Bluestone’s media trainers and presentation and speech coaches bring backgrounds in journalism, investor relations, corporate communications and crisis management to provide exceptional expertise and insight.
Founder and President of Bluestone Executive Communications, Christina McKenna is the voice whispering in the ear of some of America’s most powerful corporate and community leaders. Her training and coaching programs reflect decades of experience preparing leaders to deliver pitch-perfect communication when it matters most.
Christina spent 12 years as a TV reporter and anchor in Boston, Seattle and Detroit, covering politicians, business leaders and celebrities as they confronted challenges in the glare of the public eye. Later, she moved to the other side of the microphone, as spokesperson for Fortune 500 Boston Edison, where she helped the company navigate a series of high-profile crises.
Christina earned a Bachelor’s at the University of Chicago and a Master’s from Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism. She spent two years as full time faculty at Boston's Suffolk University, teaching writing.
Christina is a frequent keynote speaker and authors the blog Let’s Be Clear. Reach her at cmckenna@bluestoneexec.com.
High-tech marketing and communications strategist Dawn McKenna brings a wealth of success in helping technology companies bring abstract concepts into sharp focus to articulate and capitalize on their unique value and build their brand.
Dawn’s past roles include leadership positions at tech giants IBM and Alcatel-Lucent, and numerous growth-stage companies, including several she helped see through successful acquisition. At Bluestone, Dawn specializes in helping teams navigate the dynamic tech landscape in relation to go-to-market strategies, branding and communications.
High-energy and high-impact keynote speaker, trainer, and coach Mimi Brown is a treasured Bluestone affiliate, leading corporate training programs that inspire and elevate the whole team, while at the same time providing practical tips for instantaneous improvement.
Mimi specializes in inspiring and elevating sales teams, and deepening the leadership mindset for executives and emerging leaders. She holds a bachelor’s in communications from Michigan State and is the President of the National Speakers Association Michigan Chapter.
Messaging expert and wordsmith extraordinaire Steve Byrne has spent a career culling through data, details, and distraction to find and give voice to compelling narratives that deserve to be shared.
At Bluestone, he leads clients through our proprietary “message storming” process to distill even the most complex concepts into clear, concise messages that are easy to repeat and impossible to forget. Steve’s workshops are engaging, energetic, fun, and–most importantly–productive. He draws on past success as an award-winning editor at the Detroit Free Press, an acclaimed documentary filmmaker, and the founder and executive director of one of the country’s leading documentary film festivals.
Steve holds a bachelor’s in journalism from Michigan State University.
Ray Santerini’s unique background as a successful business leader and acclaimed personal trainer set him on a course to develop and deliver powerful and enriching programs on communication, leadership, and conflict resolution for both teams and individuals.
Engaging, funny, and easily relatable to audiences of all kinds, Ray has designed and delivered high-impact training workshops and conference keynotes for organizations around the globe, including Capital One, McDonald’s, Marriott Hotels, Kaiser Permamente, Johns Hopkins University, Bridgestone, Little Caesars, Eaton Corporation, the US Army, and the FBI.
In addition to numerous training certifications, Ray holds a bachelor’s degree from Hamilton College in upstate New York.
With deep experience in health care, financial services, and manufacturing communications, Bret Gallaway brings strategic, creative and candid counsel to training sessions and message development workshops. Bret is regularly an executive counselor to CEOs and boards, helping to guide them through brand overhauls, cultural transformations, and crises.
In past roles, Bret has served as Chief Communications and Marketing Officer at Trinity Health and as an executive at USAA and Morgan Stanley. He began his career as a presidential appointee in Washington, DC, serving as the speech writer for the U.S. Secretary of the Treasury.
He holds a master’s degree in public policy from Georgetown University and a bachelor’s in journalism from Marquette University.
Award-winning creative director, communication strategist, and writer Chris Walton has spent a career identifying and articulating compelling storylines that drive results, whether for corporations, key projects, or worthy causes. Drawing on deep experience across journalism, advertising, and digital marketing, Chris provides expert speechwriting and content creation services to Bluestone’s most elite executive-level clients.
Previously Chris held roles at advertising agencies including McCann, GTB, and Campbell Ewald. He has also served as a staff writer and feature columnist for The Detroit Free Press.
Chris holds a bachelor’s degree from Notre Dame University. He is a past member of the Michigan Notable Books Selection Committee, a documentary film maker, and once kayaked the Zambezi River from source to sea.
Beth Ridley designs and helps execute all of Bluestone’s training and coaching programs, ensuring that participants get the maximum benefit from every moment. In addition, Beth oversees Bluestone’s client relations and manages Bluestone’s team of trainers and coaches, as well as the technical staff who execute large-group events. Prior to joining Bluestone, Beth organized and supported events in the conference, trade show and insurance industries and coordinated trade labor for one of the world’s largest and most complex trade show events, the massive North American International Auto Show.
Beth studied business and writing at Central Michigan University.
Reach Beth at bridley@bluestoneexec.com.
