your team.

Julie Talenfeld

Don Silver

DON SILVER, Chief Operating Officer, is the co-chair of the firm’s Crisis Communications Practice. He brings 30-plus years of successful public relations and national marketing management experience as a corporate executive with companies such as Duracell USA, Forster Manufacturing and Park & Sun Sports. He regularly assists many of the state’s top entrepreneurs, corporations, nonprofits, schools and law firms with crisis planning, reputation management, public relations, marketing, community outreach and online and search engine marketing.

Don is a frequent speaker, moderator and author on topics including handling a crisis in your business, designing a crisis plan, dealing with traditional and social media under fire and maximizing Linkedin for your business development. He is also active in the community, where he has been chairman of the board and/or marketing communications VP in organizations such as NAIOP, Legal Marketing Association, South Florida Technology Alliance, Legal Aid Service of Broward County’s Executive Council, Broward Partnership for the Homeless and Gold Coast Venture Capital Association. Current board positions include Florida Bulldog and Florida Atlantic University’s School of Communication and Multimedia Studies. He is a native of Miami and received his BBA in Marketing from Florida Atlantic University.

Don covers our South Florida locations: Fort Lauderdale, Miami, and West Palm Beach offices.

Todd Templin

TODD TEMPLIN, Executive Vice President, has been in the communications industry for more than three decades as both a journalist and PR executive. He specializes in media relations, content creation, crisis communications/media training and business development. In addition to his traditional media work, he is also responsible for content marketing strategies for the firm’s clients which includes social media, blogs, web, video and other new media platforms. He also co-chairs the company’s crisis management division.

Todd is experienced in a number of industries including real estate, law, health care, retail/restaurant and professional associations. He has secured media placements in top-tier media outlets including the Wall Street Journal, CNBC, CNN, ABC News, national trade publications, and Florida business and consumer outlets. He is often invited to speak to organizations and marketing professionals on relevant PR topics and has been quoted in various media reports as an expert in his field.

Before entering the public relations industry, Todd worked for 17 years as a broadcast journalist, both on-air and behind the scenes as a producer/newsroom executive. Most recently, he spent 10 years working at WPLG-TV in Miami and as a freelancer journalist for NBC and ABC networks. He also held positions in Detroit and Sarasota newsrooms.

Todd sits on the board of directors for the American Red Cross-Broward Chapter and Firewall Centers, a nonprofit that operates after-school tutoring and mentoring programs in Broward County. He’s also a past chairman of the Weston Business Chamber of Commerce and served on the Board and Executive Board of the Greater Fort Lauderdale Chamber of Commerce. In 2009, he was recognized as a Mover & Shaker by the South Florida Business Leader Magazine. In that same year, he and wife Kristi Krueger of WPLG-TV were named one of South Florida’s Finest Couples by the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

Todd is a passionate supporter of the University of Florida where he graduated with a broadcast journalism degree.

Jen Clarin

JEN CLARIN, Vice President, specializes in media relations with an emphasis on legal, banking and finance, professional services and healthcare industries. Her extensive experience in these industries allows her to handle a variety of client needs ranging from case publicity, press conferences and crisis communications to trade show representation and product unveilings. Jennifer serves as BoardroomPR’s Law Firm Practice Management Team Leader. In addition, she is responsible for developing strategy and messaging in both traditional and social media outlets and managing her account teams and their operation. Jennifer is a past Chair of the Legal Marketing Association’s South Florida Chapter and serves on the boards of Jewish Adoption Foster Care Options (JAFCO), the Women’s Philanthropy Division of the Greater Miami Jewish Federation and Margaux’s Miracle Foundation. In 2014, Jennifer was recognized by the South Florida Business Journal as one of its “40 Under 40.” She graduated with honors from the University of Florida where she earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Public Relations.

Jen splits her time between the firm’s Miami and Fort Lauderdale offices

Michelle Griffith

MICHELLE GRIFFITH, Vice President, leads the firm’s Tampa Bay office, working with clients across Florida and beyond. For the past 16 years she has worked with law firms, insurance companies, healthcare organizations, nonprofits, real estate, statewide associations, and trade groups to elevate their brand through traditional media relations. She also develops content marketing strategies including social media, blogs and video, to elevate her clients’ online presence and search engine rankings.

Since joining BoardroomPR in 2006, Michelle has been involved in several nonprofit associations and has played an integral role in generating media, community and legislative attention for organizations such as the Orange County Bar Association, Legal Aid Service of Broward County/Coast to Coast Legal Aid of South Florida and foster children’s advocacy group Florida’s Children First. She served as the chair and secretary of the Legal Marketing Association’s Orlando Local Steering Committee and is a member of the Tampa chapter. Michelle is a graduate of the ATHENA NextGen 2017 class, a high-profile Central Florida women’s leadership group, and currently serves as Vice President of Communications Strategy & Social Media.

