Risdall McKinney Hires Joel Swanson, APR, as Vice President and Amanda Hooper as Assistant Account Executive

With continued growth in both the organization and new business areas, Risdall McKinney Public Relations (RMPR) recently hired Joel Swanson, APR, as vice president and Amanda Hooper as assistant account executive. Year-to-date, RMPR has hired six employees in the last seven months.

"Our approach to public relations is spurring considerable growth," said Rose McKinney, APR, president. "It's attracting senior counselors and skilled practitioners not to mention new clients."

Swanson brings a proven ability to lead public relations planning, share exceptional tactical skills and provide strategic counsel to executives and senior management teams. Prior to joining RMPR, Swanson managed several areas of public relations at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota including sales and marketing, product development, health management, consumer engagement and several public policy initiatives, among others. He previously led internal communications and media relations for Bethel University and coordinated outreach for Education Minnesota in the communications department.

Active in the profession, Swanson is an instructor with the FOCUS program at Northwestern College in St. Paul, a guest lecturer throughout the Twin Cities, and an active member of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA). A former board member, he has been the chair of numerous committees and currently serves as the chair of the PRSA Accreditation Committee, which helps PRSA members earn their professional APR designation.

"Risdall McKinney is quickly earning a reputation for generating results that matter – something that’s very important to me," said Swanson. "Rose and I have worked together within PRSA, and her guidance and passion for public relations is contagious."

Swanson earned a Bachelors of Science in mass communications, public relations sequences and business management at St. Cloud State University in 1994, and a Masters of Arts in Christian thought from Bethel Seminary in 2002.

Prior to joining RMPR, Hooper completed an internship at New School Communications in St. Paul and was the Public Relations Student Society of America (PRSSA) president at the University of St. Thomas.

Hooper received a Bachelors of Arts in public relations from the University of St. Thomas in May 2007.