widmeyer Communications. Fleischer began his career at the Washington Post on the national news and politics desk. He is a graduate of James Madison University and Catholic University's Columbus School of Law.
"Clients of all types are recognizing that sound community engagement strategies are more important than ever, as evidenced by the populism highlighted during recent election campaigns to hyper-local policy issues exciting activists," said Fleischer. "I am excited by the opportunity to grow Direct Impact, to bring new digital tools to engage local audiences and to continue to work with Direct Impact's robust network of public affairs and public relations operatives in every community around the country to provide our clients invaluable insights and engagement opportunities."
About Direct Impact
Founded in 1988, Direct Impact (DI) is a wholly owned subsidiary of Burson-Marsteller and a member of the WPP family. DI is a premier grassroots communications firm, specializing in public affairs, public education and corporate reputation campaigns. DI provides a complete range of services essential to conducting successful localized campaigns, focusing on legislative battles as well as corporate branding challenges across the country. DI has led winning, community-driven and online campaigns for more than half of the Fortune 50, as well as major trade associations and coalitions.
About Burson-Marsteller
Burson-Marsteller, established in 1953, is a leading global strategic communications and public relations firm. It provides clients with strategic thinking and program execution across a full range of public relations, public affairs, reputation and crisis management, advertising and digital strategies. The firm's seamless worldwide network consists of 77 offices and 85 affiliate offices, together operating in 110 countries across six continents. Burson-Marsteller is a part of Young & Rubicam Group, a subsidiary of WPP (NASDAQ: WPPGY), the world's leader in communications services. For more information, please visit www.burson-marsteller.com.
SOURCE Direct Impact
Share this article