She graduated summa cum laude from the University of Florida with a Bachelor of Science degree in Public Relations and a minor in Business Administration.

Michelle splits her time between the firm’s Tampa Bay office and South Florida office locations (Fort Lauderdale, Miami and West Palm Beach).

Eric Kalis

ERIC KALIS, Senior Vice President, works with clients in real estate, legal, banking and other industries. With more than a decade of communications experience as a business reporter and editor, Eric has extensive industry knowledge, digital media experience and news judgment, including substantial broadcasting, business development, public speaking and social media experience to offer BoardroomPR’s clients in media relations. He is a past winner of PRSA Greater Fort Lauderdale’s “Young Professional of the Year” PR Wizard Award and has received numerous internal recognitions from BoardroomPR for new business generation, strong client retention and media relations output.

Eric is actively involved in real estate and business organizations, such as the Urban Land Institute (ULI) and AIPAC Florida’s Real Estate Division. He served as co-chair of ULI’s Young Leaders of Broward County Marketing and Communications Committee. Before starting his public relations career at BoardroomPR, Eric was a journalist for numerous leading publications, including the Daily Business Review, Miami Today and The Real Deal. Eric graduated from the University of Miami with a Bachelor of Science degree in Communications.

Lauren Berger

Lauren Berger, Account Director, works with clients in a variety of industries including legal and professional services, healthcare, luxury real estate, and finance. She has a strong background in broadcast journalism and specializes in writing and social media management. Lauren started her career at ABC and prior to joining Boardroom, she was an executive producer for WPLG Local 10 where she was responsible for overseeing reporters, news producers, and writers. With a 15 year career in TV news, she is an expert in news media and various social platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. She also was an executive producer at WPEC-TV in West Palm Beach. Lauren graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in communications / political science from Florida State University.

Ashley Kearns

Ashley Kearns, Social Media Director, leads the firm’s accomplished social media team overseeing social media, influencer and online reputation management (ORM) campaigns of the agency’s key clients.

Her background as a PR pro taught her the importance of messaging, sound copywriting, storytelling, and reader/viewer engagement.  She and her social and multi-media staff create, develop and execute social media plans across a variety of brands and industries, maximizing follower engagement, conversion and community development.

Ashley is accustomed to the fast pace of the ever-changing as well as emerging social media platforms, attending conferences throughout the country as well as delivering seminars internally and to firm clients and outside organizations.  That’s why her department has doubled over the last two years.

At BoardroomPR, it’s not the “post-a-thon” one-size-fits-all campaigns we often see from inexperienced teams featuring once or twice a week posts duplicated across all social channels.  But instead, each campaign is well-researched and thought out with sophisticated targeting and messaging with unique images and videos that show up in the detailed monthly client analytics reports.

Representative industries the Social Media Practice Group serves include luxury real estate development, real estate brokerage, not-for-profits, industry and community associations, law firms, marine, healthcare, insurance, banking and finance, public affairs and crisis management.

Ashley and her team of highly experienced social media pros have developed award-winning social media campaigns for our firm such as “Empowering Survivors” and “Merrick Manor: Live, Love, Local.” She also assists with media relations social media integration, crisis management, and event planning and execution.

Prior to joining BoardroomPR more than five years ago, she was the Jr. Account Executive and Social Media Manager for a boutique public relations agency located in South Beach where she helped manage PR and social media for the firm’s lifestyle and hospitality clients, achieving national reach with the desired results.

Ashley graduated Magna Cum Laude from Florida International University with a Bachelor’s in Communication and a minor in Hospitality. At FIU, she was the Public Relations Chair for Alternative Breaks, a non-profit organization, and a peer leadership consultant.

Ashley is the past Socials Subcommittee Chair of the FIU Young Alumni Network Executive Committee, but continues to serve her alma mater through regular speaking engagements and attending young professional events.

Daniel Benjamin

Daniel Benjamin, Account Director, is a PR professional with almost a decade of experience in the communications industry. He works with a variety of clients in professional services including law, technology, construction, residential/commercial real estate development and brokerage, banking, and engineering. He also focuses on industry association PR.  Daniel has developed a reputation as an elite media relations professional and has secured media placements in prestigious publications such as the Associated Press, Forbes, U.S. News & World Report, Wall Street Journal, Florida Trend, Law360 as well as many other print, broadcast and online outlets throughout Florida and nationally.

