Where Do You Stand?

For more than 15 years, we have been standing together with our clients and helping them move forward with effective public relations, strategic communications and issues management.

Our comment policy:
Robert Scoble said, “I’m instituting a ‘family room’ rule here. If I don’t like it, it gets deleted and deleted without warning — just the same as if you said something abusive in my family room I’d kick you out of my house.” Works for us, too. Thanks, Robert.

Meet the bloggers:

Jennifer Brinkmann

Jennifer Brinkmann returned to Standing Partnership in 2007 as a vice president. Most recently, Jennifer served as president of Patrick Davis Partners, a brand strategy and brand management firm. At Patrick Davis, Jennifer led the firm’s day-to-day work, which focused on helping clients develop clear, relevant positions and brand strategies that led to results-driven communications and marketing programs. Clients included Fortune 100 consumer products companies and smaller growth companies across multiple industries.
She started her career at Standing twelve years ago as an intern and quickly became an account manager overseeing key client work. In 1998, she moved to BJC HealthCare to lead executive communications. Jennifer has received numerous awards for her work from organizations such as the Agricultural Relations Council, International Association of Business Communicators, Missouri Hospital Association and PRWeek. Her work also has appeared in Vital Speeches of the Day, which published a speech prepared for a client. She earned her undergraduate degree with honors from Stephens College in Columbia, Mo., where she currently serves as the marketing chair of the alumnae board.

Cathy Dunkin, APR

Cathy founded Standing Partnership in 1991, creating a place where she enjoyed coming to work every day. Cathy describes Standing Partnership’s team as, “a group of the most talented people with whom I’ve had the opportunity to work. Each person brings a strong commitment to our core values, is committed to demonstrating results for our clients, and is respected for their ethical approach to businesses.”

Christi Dixon

When Christi first entered public relations, she rehearsed media pitching with her supervisor to see if she could “hook” him. With ten years of experience under her belt, Christi has perfected the arts of media relations, crisis management and delivering results for clients. Her ambitious, “go get ‘em” attitude also extends to collateral development, project management and strategic communications. Prior to joining Standing Partnership, Christi worked for Matthews/Mark in San Diego. A Public Relations Society of America and American Marketing Association member, Christi spends her free time with her husband and two daughters.

Maria Donaldson

Maria is a true “Georgia Peach” bringing a touch of Southern charm from Atlanta along with writing, media relations and new media experience to Standing Partnership. A graduate with honors from Saint Louis University with a degree in psychology, Maria takes a special interest in research-based, strategic planning and the evolution of social media. On a personal note, Maria enjoys fine-tuning her black and white photography skills to picture perfection.

Kristin Gumper

Before joining Standing Partnership, Kristin worked for Anheuser-Busch supporting the International and Regional Communications Teams with media relations efforts. With a bachelor’s degree in communications from Saint Louis University, Kristin currently provides client support for initiatives that include employee communications, media relations and special events. Raised as an outdoorsman, Kristin applies her passion for the outdoors with clients in the travel and tourism sector. Having trained hunting dogs for 10 years, Kristin is an animal lover and enjoys visiting local animal shelters and taking horseback riding lessons in her spare time.

Susan Iskiwitch

Susan brings experience in media relations, television news and social media to her role as account coordinator. Before joining Standing Partnership, she held internships with KTVI-TV in St. Louis and CBS News in New York. Susan holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from Kenyon College, where she was a member of the Kenyon College Ladies’ track and field team. In her spare time, this self-professed technophile and St. Louis native enjoys backpacking, canoeing, perfecting her French speaking skills and pursuing her newfound interest in power-lifting.

Marijean Jaggers

Marijean is often met with “Oh! The blogger?” when introducing herself to a new acquaintance. Her blog, www.stlworkingmom.com has a loyal following of readers including working moms and others from both St. Louis and Virginia. An active member of the Charlottesville community, she recently launched Voices of Poverty, a podcast series devoted to the poverty problem in Charlottesville. With a strong commitment to community, Marijean was voted one of 20 people to watch by the C’ville Weekly, is a member of the 2006 class of Leadership Charlottesville and serves as a board member of the Charlottesville Community Scholarship Program and People and Congregations Engaged in Ministry, an organization serving the homeless in her community. Marijean was the 1998 Guinness World Records holder for creating the world’s largest bouquet of flowers.

Justin Lopinot

Justin’s competitive spirit – driven by his passions for ice hockey and Texas Hold ’em – helps him produce results for clients as an account executive at Standing Partnership. With experience in public relations and journalism, Justin possesses strong writing and editing skills along with media relations experience. Prior to joining the Standing team, Justin worked for the media services office at the University of Missouri-St. Louis as well as the Suburban Journals of West County St. Louis Business Journal. Ever the writer, his extensive freelancing experience ranges from interviewing stay-at-home dads for Savvy Family to documenting the planning process for his wedding for St. Louis’ Best Bridal. In addition to his current position at Standing, Justin teaches the next wave of media relations professionals as an adjunct lecturer in the Department of Communication at UMSL. Justin holds a bachelor’s degree in English from Fontbonne University and master’s degree in communication from UMSL. In his spare time, Justin enjoys spending time with his wife and their goldendoodle, Molly.

Maya Lunnemann

Maya joined Standing Partnership with expertise in stakeholder outreach, government communications, event planning and tradeshow management. A participant in events related to the International Association of Business Communicators, Public Relations Society of America and National Agri-Marketing Association, she also currently serves on the planning committee for “On Tap,” a community event designed for local residents to gather once a month and discuss relevant cultural topics. A “true Mizzou Tiger,” Maya holds a Bachelor of Journalism degree from the University of Missouri-Columbia. Her interests include traveling, cooking, discovering new places around town and spending time with friends and family.

Beth Minnigerode

Beth has been at Standing Partnership for more than six years, delivering media relations strategy, community relations counsel, direct mail program management, advocacy outreach and special event planning. Beth holds a bachelor of journalism degree in advertising from the University of Missouri School of Journalism. She is board member of the Water Tower Preservation Society and a member of the Public Relations Society of America. Although Beth is an enthusiastic St. Louis adventurer, always exploring new attractions and independent businesses around town, her favorite vacation destination is Tuscany.

Tammy Stankey

With more than 20 years experience in the communications field, including six years with Standing Partnership, Tammy brings strong strategic communications and crisis communications experience to the firm. A former company spokesperson, Tammy’s media savvy and video production knowledge are assets to her clients. Her career highlights include successfully pitching and accompanying a spokesperson on Oprah as well as training the CEO of an international company for an interview with 60 Minutes II. She is a member of the Public Relations Society of America and active in her church. In her free time, Tammy enjoys spending time with her husband and two daughters and is an aspiring author.

Mistie Thompson

A southern belle from Arkansas, Mistie has been with Standing Partnership for nine years providing research, writing, event production and strategic communications. Mistie’s area of expertise is healthcare public relations. She holds a bachelor’s degree in history from the University of Arkansas and a master’s degree from Washington University’s top-ranked George Warren Brown School of Social Work. Mistie is the former choreographer and coach of the two-time National Champion Parkway South High School dance team, featured on ESPN. She currently volunteers with the Sidelines National Support Network, counseling soon-to-be moms through high-risk pregnancies with phone and e-mail emotional support. A devout Parrothead, Mistie’s secret dream job is to be a backup singer for Jimmy Buffett.