Education and early roles

After earning her bachelor’s degree in Journalism, Chrysa went to work for a boutique marketing agency on Chicago’s North Shore where she provided PR and internal communications support to clients like Century 21 and Continental Can Company. She left the agency to work directly for client Continental Can as Internal Communication Manager. When Continental Can was acquired and shutdown operations in the Chicagoland area, Chrysa moved on to U.S. Cellular, a fast-growing regional wireless provider headquartered in Rosemont, IL.

As U.S. Cellular’s first corporate communications manager, Chrysa was responsible for all internal and external communication. She hired and led a small staff in Chicago and created communication tools and processes for employees, customers and agents. She was also in charge of PR strategy and directed a network of 25 PR professionals stationed in U.S. Cellular markets across the country. While still at U.S. Cellular, Chrysa earned her M.A. in Corporate Communications; going to school three nights a week.

 

Consulting experience—U.S. and Europe

Master’s degree in hand, Chrysa was ready for her next challenge. She set her sights on Sheppard Associates, a privately-owned L.A.-based consultancy specializing in internal communication. Sheppard’s business was expanding in the Midwest—thanks to clients like 3M, BP and US Bank—and the firm was anxious to establish satellite offices in the region. Chrysa was hired as a Vice President, to open and run Sheppard locations in Chicago and Minneapolis.

At Sheppard, Chrysa learned to ‘consult’—to understand an organization’s communication challenges and opportunities and deliver goal-oriented solutions—mentored by Sheppard pros. She served initially as an account team member for million-dollar clients before leading her own accounts.

In 1999, Sheppard Associates was acquired by Ketchum Public Relations and renamed Ketchum Sheppard. Ketchum Sheppard became Ketchum’s de facto internal communications practice—a new capability for the global PR firm. During this period, Chrysa was promoted to Regional Vice President, Europe and made a temporary move overseas. Based in Ketchum’s London office, she traveled extensively throughout Europe to generate awareness for the firm’s new internal communication practice, among Ketchum staff and clients. While in Europe Chrysa led the Gucci account, a world-famous fashion house headquartered in Milan, Italy.

At the time, Gucci was transforming itself from a mono-brand into a leading fashion/luxury/lifestyle group, thanks to financial backing from a company called PPR. Chrysa helped the newly-formed, publicly-traded Gucci Group create its internal communication function. She established the communication platforms and processes required to support the Group’s rapid acquisition of other luxury fashion brands—Saint Laurent, Balenciaga, Bottega Veneta. Chrysa directed the Group’s first quantitative companywide internal communications audit and used results to create and execute a Group-level internal communication strategy.

When her stint in Europe was up, Chrysa returned to Chicago as a Sr. Vice President, rejoining the local Ketchum Sheppard team. She continued to work with Gucci—traveling frequently to Europe—while also serving Midwest clients.

 

Solopreneurship (Chrysalis Communication, Inc.)

Gucci Group was Chrysa's first client when she launched her own company (Chrysalis) in 2001. For a decade-and-a-half, she helped the Group's global communications leaders define and execute all manner of communication at both the strategic and tactical level. Chrysa developed and implemented dozens of communication strategies; summarized business direction and results on behalf of company leaders (global group, regional and brand CEOs, functional heads); and created content for a variety of internal/external communication vehicles. She also played an instrumental role in communicating the Group's complete acquisition by PPR in the mid-2000s and in its rebranding from PPR to Kering in 2013.

With Gucci Group as an anchor client, Chrysalis grew through word of mouth 'advertising' and referrals. Chrysa benefitted enormously from opportunities presented to her by former colleagues who, after leaving Sheppard Associates/Ketchum Sheppard, went on to lead corporate communications for Fortune 500 companies. Once engaged with a client, she often earned intracompany referrals—a recommendation from one leader to another within the same organization.

For many years, Chrysa served as a virtual communication team member for Avery Dennison, assigned to meet the communication requirements of various regional and functional business leaders in the U.S., Europe and Asia.

She was engaged by Motorola to uncover internal communication gaps within the Mobile Devices IT function. Chrysa conducted employee focus groups in eight countries and used results to design and implement a new strategy. She was hired by Grainger to create change communication plans and tools related to IT outsourcing and layoffs. For Pon Equipment and Charter NEX, Chrysa developed routine communication platforms for the company's SVP and CEO, respectively.

Chrysa's nonprofit clients include the Alzheimer's Association and the Housewares Charity Foundation. She wrote online discussion guides for the Alzheimer's Association's Emmy-winning HBO documentary series, The Memory Loss Tapes. She also produces scripts for both the association's and foundation's annual fundraising events in Chicago. For the Alzheimer's Association this has involed writing speeches for guest speakers, like football legend Mike Ditka and Princess Yasmin Aga Khan.

Chrysa's long-term engagements as a solo consultant (head of Chrysalis Communication, Inc.) include: Kering (France), Avery Dennison (U.S.), Housewares Charity Foundation (U.S.), W. W. Grainger (U.S.), Pon Equipment (Netherlands), Motorola Mobile Devices (U.S.), Alzheimer’s Association (U.S.), Charter NEX (U.S.). Chrysa also successfully completed shorter-term projects for many other organizations.