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“Gary has helped in immeasurable ways to advance the mission of charter schools and to ensure that the public understands why they are so important. He has been brilliant at placing the right stories in the press, effective at putting out fires and very creative in giving the California Charter Schools Association the ‘My School!’ brand. In Gary’s efforts to frame our work as part of a movement based on quality, he has been ahead of others’ thinking. His vision in understanding that our movement has to stand for quality was prescient, and we owe him our gratitude for advancing this mission. Gary’s service to the movement will only help it continue to succeed nationally.” Caprice Young, former CEO “The charter school movement in California would not be where it is today without the sound advice and tireless efforts of Gary Larson. Whether it is crisis management or framing longer-term messaging and media relationships, Gary's instincts and judgment are superb. And running through all his work is a deep commitment to providing better educational options to all kids.” Chris Nelson, Managing Director “Gary has a remarkable ability to help organizations communicate in ways that effectively engage the media and inform the public. Through Gary’s proactive efforts, public awareness of charter schools both in California and beyond is at an all-time high.” Priscilla Wohlstetter, Ph.D., Educational Policy Director, Center on Educational Governance “Larson Communications has grown so much from a great beginning where as the head of communications for the California Charter Schools Association, Gary was responsible for swinging all the major California dailies into having a positive outlook on charter schools. In short, Gary is a PR genius and he has grown into a firm that has amazing relationships with the media by recruiting top professionals who not only know the media and how to message your story, but they were once the media themselves.” Michael Piscal, Founder and CEO, “Gary Larson has an established track record of supporting the charter school movement, both in California and nationally, through the development of high quality media campaigns, public relations initiatives, and outreach at the grassroots leve. He has a unique ability to capture “stories” found in the daily lives of charter schools and connect them to broad policy,fiscal and legislative issues. His strong relationships with local, state and national media outlets allow him multiple avenues to convey messages about the positive impacts of charter schools. I have worked with Gary over the course of the last six years and believe him to be the best in the business.” Ref Rodriguez, Ed.D., Founder and co-CEO “Larson Communications has literally ‘written the book’ on how charter school membership organizations across the nation can advance charter-friendly policies by doing a better job of telling the charter school story. There’s no one better at this than the Larson team, and that’s why they’re part of our team.” Nelson Smith, President and CEO “Gary Larson is the most talented and knowledgeable communications and public-relations professional in California's education reform movement. The growth and success of charter schools in our state can be attributed in significant part to his excellent efforts. Our institute has been fortunate to have Gary as a speaker on communications strategies at several of our events and our audiences have been greatly impressed with the quality and practicality of his presentations.” Lance T. Izumi, Director of Education Studies “Larson Communications is responsible for a major media and marketing facelift at the Utah Association of Public Charter Schools. The Larson group, with its renowned history and expertise in crafting the effective charter school message, was instrumental in the success of our recent Charter School Day at the State Capitol event. Their hands-on assistance and practical guidebook have resulted in a detailed strategic plan and media calendar that are at the heart of our now proactive communications strategies.” Steven Winitzky, Executive Director “Gary Larson is a public relations genius. His efforts are mainly responsible for putting the California Charter Schools Association and quality California charter public schools on the map! I recommend him with the utmost of enthusiasm!” Joe Lucente, Founder and past-Co-Director “Gary Larson is, in my opinion, the voice of the charter school movement. His writing skills and sense of timing in media are uncanny. His passion for giving parents a choice and for keeping us focused on the message is a true mark of his professionalism and caring.” Rick Piercy, Founder and CEO, The Lewis Center for Educational Research “Over the last six years with Gary Larson spearheading public relations, the charter school movement has made great positive strides in making the public more aware of the benefits of parental choice in public schools. Gary has effectively demonstrated the importance of a clear message based on supportable facts. This enabled him to get the word out supporting charter schools as a quality education alternative in public education.” Gene Fisher, Founder and CEO, “Larson Communications is the best at what they do because they are not only expert public relations professionals but they are also deeply knowledgeable about education policy. They have spent years cultivating trust and credibility with the news media, and they are highly adept at framing an issue in a manner that gets visibility. More importantly, for a public relations firm, they have the courage to talk straight. Gary and his team are passionate believers in the charter school movement and in education reform. They have the honesty and the integrity to help us guide the charter school movement for long-term success.” “Larson Communications was an invaluable asset to the statewide launch of our organization. They not only provided strategic counsel on how to effectively build our organization from the ground up, but they successfully implemented a media campaign that put us on the map and highlighted all the great work of our teachers and programs. We look forward to continuing to work with Larson Communications as we move forward as an organization.” Catherine Kearney, President “From public awareness to crisis communications, Larson Communications is the first phone call we make when we want to ensure our audiences hear the right story at the right time. The team at Larson will guide you through a communications plan or be your communications tool to proactively and professionally get your message out.” Eileen Sigmund, CEO “Larson Communications has been an essential part of the Aspire team since we first began working together. They listen to our needs and execute effective public relations campaigns with an uncanny understanding of our audiences, key message points and mission. Larson Communications is not just a vendor, but a partner, and is clearly invested in our staff, schools and students, which has certainly been a key driver in the success of our communications goals.” James Willcox, CEO “Working with Larson Communications has been a pleasure from the beginning. They helped us identify and refine our key messaging, and secure steady positive media coverage since the launch of our organization. Sometimes a media crisis can occur unexpectedly, it puts my mind at ease to know that experts only a phone call away.” Julie Franciosi, Director of Communications |
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