When the stakes are high. And they're always high.
Christina McKenna
PRESIDENT
Founder and President of Bluestone Executive Communications, Christina McKenna is the voice whispering in the ear 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 politics, business, and breaking news. Later, she moved to the other side of the microphone, as spokesperson for Fortune 500 Boston Edison, helping 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. She is a frequent keynote speaker and authors the blog Let’s Be Clear. Reach her at cmckenna@bluestoneexec.com.
“Coaching the CEO requires the highest level of skill, confidence, and tact. Bluestone’s got it! From media training to executive speech coaching to prep for investor and analyst calls—always spot on.”
— Senior vp of Communications; Public Utility; New Haven, CT
Executive Trainers and Coaches
Dawn McKenna
SENIOR Communications strategist and COACH
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.
Mimi Brown
SENIOR communications coach and trainer
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.
Steve Byrne
senior messaging strategist and coach
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.
Ro Coppola
SENIOR COMMUNICATIONS COACH AND TRAINER
From top television talent to global corporate icons, Ro Coppola has spent a career coaching and training leaders to more impactfully leverage communication to connect with key audiences and drive results. Previous roles in television news and production yielded Ro a staggering 11 Emmy Awards and a coveted Edward R. Murrow Award, as well as first-hand experience interviewing world-famous newsmakers who range from CEOs to sports legends and popes to pop stars.
At Bluestone, Ro provides media training, presentation coaching, and crisis communication consulting services. Fast-paced and interactive, her sessions are packed with insight and personal experience gleaned from years of watching leaders step into the spotlight, often on their best or worst day.
Outside of work, Ro is a competitive swimmer and avid sports fan. She holds a bachelor’s in journalism from Wayne State University where she frequently speaks about careers in communications.
Bret Gallaway
senior communication strategist
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.
Christopher Walton
SENIOR COMMUNICATION STRATEGIST, CONTENT CREATOR AND STORYTELLER
Award-winning communication strategist, and storyteller, Chris Walton specializes in helping organizations move the audiences that matter most to them. Whether crafting communication for the world's largest consumer products companies or boutique professional service firms, Chris excels at identifying and articulating compelling storylines that drive results. Drawing on deep experience across digital marketing, advertising, and journalism, Chris provides expert content creation and speechwriting services for Bluestone’s most elite executive-level clients.
Chris has 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 in Africa from source to sea.
Beth Ridley
DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS
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.