TESTIMONIALS
I had the pleasure of working with Gisele through an immersive strategic communications planning training that she designed for me. Gisele's training helped me to know the right questions to ask program leaders to get to the heart of what they are trying to achieve, so I could advise how communications could support in achieving the program's vision and goals.
I learned how program and communications strategies can be developed hand-in-hand and how to recommend the appropriate strategies and tactics based on the goals, audiences, and resources of the program plan. She helped me to see and demonstrate the value of strategic communications to the teams that I support, and I have been able to take these learnings and run with them well beyond the training.
Gisele is a pleasure to work with - she doesn't just tell, but brings you along through the strategic planning process and is a true partner. She enabled me not only to gain the specific skills and knowledge needed to develop and implement a strategic communications plan, but also gave me the confidence to lead and influence. She truly tailors her approach to her clients' needs and delivers results.
Ryanne Waters, senior communications specialist, World Wildlife Fund Freshwater & Food
Gisele was a fantastic partner to our organization and an outstanding leadership coach. She quickly identified why two of our teams were struggling with cross-sectional collaboration and carefully guided us through the steps we needed to take to turn things around. She reaffirmed our teams abilities to effectively communicate about shared projects vital to our organization's success. Along the way, she provided me with valuable leadership coaching that strengthened my team management and planning skills.
Gisele is professional, thorough, experienced, and knowledgeable. I highly recommend her communications, team management and leadership coaching services.
- Fern Stone, chief development & communications officer, The Children's Inn at NIH
I have worked with Gisele for several years, first as she carried out a communications assessment and developed an excellent communication strategy for the NDPI Foundation, including our advocacy efforts on collaboration amongst donors. Gisele really helped us to think strategically about how we targeted audiences, generated interest around key issues, and built partnerships to address them. She worked collaboratively with our staff and partners to improve our capacity to more strategically manage our communications.
I received very useful support from Gisele in my work and continue to work with her after moving from the NDPI Foundation to the Hamakua Institute. She would be an outstanding resource for anyone who would like to get a more strategic and holistic understanding of how to communicate with the people you want to influence.
- Dennis Flemming, executive director, Hamakua Institute and former executive director, Niger Delta Partnership Initiative Foundation (NDPI)
We had a wonderful experience working with Gisele as a consultant with our media staff. She provided terrific expert and strategic advice that was directly relevant to our needs. Gisele also was incredibly professional; established and met her deadlines; dealt with staff issues with aplomb; and provided me, as executive director, with just the right level of engagement and information. I enthusiastically recommend Gisele as an expert communications consultant.
- Frederick Isasi, executive director, Families USA
Gisele is fantastic, her coaching is far-reaching, and the amount of information, insight, and support she gives you is second to none. She asks the tough questions and pushes you to really think about who you are beyond your role or your career. I couldn't recommend her enough!
- Minna Marfo, Marketing Co-ordinator EMEA at Shareworks by Morgan Stanley
Gisele's coaching style is amazing. She partners with you in a thought-provoking process that inspires you to maximize your potential. I highly recommend her!
- Renata Ponichtera, Senior Manager, Capacity Building, National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI)
Writing a recommendation for Gisele comes easily. She is one of the most professional, energetic and intelligent communications leaders I've had the privilege of working with. While with WWF International, Gisele lead the Climate Change initiative, effortlessly guiding a team of communications managers in some 26+ countries, producing collateral for the global media in multiple languages, while synthesizing often difficult to understand technical concepts relating to climate change.
I know Gisele to be an energy tour de force, whose knowledge of global news media enables her to create and execute strategic communications plans that consistently generate worldwide media placement, but more importantly connect with and start conversations among key policy influencers. Her breadth of knowledge--climate change, global health, disaster relief--and decades of experience with the NGO universe would surely make her an asset to any organization.
