Janet Ritter,APR

Biosketch

Janet's passion for effective communications is no fairy tale. At a time when her friends were more interested in Barbie dolls and clothes, Janet became infatuated with Walt Disney. Mind you, this was no Mickey Mouse love affair. She was intrigued – some thought obsessed – by the master storyteller's methods for attracting an audience's attention, sustaining their interest and persuading them to want more.

She applied Disney's principles when writing pieces published in literary journals, school newspapers and a letter to the editor at the Cleveland Plain Dealer. It's little wonder that Janet pursued a B.A. in journalism from The Ohio State University with emphasis on business marketing.

As a travel writer, Janet related stories of exotic, as well as more familiar, destinations. While spokesperson for AAA Ohio Auto Club, she promoted tourism, offered traffic safety advice, demonstrated automotive maintenance techniques and positioned her employer as the motorists' advocate by monitoring and reporting on gasoline pricing trends. In all, she conducted an average of more than 200 media interviews annually, prompting a broadcast reporter to comment, "That's more stories than I do in a year."

Perhaps it was lessons learned from Mr. Disney that made her an in-demand news source and earned her the title "Favorite Spokesperson" among business reporters at a Midwestern newspaper.

The next chapter finds Janet living her career ambition as a public relations and communications consultant. Her efforts now are focused on helping others tell their stories through identifying and developing messages, writing, delivering special projects, training groups and coaching individuals to deliver performances for which they can be proud. She is an accredited member of the Central Ohio and Los Angeles chapters of the Public Relations Society of America. She also is a member of PRSA’s Travel & Tourism section, and has served as a regional and national judge for PRSA professional competitions. Janet serves on the executive committee and is a former board member of the Intelligent Transportation Society of Ohio, and is an internationally published author.

Biosketch - Brad Ritter, APR      Biosketch - Janet Ritter, APR      Experience