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MANAGING SUPERVISOR

Richard Ray

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Richard Ray leads as an award-winning strategic communications counselor to clients navigating a wide spectrum of opportunities and challenges. He advises and supports nonprofit, civic and corporate leaders on crisis and issues management, helping organizations protect their reputations, align executive messaging and engage stakeholders with clarity and purpose.

 

Richard brings a sharp earned media perspective shaped by his background as an award-winning journalist. He understands what makes a story resonate—and what puts organizations at risk—using that insight to guide media strategy that elevates visibility while navigating scrutiny. From proactive storytelling to real-time response, he helps clients break through crowded news cycles and maintain credibility when it matters most.

Before joining Hawthorne, Richard was a journalist in Chicago, working in fast-paced newsrooms including NBC 5 and the Chicago Tribune. His reporting spanned breaking news, politics and community issues, earning recognition from the Associated Press and multiple Emmy nominations. He later brought that expertise in-house as corporate communications manager for SAC Wireless, a Nokia company, where he led external messaging and supported crisis response and internal engagement initiatives across a national workforce.

From newsrooms to boardrooms, Richard brings his experience as an intuitive storyteller to ensure your message is not just heard—but deeply understood.

 

Education: DePaul University

Three favorite hobbies outside of work: Spending time with my son, reading and exploring the Chicago-area’s many nature preserves

Currently reading: "If Beale Street Could Talk" by James Baldwin

Currently listening to: The Daily

Favorite food: Tacos

Coffee order: Pour-over, black

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