Wittenberg University

University Welcomes Two Executives as Part of Management Program

SPRINGFIELD, Ohio -Wittenberg welcomes two executives to campus next week for another round of the management department's successful Executive-in-Residence program, Tuesday, March 18. The keynote address featuring Maury Giles, vice president of Wirthlin Worldwide, a marketing research company, and Aimee Segal, vice president of GMMB, will be held at 7 p.m. Tuesday in Kissell Auditorium inside Koch Hall. Giles and Segal will share their knowledge about "Applying Research to Effectively Promote Government Programs - Covering Kids." Geared toward management majors and minors, the event is open to anyone interested in the topic.

Maury Giles provides market research and strategic communications consulting for many of the country's largest companies, major trade and professional associations, and local, state, and federal campaigns. Giles' work with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation was awarded the Advertising Research Foundation 2002 David Ogilvy Grand Winner Award for Research Excellence. This award is one of the most prestigious in the research and advertising fields, and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation is one of the nation's largest health philanthropy organizations.

The Wirthlin Worldwide team provided supporting research and communications strategy for the very sucessful "Covering Kids" campaign designed to motivate parents of eligible children to call and apply for low-cost or free health care coverage through the State Children's Health Insurance Program and/or Medicaid. This program has been used locally by both Children's hospitals in Columbus and Dayton as well as other health care providers in the region.

Other clients Giles has worked with include the Fannie Mae Foundation, Junior Achievement, Franklin Covey, Children's Miracle Network and America's Promise. His expertise includes values marketing, advertising strategy, customer satisfaction, crisis communications, issues marketing, brand research, logo and naming strategies, and political campaigns at the local, state and national level.

Giles has also worked as a journalist covering political and public policy issues. He holds a dual bachelor's degree in communication studies and journalism from New Mexico State University and resides in Salt Lake City with his wife and three daughters.

Segal was a leader on the advertising agency side of the "Covering Kids" communications team and was instrumental in the launch of a national public education campaign to promote the program with reporters covering the issue. During the past three years, the team has generated nearly 40,000 newspaper, television, radio and Web stories reaching more than 278 million viewers, listeners and readers nationwide. Segal also oversees the Web site.

Her career began in journalism where she covered education and politics for the NBC affiliate in Boston, Mass. Segal was honored in 1994 with the National Academy of Television Arts & Science's Emmy Award for the town hall meetings and election forum she produced. She holds a B.A. in journalism and East Asian Studies from Boston University and resides in Washington, D.C.

While at Wittenberg, Giles and Segal will also participate in marketing and advertising classes and offer a career chat about marketing research, advertising, public relations and journalism. For more information, contact Pamela Schindler, professor of management and director of the Wittenberg Center for Applied Management, at (937) 327-7904.

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