Stacy Verne Dixon is president of Dixon and Company, Inc. Before starting the company in 1996, Stacy spent 15 years in public relations with AT&T, honing her PR skills and learning from some of the best practitioners in the industry. During that time, she worked her way up the corporate ladder as community relations manager, editor, event planner, foundation manager and for the last six years of her telephone career, media spokesperson.

During her PR career, Stacy has developed and implemented stra­tegic communication programs for Fortune 100 companies, small busi­nesses, government agencies and non-profits. With her Dixon and Company associates, she has created, ed­ited and managed some 20 publica­tions with audiences ranging from 500 to 500,000 employees, residents and cli­ents.

She has dealt with a myriad of clients and subjects in her media relations work. From arranging a Chicago book tour for a Nobel Prize winner to escorting the Tootsie Roll mascot on Oprah, Stacy maximizes the positive with the media and minimizes negative coverage of crises.

Her special events experience is wide and varied. She has planned and managed black tie dinners, high tech carnivals, team building events and opening night galas at venues including restaurants, nightclubs, the Art Institute, Ravinia, Arlington International Racetrack, Second City and Steppenwolf Theatre. For CHICAGO DAY, a city-wide open house for Chicago's top 15 cultural institutions, she leveraged her special events experience to draw 20,000 visitors the first year.

Jeffrey A. Dixon is executive vice president of Dixon and Company, Inc. with extensive experience in public relations, public service, media relations and government affairs.  A former press secretary for Illinois House Speaker Michael J. Madigan, Jeff enjoys politics, having worked on the successful campaigns of Rod Blagojevich for Governor, Alan J. Dixon and Paul Simon for the U.S. Senate, Dukakis for President and a host of state legislative campaigns.

Jeff has worked in local, state and national politics and maintains a large network of friends and contacts at every level. He has applied this network of contacts to influence passage of major legislation, provide clients with knowledge of pending regulation and legislation and alert them to potential business opportunities.

Through his organizational skills and expertise in media cam­paigns, he has developed grass roots programs to educate and gain sup­port from Congress, state legislatures and city and county governments for specific business issues.

Before forming Dixon and Company, Jeff worked for five years as senior vice president of public affairs for Eller Media Company, the largest outdoor advertising company in the nation at the time. He managed 15 public affairs managers in 12 major markets, directing  government and regulatory affairs, media and community relations. He spearheaded the passage of major "just compensation" legislation in Illinois, negotiated compromise language to protect freedom of speech advertising in Houston, and helped defeat legislation in Congress to ban outdoor advertising in key commercial areas. Jeff established and chaired Eller's first political action committee and increased employee contributions every year. He also chaired the Outdoor Advertising Association of America's legislative committee and served as Eller's spokesperson to the media.