Randolph Court

Current

• Director of Communications at Business Software Alliance

Past

• Vice President / Public Affairs Practice Leader at MS&L Worldwide
• Senior Fellow for Policy Development at Progressive Policy Institute
• Senior Editor, Blueprint at Democratic Leadership Council

• Internet Operations Manager at Democratic Leadership Council & Progressive Policy Institute
• Technology Policy Analyst at Progressive Policy Institute
• Business Reporter at Wired News

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Education

• University of California, Berkeley
• University of California, Santa Cruz

Recommendations

5 recommendations

Connections

157 connections

Industry

Public Relations and Communications

Randolph Court’s Summary

Communications strategist, media-relations adviser, writer and editor with expertise in message development, issue management and policy advocacy.

~ Strategy & Management: Directed an award-winning campaign to burnish the reputation of an embattled U.S. industry with opinion research, advertising and earned media.

~ Media Relations: Helped arrange extensive coverage for a green investment fund’s climate-change research and cultivated relationships for the CEO with leading columnists, editorial writers and reporters.

~ Editorial: Wrote and successfully placed top-tier newspaper op-eds for elected officials, corporate executives and academics on topics ranging from digital-age economics to the case for homegrown biofuels.

~ Policy: Helped develop a series of proposals that influenced the debate in Congress on curbing greenhouse emissions and increasing investment in clean-energy technologies.

~ Web: Reinvented an influential Democratic political group’s Internet presence and created online communications tools to engage its audiences of donors, elected officials and opinion leaders.

Randolph Court’s Specialties:

Public relations, public affairs, media relations, corporate communications, issue campaigns, policy advocacy, coalition management, message development, writing and editing.

Randolph Court’s Experience

• Director of Communications

  Business Software Alliance

  (Non-Profit; Computer Software industry)

  May 2010 — Present (5 months)

  Drive strategic communications and thought-leadership campaigns on issues such as intellectual property protection, trade policy, cybersecurity and cloud computing.
  
  Manage media relations; draft press releases, op-eds and white papers; and frame messages to guide external communications in contexts ranging from social media to press interviews to meetings with government officials.

• Vice President / Public Affairs Practice Leader

  MS&L Worldwide

  (Public Company; PUB.FR; Public Relations and Communications industry)

  April 2007 — April 2010 (3 years 1 month)

  Developed and executed strategic-communications plans and public affairs campaigns for Fortune 500 companies, national trade associations and philanthropic foundations, including the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the Corn Farmers Coalition, Deutsche Bank Asset Management and Procter & Gamble.
  
  Led public affairs group of six professionals. Directed opinion research, framed messages and oversaw advertising, media outreach and issue advocacy to advance clients’ interests in the Washington policy arena.
  
  ~ Helped pitch and win more than $2 million in new business by demonstrating insightful understanding of clients’ problems and proposing well-thought-out solutions.
  
  ~ Key contributor in generating 80 million media impressions for climate-change awareness campaign.
  
  ~ Provided media training to top corporate executives, helping them refine and articulate their ideas for interviews with The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and other national media.
  
  ~ Recognized as 2009 employee of the year.

• Senior Fellow for Policy Development

  Progressive Policy Institute

  (Public Policy industry)

  May 2004 — March 2007 (2 years 11 months)

  Right hand to the president of a leading center-left think tank, responsible for overseeing development of policy reports for federal and state lawmakers. Worked with experts to devise proposals on issues such as economic innovation, climate change, health care reform and technology.
  
  ~ Co-authored a comprehensive “Progressive Energy Platform” to reduce U.S. oil consumption and spur a greener economy through clean-tech investment.
  
  ~ Associate editor of a PPI book on building U.S. soft power, "With All Our Might: A Progressive Strategy for Defeating Jihadism and Defending Liberty" (Rowman & Littlefield, 2006).

• Senior Editor, Blueprint

  Democratic Leadership Council

  (Non-Profit; Political Organization industry)

  November 2002 — March 2007 (4 years 5 months)

  Wrote and edited articles on national policy debates and political trends for leading Democratic strategy group’s bimonthly journal of ideas. Conceived special reports and features; collaborated with the art director on design and layout concepts; and helped direct photo research.
  
  ~ Wrote an early analysis of Howard Dean’s 2004 presidential campaign identifying its political weaknesses and correctly predicting its demise.

• Internet Operations Manager

  Democratic Leadership Council & Progressive Policy Institute

  (Political Organization industry)

  January 2000 — May 2004 (4 years 5 months)

  Overhauled DLC/PPI Web sites and created a vibrant online hub for the New Democrat movement. Assessed DLC/PPI operational needs; designed database-driven publishing system; and managed internal staff, outside contractors and service providers on a $500,000 Web project.
  
  ~ Launched a series of e-newsletters updating target audiences about new policy reports and political analyses, quickly growing circulation from zero to more than 5,000 subscribers.

• Technology Policy Analyst

  Progressive Policy Institute

  (Public Policy industry)

  June 1998 — December 1999 (1 year 7 months)

  Wrote policy reports and briefing papers for federal and state policy-makers on issues surrounding the technology-driven global economy, such as privacy and e-government.
  
  ~ Co-authored a widely noticed series of reports that illustrated national and state economic trends and recommended policies to foster innovation and spur growth.
  
  ~ Delivered presentations on the policy implications of new information technologies at conferences and to state legislatures, and served as an expert source on the subject for local and national news media.

• Business Reporter

  Wired News

  (Public Company; Online Media industry)

  September 1997 — June 1998 (10 months)

  Covered the technology and telecom industries for a leading online news service during the Internet boom — emerging trends in Silicon Valley, hot startups and quirky, offbeat stories, such as online auction sites for bull semen. Wrote on deadline: news briefs every morning by 9:30 and features every afternoon by 3:30.
  
  ~ Produced more than 100 articles in eight months, adding analytical perspective to breaking news.

Randolph Court’s Education

• University of California, Berkeley

  Master of Journalism , 1995 — 1997

  ~ Master’s thesis on the sagebrush rebels of Nye County, Nevada, “Why They’re Mad,” published in the anthology "The Real Las Vegas: Life Beyond the Strip" (Oxford University Press, 1999).

• University of California, Santa Cruz

  Bachelor of Arts , American Studies , 1988 — 1992

Additional Information

Randolph Court’s Groups:

•    Wired Alumni
•    Kent School Alumni
•    Cal Alumni Association | UC Berkeley
•    University of California-Santa Cruz Alumni (UCSC)
•    Corporate Responsibility Officers Association

Randolph Court’s Contact Settings

Interested In:

• career opportunities
• job inquiries
• expertise requests
• business deals
• reference requests
• getting back in touch