- Liz Foley, former communications manager, Worldwide Fund For Nature (WWF)
Gisele oversaw our branding and worked with us again in support of the Water Information Sharing and Analysis Center (WaterISAC) new marketing effort. We have gone from initial conversations, to research and analysis, to development of the communications and marketing plan, and now to the plan’s execution. She has led us through each phase expertly and stretched our imaginations in the process. She’s an excellent writer and communicator, and her strategic thinking skills were essential to helping us to identify our goals and produce practical approach to achieving them. On top of that, she’s a delight to work with.
- Michael Arceneaux, Managing Director, WaterISAC
Gisele has a genuine passion for improving people's lives and the environment through smart communications, strategies, and tactics. She is an excellent listener, writer, and project manager who carefully works with clients to learn what they need before offering tailored solutions. Gisele is a pleasure to work with and I hope to have the opportunity to work with her again.
- Rocio Campos, Communications Manager, Global Network Initiative
During my tenure as Executive Vice President at a global climate policy organization, the Center for Clean Air Policy (CCAP), Gisele consulted as the chief communications and marketing strategist. Starting from a blank slate with no internal organization capacity, she built a robust marketing program that led to higher global visibility and more successful long term funding. At the UN Climate Conference in Nairobi, Gisele led a a successful effort to strengthen global branding and introduced selected government ministers to new policy proposals.
I have known Gisele since the late 90s (including her time at The Wilderness Society). She is creative, strategic and responsive. She is a leader who can get things moving quickly on advocacy, branding and messaging. With broad experience, she quickly comes up to speed on the content and impact of an organization and its mission.
- Steven Kallan, principal, Kallan Strategic Partners, LLC
I met Gisele during my first rebranding and relaunch experience at PEACE X PEACE. It was a huge undertaking that rebuilt the organization's communications strategy, messaging, image and branding. Through it all, Gisele was thorough, organized, and pro-active when she needed to be, but always careful to listen. In hindsight, she was also frequently the calm in the storm and always a pleasure to work with.
Over the years, Gisele has become a trusted colleague - gracious with her time and expertise, honest but kind in her assessments. If you need a seasoned communications professional to help you plan, develop, and execute a project, look no further!
- Sohini Baliga, former director of communications, PEACE X PEACE
Gisele is a driven and focused communications professional with extensive firsthand experience in delivering news, and managing complex communications issues and projects. She's done it all-- from field producing for international TV and cable networks in war-torn countries, to leading advocacy communications for humanitarian and environmental causes with global NGOs and key contributors and leaders in international development, such as the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
Gisele and I worked together when I joined the American Red Cross Rapid Response Team to deploy and manage Red Cross messaging and national media presence on site following major disasters. At the time I was a senior communications specialist for Red Cross in Los Angeles, and then the director of communications for the Red Cross in Phoenix. Responses included such crises as the Northridge Earthquake in Los Angeles and the Oklahoma City Bombing. From the national office, Gisele gave guidance to field communicators regarding Red Cross disaster communications.
We now collaborate as owners of global communications consultancies focused on humanitarian work and other sectors related to international development communications. Gisele began her company first, and she's always been generous to collaborate and share tips of the trade - something that is hard to come by in this competitive field of work. She is passionate about delivering results to her clients in their mission-driven work, and she is very capable of handling complex crisis, policy and issues-related communications challenges. I'm very happy we've stayed in touch all these years.
- Carol Miller, founding partner, Five Heads Strategic Communications and former international communications lead for American Red Cross International Services
During my tenure as Vice President and head of Governmental Affairs at The Wilderness Society (TWS), Gisele was a valuable leader of the communication team that guided the policy staff in messaging – taking highly scientific information and very technical legal documents – and making them accessible to Hill staff and the media.
TWS was involved with the successful change in federal policy listing the Spotted Owl as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act, and requiring the U.S. Forest Service to ensure the northern spotted owl’s viability by complying with the National Forest Management Act. Gisele was able to find fresh and creative ways to keep the issue alive over the protracted years of lawsuits, revised regulations, threatened amendments, and final resolution that has lead to reduced cutting of old growth forests and maintaining viable habitat for the owl.
- Rindy O'Brien, former vice president and head of governmental affairs, The Wilderness Society