PRESIDENT & CEO
Cynthia McCafferty
Cynthia McCafferty is an award-winning strategist with decades of experience. In particular, she is known as a calm and decisive voice in the room during times of crisis. As President and CEO, Cynthia leads the agency’s vision, operations and growth, but she also rolls up her sleeves and works side‑by‑side with her team and clients. She is known for her ability to guide organizations through their most complex, high‑pressure moments with clarity, strategy and steadiness.
Before joining Hawthorne in 2015, Cynthia spent nearly two decades at FleishmanHillard International Communications in St. Louis, where she served as a senior vice president and senior partner. At FH, she became a go‑to strategist for crisis response, reputation protection and integrated campaign management. She led high‑stakes initiatives for major organizations, earning industry awards for her ability to navigate sensitive issues and deliver results under intense public scrutiny. One of her final projects at FH—leading the Get Covered Illinois campaign—won a half dozen awards and helped nearly 1 million Illinois residents enroll in health insurance, positioning the state as a national leader in ACA implementation.
Cynthia elevates communication programs for clients across sectors, applying her Solutions-focused mindset to organizations such as the Women’s Business Development Center, Chicago Dental Society, Choose Chicago and Washington University as well as national and global brands including McCormick Place, Organogenesis SAC Wireless, Evinrude and Red Bull. Whether preparing clients for emerging issues, managing real‑time crises, or strengthening long‑term reputation, Cynthia’s counsel is grounded in experience, insight, and a deep understanding of stakeholder expectations.
Under Cynthia’s leadership, Hawthorne developed a refreshed identity for Chicago’s McCormick Place as it expanded into new facilities, resulting in stronger engagement with community stakeholders and civic leaders. She was also the lead point of contact for the largest convention center in North America during a widely publicized incident involving migratory bird collisions on campus. Through Cynthia’s leadership, the convention center’s response was lauded as an industry-wide case study in successful ownership of a complicated issue involving concerned citizens, civic leaders and government officials. Once the strategic response was executed, McCormick Place received widespread positive media attention and stakeholder praise, and was also included in a series by The New York Times called “50 States, 50 Fixes.”
Cynthia has also led issues management planning for clients in nonprofit, insurance, homecare and many other industries. She was lead on a comprehensive corporate social responsibility (CSR) audit for KCI, an Acelity company, guiding the creation of a three‑year action plan rooted in industry best practices and designed to strengthen corporate reputation and mitigate risk.
Cynthia began her career as a grassroots organizer for a statewide environmental organization before moving into lobbying and electoral politics—early experiences that sharpened her instincts for public sentiment, policy dynamics, and the fast‑moving nature of issues management. Her leadership and impact have been widely recognized: in 2019, she was named one of “Chicago’s Most Influential Women” by the Chicago Business Journal, and in 2021, she was honored as an Enterprising Woman of the Year by Enterprising Woman Magazine. She also serves on the Board of Directors for the YWCA of Metropolitan Chicago, International Women’s Forum Chicago chapter and the Publicity Club of Chicago.
Education: Cynthia has a Master’s degree in Business Administration from Washington University in St. Louis and Bachelor’s degree in American Studies from Saint Louis University. She recently completed the WBENC Executive Education Program Sponsored by Wells Fargo.
Currently Reading: Bully Pulpit by Doris Kearns Goodwin, Beautiful Exiles by Meg Waite Clayton, and White Fragility by Robin DiAngelo.
Pet: A yellow lab named Pippi and a terrier mix named Monty
Cynthia’s Ideal Friday Night: Exploring a new city or hosting a cèilidh – a Gaelic term meaning an informal gathering of friends often referred to as a “kitchen party”.