INTRODUCING DON

I completed my education at Northwestern University, earning a Bachelor of Philosophy in Communication from the School of Speech. Even at that time, I recognized the universality of communication, its significance across industries and successful organizations, and how my skills could seamlessly transition. Every communication, presented through various channels, ultimately serves a person seeking information, guidance, instructions, updates, motivations, and more. Sometimes, I interact with an individual client, while on other occasions, my audience spans tens of thousands of stakeholders across diverse time zones and locations.

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Being an experienced communication professional deeply involved in numerous change endeavors, I realized the intrinsic role of change in our complex world. Consequently, I pursued formal training in change management. I find immense satisfaction in this profession, which has enriched my life and empowered me to be a leader in communication engagement and change management.

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Furthermore, recognizing that learning is a perpetual journey, I expanded my knowledge from 2020 to 2022, earning continuing-education certificates from Cornell University and UC-San Diego. Additionally, I obtained certification as a Change Practitioner through Prosci Change Management.

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While pursuing my Bachelor of Philosophy in Communications degree, I embarked on my first "real job" as a journalist for a suburban newspaper. Despite its modest pay, this experience enriched my life and skills, offering immediate lessons in deadline management and public interaction. My journey then led me through various roles, including positions at the Chicago Board of Trade, Accenture, JPMorgan Chase, LaSalle Investment Management, and the MidAmerica Regional Council Of Carpenters.

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During my tenure at the MidAmerica Regional Council Of Carpenters, spanning nearly a decade, I held the significant role of the organization's chief communications official. In this capacity, I also crafted the blueprint for the internal communications strategy, which was tailored to the needs of our extensive membership of 40,000 individuals, and managed external communications efforts.

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Recently, I worked as a consultant with ACGME, serving as Communications Lead for its digital transformation initiative and multi-product rollout, and Communications and Change Management Consultant with Optum in its Strategic Engagement and Technology Enablement group, leveraging my strategic change communications experience to help integrate acquired health care businesses within the Optum enterprise. Previously, I fulfilled the role of a Change Management and Communications Project Manager with W.L. Gore & Associates. In this contractual position, I led a pivotal change initiative within the Medical Products division. My responsibilities encompassed creating crucial rollout timelines, establishing a framework for a team of thought leaders, assessing the impact on stakeholders, and implementing ADKAR® change principles. I also established a communication milestones cadence, which proved instrumental in effectively sustaining the model both internally and externally.
 

• I had the pleasure of working with Don during his time as a contractor with the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education. Throughout his engagement with us, I found him to be professional, thoughtful, and skillful while working with our digital transformation team, communications team, and executive leadership. He was collaborative and in a very short time, supported the development of a detailed communication plan and critical stakeholder communications with a very complex approval process. Not only did I appreciate his communication skills, but he was also very insightful, he brought a lot of knowledge about change management, and he made strong contributions to the communication strategy for our change champions. Don was a great asset to our team, and I highly recommend him.
  Director, Digital Transformation Enablement
   

• Don is a great communications and instructional designer, with a high focus on the PROSCI change management methodology. I was lucky enough to have him on my team focusing on technology integrations. His positivity and willingness to connect with business partners is something we should all strive for. He has an eye for making transition feel ok and incorporating change methodologies to meet everyone where they are at. I would love to work with him again!
  Senior Training Consultant, Communications, Technology Process
   

• Don's experience in Communications and Change Management was tremendously valuable as we explored alternatives to our agency outsourcing model. Don was able to contribute at both strategic and executional levels, always conducting himself in a calm, positive, professional manner.
  Operations Leader, W.L. Gore 

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Not only have I developed strategic communication plans and disseminated messages to global and domestic internal and external audiences, but I have successfully and enthusiastically mentored and championed individuals and teams -- skills acquired and set in motion through years of athletic competition, teaching and coaching of high school and college athletes. My depth and breadth of communications experience, analytical thinking, persuasive people skills and can-do determination have enabled me as a #nonprofit organization's Humane Policy State Chair and Advocacy Team Lead to drive positive change for communities in which I work with fellow advocates. 

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• I would like to thank you personally for your years of valuable service to this organization. Through your efforts and expertise the organization was able to elevate its communications to its members and the general public beyond expectations. In addition, this was accomplished during one of the most challenging times in the Union’s history.
  President, Chicago Regional Council of Carpenters
   

• It would be my honor to serve as a reference. You are very good at what you do and I hope that at some point in the future I will have the pleasure of working with you again.  Best to you my friend. If there’s anything that I can do,  don’t hesitate to contact me.
  Managing Partner, McGann, Ketterman & Rioux

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Being a communications professional can mean having a blank piece of paper with no margins, or a rigid template that demands answers to the 5 Ws and 1 H:  the Who, What, When, Where, Why and How. This is a vocation and skill that is both applicable and a necessity within every successful industry, company, sector, and geography. Strategic and tactical communication is crucial to every disseminated message whether shared in confidence with one, or comprising a mass distribution involving many thousands. Communication is about listening to others, collaborating across a network, recognizing and understanding defined goals and challenges, questioning process and origination of problems, empathetically caring about the audience and the needs of the receiver of the message, being responsive, and ultimately...delivering!
 

