Since 2009, Kathy Walter-Mack has served as chief of staff and associate vice chancellor of human resources at Metropolitan Community College, where she acts as spokesperson for the chancellor to media and the public. In her career, Kathy Walter-Mack has become a leader in the realm of crisis management.
When developing a crisis management strategy, one of the first and most important steps is to actually anticipate what type of crises could occur. Gathering the team and engaging in a proactive brainstorming session helps to determine which problems can be avoided simply by changing existing methods and policies, and also in developing best and worst-case scenarios and strategies about how to respond to them. As a result, your organization should come away with a solid crisis response plan.
Secondly, it’s important to identify the key members who will make up the crisis communications team. This should be senior executives, preferably led by the CEO. Public relations personnel and legal counsel will also be important pieces of the puzzle. It may be necessary to contract outside public relations professionals if the in-house team is inexperienced in dealing with crisis situations.
Kathy Walter-Mack 