Before starting his Public Relations career at BoardroomPR, Daniel worked for the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services as a Public Information Officer. He has worked on many emergency eradication programs as a representative of the commissioner’s office and has worked cooperatively with local and federal organizations. He specialized in community outreach, business liaison, public relations, and communications. While working for the state, Daniel received his MBA from Florida International University with a specialization in International Business.

He currently holds leadership positions sitting on the board of directors of the Goldcoast PR Council as Vice President and Chairman of the Legal Marketing Association’s South Florida Steering Committee.

Daniel graduated from the University of Florida with a Bachelor of Science degree in Communications with a minor in Leadership Development.

Daniel splits his time between the firm’s Fort Lauderdale, Miami, and West Palm Beach offices.

Mara Gordon

Jessica Shein

Jessica Shein, Account Director, specializes in media relations, crisis communications, communications strategy, and public policy.  She has experience representing clients in the legal, professional services, tech, healthcare, insurance, travel and nonprofit industries.

Jessica began her career at Boardroom PR from 2012-2017 and then rejoined the agency in 2023. For six years, she worked for national corporations including an educational travel company and served as the Director of Communications for a national healthcare and advocacy organization. There, she was responsible for media relations, corporate communications, crisis communications and public policy analysis. Jessica went on to work for a San Francisco-based PR agency as an Account Director, where she worked with  startups in the fintech, biotech, and AI sectors of technology.

The Broward County native has experience in all aspects of PR and communications. She has served as the point-of-contact for law firms, organizations and coalitions during Supreme and Federal Court hearings and decisions to ensure her clients’ voices were a part of the conversation at both the national and local levels of media.

She has secured media placements in the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Bloomberg, BBC, The Guardian, VentureBeat, TechCrunch, Wired, and the Washington Post.

Jessica received her B.S. in Communications from Florida International University and her M.A. in Public Management with a concentration in Public Policy Analysis at Johns Hopkins University.

Veronika Vernachio

Veronika Vernachio, Creative Director/Multimedia, works with a variety of clients on social media management, video production, media relations, brand development and audience engagement. She has extensive experience with a variety of social media platforms including Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, Linkedin and YouTube.

Prior to joining BoardroomPR, Veronika was a morning anchor and multimedia journalist for multiple television stations owned by E.W. Scripps Media Company. She started her career in Tucson, Arizona as a morning multimedia journalist where she wrote, shot and edited stories for the ABC affiliate KGUN9. She was last in Tallahassee, where she helped launch the ABC affiliate’s WTXL weekend morning show as a producer and anchor.

Veronika graduated from the University of Florida’s College of Journalism and Communications as a Telecommunication- News Broadcast major. At UF, she was the College Liaison for the Journalism School’s Ambassador Program, where she worked with new and prospective students to introduce the program to them. She was also involved with the local PBS and NPR affiliates where she anchored, produced and reported on community stories and statewide documentaries. She also spent some time at Instagram and the Washington Post as one of 11 selected across the country to help launch IGTV, now known as Instagram’s mega-popular Reels video platform.

Veronika splits her time between the firm’s Fort Lauderdale, Miami, and West Palm Beach offices.

Andrea Ugarte

Bri Grall

Bri Grall, Digital Marketing Specialist, focuses on traditional and digital PR initiatives as well as social media campaigns and video production for BoardroomPR clients in several industries including hospitality, law, real estate, technology, non-profit and industry associations.

She excels in content creation — writing press releases and blogs, as well as implementing results-driven social media strategies, producing short videos and graphics, and developing community management campaigns to increase engagement and awareness for the firm’s clients. Bri also handles media outreach as well as putting together reports with key metrics to share with the account management team and our clients.

Bri earned a B.A. in Strategic Communication and a B.A. in Digital Media Production and Journalism. She gained a passion for leadership and invaluable experience through the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) as the chapter president then the PRSSA National Sunshine District Ambassador, working as a liaison between the parent chapters and 11 universities throughout Florida.

Bri splits her time between the firm’s Fort Lauderdale, Miami, and West Palm Beach offices.

Amanda Gordon

Angelic Bringas

Angelic Bringas, Account Executive, is passionate about collaborating with brands to enhance their digital presence, showcasing her creativity and drive. Specializing in media relations and PR strategy, she works with a diverse array of clients in professional services, including legal, real estate, technology, healthcare, finance, and insurance. Her work has garnered features in notable publications such as The Wall Street Journal, NBC, The Real Deal, Law 360, and various trade and local Florida outlets.

Prior to her PR career at BoardroomPR, Angelic served as a Public Relations Coordinator at a Miami-based marketing and PR agency. Here, she collaborated with clients across different professional sectors, crafting impactful PR and marketing campaigns. Additionally, she completed an internship with TelevisaUnivision, where she played a key role in supporting press junkets, drafting content for notable television series, generating coverage reports for campaigns, and participating in several press events.