• Don did not have a carpentry, or even a trades, background when he was hired as Assistant to the President to serve as the organization’s Communications Director. But what made him successful serving in this capacity for nearly 10 years was a desire to ask questions to gain the necessary understanding of an elaborate industry, always being responsive to Training Center objectives and needs, having a keen editorial eye, and being out-of-the-box creative in producing engaging, appealing, and inspiring communications and feature stories for our internal membership and external audiences alike. Just a few of the initiatives we worked together on included the eXcellence in Training Recognition Award; Carpenter Apprenticeship Open House; Member Appreciation Day Open House; New Member ID “Resume” Card; Thought Leader Video Series; radio commercial series “I am your neighbor”; Best Practices in Health Care and Certified Energy Analyst (CEA) programs; Built to Last TV; and Carpenter Member Snapshots. Don proved to be a great asset to our organization and our Apprentice and Training Program, and it was a pleasure to collaborate.
  Director, Apprentice & Training Program, Chicago Regional Council of Carpenters
   

• I am delighted to share my experience working with Don on the social media strategies and website development for the Built To Last TV series. Collaborating with him was incredibly positive. It was evident that Don possesses exceptional organizational skills and a clear vision for project management. His instructions and directions were always concise, ensuring that every team member understood their roles and responsibilities. One aspect of Don's approach that truly impressed me was his thoroughness in providing information for each task and project. He ensured that all necessary details were communicated. This attention to detail greatly contributed to the success and efficiency of our work. Communication with Don was seamless throughout the entire project. He was readily available to address any questions or concerns that arose. This level of responsiveness and accessibility fostered a strong collaborative environment and facilitated smooth progress. I greatly appreciated Don's commitment to providing helpful feedback. His guidance and suggestions were invaluable in refining our work and achieving the desired outcomes. Even after project completion, Don took the time to provide constructive feedback, demonstrating his genuine care in our professional growth. Don's dedication to follow-through was exceptional. He ensured that deadlines were met and tasks were completed with precision. His commitment to excellence was evident in every aspect of our collaboration. In conclusion, working with Don has been an absolute pleasure. His clear instructions, thoroughness, effective communication, helpful feedback, organizational skills, and fairness make him an outstanding professional to collaborate with. I am grateful for the opportunity to have worked alongside him, and I would eagerly recommend him to anyone seeking a competent and reliable project manager.
  Owner, Benjamin Ryan Productions LLC

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• I am an experienced court reporter who previously served as an executive assistant and Client Services representative for LaSalle Investment Management (LaSalle) where I worked for 11 years. During the last two years of my employment at LaSalle, I had the pleasure of working under Don Scott.   Don and I along with the rest of the team were tasked with completing RFPs and RFIs to acquire clients that were interested in selecting LaSalle as their portfolio manager of specialized global funds comprising real estate and niche-sector properties, relying on the firm’s longstanding industry expertise to enhance values for investors.  Don was a pleasure to work for.  He had an excellent balance of what a manager should have.  He entrusted his employees to do their jobs, yet he was always available, willing, and able to give guidance where necessary.  Don’s expertise with his organization and communication skills added value daily, and his efforts in collaboration of projects proved to be successful as we needed to add personnel to our team to continue successfully adding more clients for our portfolios.  Don was equally successful in coordinating our projects through many of our different locations.  In a pre-remote work environment, Don ran things seamlessly between our Chicago, San Francisco, New York, Boston, and London offices all in conjunction with positive energy and a can-do attitude.  Don made our work environment an enjoyable one as we always had great camaraderie.  I am very grateful for the opportunity I had to work with Don and in being able to grow and be successful within our group.   Don’s contributions to our team, as well as the firm, consistently proved successful.  I would absolutely work with Don again if ever given the opportunity. 
  Court Reporter, Lexitas
   

​As an individual I have been defined as principled in my thoughts, words and actions, thoughtful in the way I consider others and go about tasks, tenacious because of a commitment to face down challenges and adversity, and humane for the way I try to live my life as a respectful steward of the planet, her species, and her limited resources. I invite you to explore this site's snapshot of my thoughts, background, narrative-telling visuals, and resume.  Oh...and of course some samples, which are but a scintilla of past work, much of which cannot be shared out of respect for confidentiality and proprietary considerations.  Who we are and how we are perceived help create a conduit of respect, trust, and confidence.  Drop me a line if I can help your business!
 

• Congratulations on the State Council Chair position and thank you for your continued support and your leadership in Arizona.  It was no surprise to me that you were appointed in this role since you represent the very best of our State Council program. Thank you Don for continuing to support the organization and being such a passionate and effective advocate for animals!
  President and CEO, Humane Society of the United States
   

• Big congrats to Don Scott, who was promoted and will be serving as our State Council Chair!  As most of you know, Don has provided leadership to so many projects we have launched in Arizona and continues to serve as my right hand on many efforts, whether communications strategy, program development or advocacy efforts.  I am so thankful he has stepped up in this big way to take on an even bigger role to serve in this volunteer leadership capacity!
  Arizona Senior State Director, Humane Society of the United States