Meet the 'A' and 'M' of 20 A-M COMMUNICATIONS
ALYSON LADERMAN
President & Co-Founder
To say that Alyson Laderman has a creative passion for the arts and charities throughout Central Florida would be a major understatement.
For much of the past decade, she has devoted time, effort, and monies to ensuring that causes she believes in succeed.
Through the years, Alyson has been a supporter of women's issues, non-profits, local educational institutions, and the local arts scene. She has been:
* Vice President, Board of Directors, Orlando International Fringe Theater Festival
* Founding Board Member and Supporter, Orlando Outreachers
* Board of Directors and Member, National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO) Orlando chapter
* Member and Supporter, Orlando Museum of Art
That passion and inner drive to ensure small, local, and/or diverse institutions and organizations is what drove her to create 20 A-M COMMUNICATIONS. That passion and drive that guides her is what guides us, ensuring that we provide those same qualities when representing you and your organization.
MICHAEL LADERMAN
Co-Founder & Executive Director
Michael Laderman, with an extensive successful background in communications, marketing, advertising, and special events – including eight (8) years as an award-winning editor and columnist, with part-time stints on television and radio – has a 29-year diverse professional career that is highly uncommon to find in PR professionals. It is that in-depth experience that has led to increased visibility for each organization he has represented – including Nova Southeastern University, Barry University, Clemson University, and the Orlando Museum of Art.
Representing diverse institutions has been Laderman’s passion throughout his career. In just 15 months with the Orlando Museum of Art [as Director of External Affairs/Director of Marketing & Public Relations], his efforts: more than doubled attendance for many of OMA’s main events; brought never-before-seen diverse audiences to OMA’s events/activities; almost doubled OMA’s Twitter and Facebook audiences in just 14 months; raised more than $65,000 in sponsorship and/or in-kind donations; led the two largest one-day membership campaigns in OMA history; more than doubled media coverage of top OMA exhibitions; and produced OMA’s new brand from top to bottom.
In his time at Clemson University [the highest-ranked public university in South Carolina], he was initially charged with promoting all undergraduate and graduate programs as CU’s Director of Academic Communications. His successes of garnering story placement in local, regional and national media outlets quickly led to a promotion to Clemson’s Office of the President – as Clemson’s Director of Executive Communications. There, he was charged with the creation and implementation of a new position that focused on the communications and community relations of President James P. Clements.
As Barry University’s Assistant Vice President for Communications and Marketing, in one of the largest media markets in the nation, Laderman managed a $1.8 million budget and a team of 11 communications professionals. In his leadership role of directing all media relations, crisis communications, brand management and publications, he was charged with promoting BU’s nine academic schools and colleges. While directing Barry University’s advertising, publications and overall brand, he led a complete university-wide “refreshed brand” initiative, and created award-winning strategic, specific and targeted image and enrollment advertising campaigns and publications. And unlike most other PR professionals, he also has experience in the classroom, having taught a summer graduate-level media relations class at Barry for six consecutive years.
His experience in media and community relations began in the mid-1990s, when he was Assistant Director of Athletics/Sports Information at Nova Southeastern University, Assistant Sports Information Director for the 1996 Summer Olympic Games, and Director of Media Relations and Communications for the 1996 CARQUEST Bowl. He was promoted in 1999 and named NSU’s Associate Director of Public Affairs, Marketing, and Advertising, charged with leading all university-wide media relations.
He began his career as a nine-time Florida Press Association award-winning reporter, editor and columnist with the now-defunct Community News (Hollywood, FL) from 1987-95, while also representing The Miami Herald, Sun-Sentinel, and Sun-Tattler.
Meet The 20 A-M Team
JAY JOHNSON
Jay Johnson is a Multimedia Designer for 20 A-M Communications, specializing in different mediums of graphic design and illustration. Over the course of his career in the industry, he has worked alongside nonprofit organizations to promote their message and be involved. He has also helped companies with their brand and rebranding, creating new logo designs, marketing packets, websites, and animation.
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He is a five year veteran of the design industry, starting his career path immediately while attending college at Full Sail University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Digital Arts and Design, and a Masters of Science degree in Computer Science.
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Jay is also a Veteran of the US Military, serving under the US Navy for five years. He spent the first two years of his term on the USS Ronald Reagan, serving as a culinary specialist and security. He then served the remainder of his server under a squadron as a counter terrorist trainer and weapons ordinance. This gave him the opportunity to work alongside US Marines and members of the US Navy Seals. He has garnered the honorary award of service while serving under his squadron, for his attention to detail, and his dedication to the military.
CARLIE MARTIN-VEGUE
Carlie Martin-Vegue is a Communications & Marketing Coordinator with 20 A-M COMMUNICATIONS and Share My Story. A recent Florida Gulf Coast University graduate, she received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication with a concentration in Public Relations.
During her time at FGCU, she interned with C2 Communications, a local public relations agency. Carlie's role at C2 Communications was to support the launch of a local non-profit, the League of Courageous Women. She honed skills of graphic design, website development, social media planning, event strategy, and community outreach while at C2 Communications.
Carlie has had extensive experience writing press releases, pitch letters, newsletters, developing email campaigns, and creating invites; as well as the logistics of research and event planning for clients. She is following her dream -- to be a part of the behind-the-scenes work that goes into large events and impactful campaigns.
BOB McKINLAY, MPS
Bob McKinlay is a specialist in grant writing, program development, and administrative aspects of health professional education and adult learning, including educational gerontology, geriatrics, and podiatric medicine.
Bob earned his bachelor’s degree in sociology at Eastern Michigan University and master of professional studies in eldercare administration at Lynn University. He holds a Specialist Certificate in Aging from the Institute of Gerontology at the University of Michigan.
From 1978 to 1992 he served as administrator of gerontology and geriatrics programs at Henry Ford Community College, Duke University, Lynn University, Florida International University, and the University of Miami. Bob was responsible for grant writing activities to support these programs from the Administration on Aging, the Harcourt Sylvester Foundation, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), among others. At the University of Miami, as Assistant Director of the Miami Area Geriatric Education Center, he conducted grant writing that resulted in $2.5 million in funding for geriatric training at UM and writing the education section for the Miami Veterans Administration Medical Center resulting in a $20 million grant award.
From 1992 to 2012, Bob served as the Director and then the Assistant Dean of program development at the Barry University School of Podiatric Medicine. Bob was responsible for writing grants and fundraising to support student scholarships, the Yucatan Crippled Children’s Project, the Barry University Podiatric Primary Care Residency Program which generated over $3.5 million in grants from HHS, the Barry Physician Assistant Training Program that resulted in $2.5 million in HHS funding, the establishment of the Center for Community Health and Minority Medicine from $5.8 million in support from HHS, the Department of Energy, and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida, and a $1.9 million congressionally-directed grant from the Department of Defense to conduct a research study for examining the application of Nitric Oxide to eradicate bacteria in the wounds of soldiers in the field.
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At Rollins College from 2012 to 2017, Bob authored grants that brought in over $1 million to fund the Rollins Center for Lifelong Learning, CATCH Healthy Habits Program, Center for Health Innovation, Volunteers Organized in Community Engagement Project, and student scholarships. He also served as editor of the Holt Connections Magazine. Over the years. Bob has edited the Florida Gerontologist, the MAGEC Forum, The Southern Gerontologist, Education for Aging News, MedExpress Magazine, and written many press stories which have appeared in the Detroit News, Miami Herald, Orlando Sentinel, Ft. Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel, and the Dearborn Press.