Chief UPS Spokesman and Former AP Reporter Joins The Hatcher Group
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Norman Black, an award-winning journalist and public relations professional who was the chief spokesperson for UPS for the past 15 years, has joined The Hatcher Group as a vice president.
Black, a media relations expert, will work with The Hatcher Group’s clients to build relationships with journalists and to raise clients’ profiles across print, broadcast and digital media.
The Hatcher Group is a public affairs and communications firm that connects nonprofits and foundations to policymakers and the media. It focuses exclusively on progressive policy issues and works to advance its clients’ agendas for social change. The firm works on a range of issues, including poverty, tax and budget issues affecting low-income families, education, youth-at-risk, the environment and human rights.
The Hatcher Group is based in Bethesda, Md., and has offices in Baltimore and Annapolis. For a full list of the firm’s clients, click here.
“Norman brings great experience and high ability to our firm,” said Ed Hatcher, president of The Hatcher Group. “He is respected by journalists everywhere, and we’re excited to have him on our team.”
Black spent most of his 20-year journalism career with The Associated Press in Washington, where he covered D.C. and regional politics, Congress and defense issues. After leaving the AP, Black became the spokesman for the cellular telephone industry’s main trade association and then moved to Atlanta where he directed public relations for Equifax before joining UPS.
At UPS, Black helped build the company’s public relations team into one of the most effective corporate PR departments in the country. His responsibilities included overseeing media relations, marketing support and crisis response. The global shipper UPS was founded by the late Jim Casey, who also founded the Annie E. Casey Foundation. Black and his wife, Beverly, now reside in Rockville, Md.
The hiring of Black continues a period of significant growth for The Hatcher Group. Olivia Doherty returns to the firm as a director of communications after two years as a senior communications associate at the Pew Center on the States, where she managed communications efforts for four projects under the Election Initiatives. Washington Women in Public Relations recently named Doherty a winner of its 2012 Emerging Leaders Awards, which honors rising stars in the public relations and communications field for their professional accomplishments.
Aurora Matthews also has returned to The Hatcher Group as senior communications associate after completing a master’s degree in public policy at the University of Pittsburgh. Megan Cotten came on board as a senior communications associate specializing in education issues. She previously worked at Lipman Hearne, a public relations firm, and at the Pew Charitable Trusts.
The Hatcher Group also has expanded the capacity of its social media team with the recent hire of Amy Shelton, who orchestrated social media strategy in the marketing and communications department at PeaceHealth Oregon Region, a healthcare organization in the Pacific Northwest.
“All of these terrific new hires will enable us to better meet our clients’ goals of fostering social change,” said partner Angie Cannon.