WVB Award Winner 2018 - Jonathan Kissell
Jonathan Kissell, APR, is an award-winning public relations professional, with experience spanning corporate, nonprofit and educational communications. He has served on Cincinnati PRSA’s Board or Leadership Team since 2007, in roles including president, ethics director, treasurer, membership chair and new professionals chair.
Jonathan has a bachelor’s degree in communication from the University of Dayton. After graduating from UD, he joined Rumpke Waste & Recycling’s corporate communications team in 2005. During his tenure at Rumpke, he has earned numerous promotions while leading various projects involving major contracts, community outreach, employee training, media relations, marketing, social media and crisis management. In 2010, Rumpke received the Cincinnati PRSA Communications Teams of the Year Award. In 2013, Jonathan graduated from Rumpke’s Leadership & Personal Development Academy; he was one of 11 associates selected from the company’s 3,000 employees to participate in the yearlong program. Jonathan recently accepted the newly-created role as customer experience manager to lead Rumpke’s digital communications team.
Jonathan also works as a part-time faculty member at Miami University. He currently teaches a Strategic Communication capstone course in the Department of Media, Journalism and Film. In this class, students prepare full-scale communications plans for nonprofit organizations.
He is most proud of his accomplishments with the EB Hope Foundation, where he serves as president. Epidermolysis Bullosa (EB) is a rare genetic skin disease characterized by the presence of extremely fragile skin and recurrent blister formation resulting from minor friction or trauma. People with EB are covered from head-to-toe (inside and out) with blisters. Two of Jonathan’s nephews suffer from the disease. His family started the EB Hope Foundation to raise awareness and funds to support EB patients and their families. For more information, please visit:
· www.EBHope.org
Jonathan and his wife Diane have three smart and talented children, ages 6 and under (Josie, Julia and Dominic). They love living room dance parties and spending time with family and friends.
