Michael Kassin

MICHAEL KASSIN
Senior Manager, Media Relations

Michael Kassin has over 20 years of background in public relations. As head of his own agency for 12 years, his corporate, educational, philanthropic and arts-related clients included: Reader’s Digest, the Wallace-Reader’s Digest Funds, Johnson & Johnson, 3M and many emerging technology companies. For Reader’s Digest, he spent 10 years heading national and local publicity for the Reader’s Digest American Heroes in Education Awards and Library Power, two national philanthropic initiatives that gave cash awards to leaders in primary and secondary education; and enabled public schools all over the U.S. to upgrade (or in some cases, start) in-school libraries. He also was co-head of national publicity for Johnson & Johnson’s Head Start-Johnson & Johnson Management Training Program, a national philanthropic initiative which provided MBA-style training to Head Start managers, many of whom lacked formal management training. For 3M, he helped garner statewide publicity for a Missouri educational/philanthropic initiative launched by 3M Columbia. The Columbia plant was faced with the impending retirement of half its tool-and-dye making department—a move that would have forced it to look overseas for talent, at considerable expense. Instead, 3M Columbia launched an on-the-job apprentice program in partnership with a local vocational college that led to full-time employment at 3M Columbia for those students, who now comprise more than half of 3M Columbia’s tool-and-die team.

As a senior public relations executive he worked with The Rowland Company, Dorf & Stanton, G.S. Schwartz and Sims & Associates, where he helped the latter agency earn two Big Apple awards for its Vietnam Veterans of America VISA affinity card program.