With an expertise in crisis communications and corporate reputation, Nyree played a critical role helping to manage communications during the bankruptcy and recovery of General Motors beginning in 2009.  The McGinn Group/TMG Strategies played an essential role in the process, directly counseling GM’s executive leadership and serving as a critical hub for all communications during the pre- and post-bankruptcy phases. Nyree personally handled the day-to-day management and operations of “The Arlington Project,” which was created by GM’s most senior leadership. Additionally, Nyree took on key roles in the agency’s crisis and corporate reputation accounts, including Purdue Pharma and Howard University, where she served as a principal lead to Howard’s Office of the President during their Academic Renewal process. Additionally, she served on National Grid’s crisis communications leadership team and was onsite during Hurricane Sandy – the deadliest and most destructive hurricane of the 2012 Atlantic hurricane season, as well as the second-costliest hurricane in United States history. Also, Nyree was one of the key counselors helping Firestone Liberia communicate its efforts in combating the Ebola outbreak in West Africa – the largest and deadliest Ebola outbreak in history.

CAREER AWARDS & ACCOMPLISHMENTS 

Nyree is a seasoned communications advisor who provides to her industry a strong foundation of corporate reputation, strategic counseling and public relations/marketing experience. Her knowledge provided her the skill set and management acumen early in her career that contributed to a 2001 Public Relations Society of America Big Apple Award for her PR & Marketing Communications work while working in Ogilvy PR’s New York office. This award was not only a first for her, but also represented the program/campaign of the first- ever introduction of tax e-filing services. Her client (H.D. Vest Financial Services) set the stage for a multi-billion-dollar industry and later became acquired by Wells Fargo. During this time, she also attended Seton Hall University where she earned her MA in Corporate & Public Communications – a challenging goal, since she was managing one of the largest accounts in her office. 

Nyree has received top industry awards, including the National Press Club’s coveted Vivian Award for years 2013, 2014 and 2017. The Vivian Awards were established by former NPC president Vivian Vahlberg in 1982 to honor outstanding service to the Club. Nyree earned this recognition through hard work for one of the most important associations in the DC marketplace. As a member of the NPC’s Speakers Committee in 2013, she successfully pitched, managed and orchestrated sold-out luncheons for notable speakers, including Ben Jealous (NAACP President & CEO), Bob Johnson (Black Entertainment Television/BET Founder) and Gloria Steinem (the feminist activist) on the eve of her receiving the 2013 Presidential Medal of Freedom. 

Nyree was named to Washington Life Magazine’s “The Young & the Guest List 2014”, which “honors the 300+ under 40 geniuses, visionaries, crusaders & innovators shaping Washington's future.” She was also featured in Capitol Communicator’s “Up Close & Personal Profiles” (March 2015). Additionally, Nyree spearheaded the team that won the 2016 PR News Platinum PR Awards Honorable Mention in Crisis Management for her work with Firestone/Ebola outbreak.

In October 2018, Nyree was selected and featured in Diverse Voices: Profiles in Leadership, a book designed to help communications leaders and professionals better understand the challenges faced by minorities in the communications profession. The book features interviews with more than 40 multicultural corporate and PR agency leaders. These executives, many of whom have risen to the highest levels of the communications profession, share candid anecdotes detailing successes and challenges that they face during their career, as well as tips and lessons for those entering the field. The book was developed by the PRSA Foundation and the Museum of Public Relations, with all proceeds going to the Foundation, an independent, 501(c)(3) charitable organization dedicated to advancing diversity and inclusion within the communications profession. 

Nyree was awarded the 2021 “Outstanding Mentor” honor by the Diversity Action Alliance (DAA), a coalition of public relations and communications leaders joining forces to accelerate progress in the achievement of meaningful and tangible results in diversity, equity and inclusion across the PR profession. In early 2022, she was included in Pocstock’s “Future of Black America Top 50 Leaders of 2022”. And in October, The CableFaxies honored her with one of its “2022 PR Executive of the Year” awards. Most recent, Nyree received the 2023 PRNEWS Top Women Industry Champion Award and 2023 DAA Distinguished Communicator Award.

INDUSTRY CONTRIBUTIONS   

Nyree’s leadership in PR/Communications is undisputed. She is a charter and former board member of ColorComm, an organization for women of color in communications; a trained Focus Group Moderator of the Research in Values & Attitudes Institute (RIVA); a former member of the National Press Club (NPC), one of the most prestigious media/communications organizations in the world; a member of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA); and in 2016, became a trustee of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) Foundation. In 2021, Nyree was appointed to the DE&I Advisory Board of the Arthur W. Page Society, the world's leading professional association for senior public relations and corporate communications executives and educators. Most recent in 2022, Nyree was selected to join the newly formed Public Relations Advisory Council for the Department of Mass Communication at North Carolina Central University.

From 2011 to 2013, Nyree served as the co-chair of the National Press Club 5K Committee, responsible for the organization, execution and promotion of the annual 5K Run to help raise funds for the National Press Club Journalism Institute. The over $200,000 she helped raise during her tenure allowed the Journalism Institute to help working journalists improve their skills with ongoing training and programming. It also funded scholarships for future journalists that promote diversity within the journalism profession. For her efforts, Nyree was a regular presence on the dais for some of the NPC’s most prominent speakers, including Gloria Steinem; Bob Johnson (Black Entertainment Television founder); and General Motors CEO Dan Akerson, during his last major speech before his retirement. 

However, the essence of her leadership is shown through her 2009-2012 presidency of the Capital Press Club (CPC), the oldest African-American communications association in the nation. CPC – founded in 1944 as an African-American alternative to the NPC which, at that time, did not accept black members – exists to unite communications professionals of color through professional development, networking, new business opportunities/entrepreneurship, and issues advocacy. 

In June 2022, Nyree was appointed to the board of National Association for Multi-ethnicity in Communications (NAMIC), the premier organization that educates, advocates and empowers for multi-ethnic diversity in the communications industry. The very same month, she was invited and joined the Class of 2022 for the Recording Academy (GRAMMYS). Both appointments are a result of the accomplishments she continues to make within her industry.

Nyree is a role model who is as dedicated to her community as she is to her career. She is a natural-born leader, committed to achieving excellence in the communications and marketing industry. Her “pay it forward” attitude is her signature.