Angelic graduated from Florida International University with a bachelor’s degree in Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communications, along with a minor in Social Media and E-Marketing. During her time at FIU, she was an active member of the BOLD Communications Agency, organizing targeted campaigns and developing engaging content for her clients. She is fluent in  both Spanish and English.

Hannah Batista

Hannah Batista, Social Media Specialist, excels in developing and implementing cutting-edge social media strategies, crafting compelling narratives, managing social media accounts, and compiling analytics to propel the firm and its clients toward their marketing objectives. Leveraging her extensive expertise and profound background in branding and design, she creates attention-grabbing and engaging social media content that resonates with diverse target audiences in a distinctive and captivating manner.

Proficient in the Adobe Creative Suite, Hannah boasts a wealth of experience in tailoring content across various social media platforms, including Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and X (formerly known as Twitter).

Before joining Boardroom PR, Hannah honed her skills as a graphic designer at the University of Florida. Thanks to her experience as a branding intern and freelance designer, her impressive portfolio includes a strong track record of conceptualizing and executing design ideas, crafting brand identities, and developing tailored social media content for a wide range of clients and audiences. Notable achievements include the creation of original branding guidelines for an up-and-coming influencer’s podcast and the development of a distinct brand identity for a non-profit organization.

Hannah, a true Floridian, comes from Miami, Florida, where she was born and raised. Her academic journey led her to graduate summa cum laude from the University of Florida’s College of Journalism and Communications, where she earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Advertising, complemented by a minor in Innovation.

Diana Mellion

Diana Mellion is a PR Specialist who concentrates on media relations and office management for BoardroomPR. Before joining Boardroom in 2021, Diana was with the Sun-Sentinel for 30 years, 27 of those, as a member of the paper’s Editorial Board. Her responsibilities included Letters and Viewpoint Editor, selecting content, writing headlines, managing page production, and coordinating political candidate interviews. She wrote stories and caregiver columns, as well.  She also has experience working with local nonprofits in the cultural arts, aging and youth mentoring arenas in the capacity of membership and development, advisor, and volunteer. She focused on building support and donations, community outreach, social media and eNewsletters.

Lindsey Robison

Lindsey Robison, Social Media Specialist, excels at developing effective digital strategies and managing social media campaigns that enhance brand visibility. With a solid background in public relations and digital communications, she creates engaging content that connects with audiences and achieves measurable results.

Before joining BoardroomPR, Lindsey co-founded her own marketing company. There, she honed her skills in social media management, content creation, targeted advertising, and strategy development for businesses throughout Florida. She also hosted workshops and mentored interns, fostering a collaborative environment focused on client-centric solutions and innovative marketing strategies.

Lindsey earned a Bachelor of Science in Public Relations with a minor in Business Administration from the University of Florida. She is currently pursuing a Master of Arts in Mass Communications, specializing in Digital Strategies. Her academic background equips her with a strong foundation in strategic communication and digital marketing techniques.

Brian French

Brian French is the Search Engine Optimization and Online Marketing Specialist with BoardroomPR. Brian has over 12 years of experience in implementing website traffic and revenue-producing search engine optimization, PPC, and social media marketing campaigns. Search Engine Optimization strategies and techniques continue to evolve. Brian completes detailed “on-page” SEO formatting for websites and has established productive inbound link-building resources. Brian French has a BA in Business Administration and Finance from the University of South Florida and is an owner of many niche social media groups with over 25,000 members. He has also been a podcasting interview host for leading Florida businesses.

Brian works out of our Tampa Bay office.

Visit our:

South Fl Search Engine Optimization page

Ft Lauderdale website design page

Hayley Brooks

Hugo OTTOLENGHI

HUGO H. OTTOLENGHI is a senior consultant to BoardroomPR. His areas of expertise in writing include residential and commercial real estate, construction, banking and finance, healthcare, law, technology, non-profits, intellectual property, nutritional supplements, and baseball. Hugo plans and executes communication strategies that integrate traditional media, blogs, social media, and multimedia such as video production and editing, podcasts and photography.

Hugo began his multimedia career as a producer at the national TV news show, the Nightly Business Report. He then became the editorial and research director for what is now bankrate.com. In South Florida, he managed real estate and banking coverage for the Daily Business Review while also serving as Palm Beach Executive Editor. At Scripps Treasure Coast Newspapers, he directed business news and legislative coverage and served as a writing coach to news bureaus from Jupiter to Sebastian. Hugo has co-authored two books and is a faculty member in the School of Communication + Journalism at Florida International University.

Hugo splits his time between the firm’s Fort Lauderdale, Miami, and West Palm Beach offices.