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MNPR Biographies

Ryan May
Principal, Editor in Chief
Ryan May
Ryan is actively seeking employment opportunities in the Twin Cities. With more than 12-years of public relations, marketing and communications leadership, Ryan has developed a strong portfolio of experience. 

Ryan was vice president of public relations at Risdall McKinney Public Relations (RMPR). His role is to increase the depth and breadth of RMPR through his knowledge of the public relations and his knowledge of the industry.His clients included a major Twin Cities university and a local natural stone manufacturing company.

Prior to Risdall, Ryan was communications manager at BAE Systems Armament Systems in Minneapolis. He led a team in the development of public relations and marketing efforts for major U.S. military contracts including media relations, congressional briefings, internal communications, video creation and collateral to support business development.

In 2007, Ryan was the communications manager for the Land & Armaments Integration Team when BAE Systems acquired Armor Holdings. As the lead communicator he was responsible for BAE Systems acquisition brand management, advertising and public relations.

With a decade's worth of communications experience, Ryan has a diverse background having worked at a newspaper, in radio, at the University of Minnesota and at a small public relations agency before landing at BAE Systems in 2002.

Ryan earned his Bachelor of Arts in Journalism from the University of Minnesota and a Master of Business Administration from Augsburg College. He is an active member in the , National Defense Industrial Association, the Association of the United States Army and the Defense Alliance of Minnesota.




Marc Holt Contributing Editor


Marc Holt is a content writer with a passion for media studies, promotion, filmmaking, and creative design.  A native of Minnesota, he earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Mass Media at Minnesota State University.
 
Marc was a supervisor of public affairs for Feeding Our Communities Partners, a nonprofit organization based in southern Minnesota.  During that time, he helped develop awareness for the cause, obtain funds and recruit volunteers.  Additionally, Marc played a central role in marketing the Blue Earth County Community Farm Project.  Currently, he is an employee at Wellness Resources, an organic health company in Minneapolis.

Marc is a music enthusiast and serves as the vocalist for Jada Kings, an alternative rock band from Minneapolis.

Contact him at

Brant Skogrand, APR, MBC
Contributing Editor

Brant is a public relations and social media consultant as the Chief Communications Officer for Skogrand PR Solutions, LLC.

He previously was a vice president at Risdall McKinney Public Relations (RMPR), where his clients included a Minnesota-based credit union, an assisted living provider, a medical pharmacy benefit management company and more.

Prior to joining RMPR in 2008, Brant worked at Thrivent Financial for Lutherans, where he provided media relations expertise and spokesperson training as well as public relations counseling, planning, implementation and evaluation. He obtained media exposure for management and financial office teams and developed and implemented a communications plan that promoted Thrivent Financial’s retirement solutions.

Previously in his career, Brant worked for Thomson Reuters, where he edited employee publications, developed content for the employee intranet and promoted product launches. Brant is no stranger to the agency world, having worked at Tunheim Partners. In his first job, he worked with both executives and field personnel on media relations at The Musicland Group.

An accredited member of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA), Brant served as chair of the Midwest district in 2013 and as president of the Minnesota chapter in 2012. Brant shares his passion of public relations by serving as a guest lecturer to college students on the topic and by serving for three years as the professional adviser to the Public Relations Student Society of America chapter at the University of St. Thomas.

Brant has earned several awards for his work, including PRSA Silver Anvils, Minnesota PRSA Classics and Communicator Awards. Brant has a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Minnesota and earned a master’s degree in business communication from the University of St. Thomas.

You can find him at www.skograndpr.com and on , and