Purple Strategies Adds Advisory Board of Seasoned Cross-Sector Leaders, Expanding Expertise and Networks that Advance Client Success

Purple Strategies, a strategic advisory firm focused on reputation, issues and advocacy for many of the world’s most important companies and organizations, today announced the formation of its Advisory Board. This distinguished group of leaders brings meaningful experience across corporate strategy and operations, issues and risk, communications and marketing, government and policy, and law. With backgrounds spanning C-suites, boardrooms and campaign war rooms, these Board members bring powerful perspectives that have helped them lead through disruption and change.

The Advisory Board further deepens Purple’s trusted counsel at the highest levels of business, industry, and the debates of the day. These advisors give the firm an additional stream of insight, acumen and strategic connections to help clients seize advantage in a stakeholder landscape where influence is constantly shifting.

“Purple is often the first call a leader makes when their organization is at a critical crossroads, and our Advisory Board is one more resource that strengthens our ability to meet the moment our clients are in — navigating pressure from every direction,” said Kristen Morgante, Managing Partner of Purple Strategies. “These leaders bring hard-earned judgment from decades in the rooms where pivotal decisions are made. Tapping into their wisdom and experience helps us sharpen our counsel and focus on building and protecting value for our clients. We’re honored to have them as part of our Purple team.”

Founding Advisory Board Members include:

• Machalagh Carr, founder of Quell Strategies and former Chief of Staff to Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy, combines decades of legislative and energy sector expertise with frontline experience steering disruptive-tech companies through fast-moving policy and reputation currents, helping organizations anticipate shifts and turn innovation-driven scrutiny into strategic advantage.

• Neil Golden, a seasoned marketing executive, currently serving as a board member for Panera Brands and as a senior lecturer at Northwestern’s Medill School. A former Chief Marketing Officer of McDonald’s USA, he brings deep consumer insight and firsthand experience demonstrating how integrated marketing, public affairs and government relations can drive growth. His track record guiding iconic brands through disruption adds practical depth to conversations around reputation, revenue and resilience.

• Nina DeLorenzo, corporate affairs advisor and former executive at Pfizer, Sanofi, AbbVie and more. She is known for reimagining corporate affairs functions that reflect how influence moves and shapes business outcomes to deliver results across healthcare, pharmaceuticals, and other regulated sectors. Prior to working in the private sector, she served in the administration of President George W. Bush in the White House and the U.S. Department of State, in the United States Senate, and on political campaigns.

• Jerry Krulewitch, former EVP and General Counsel of McDonald’s Corporation, has led global legal strategy and crisis response for one of the world’s largest brands. Prior to that, he was an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Northern District of Illinois. He brings decades of insight on the connections between enterprise risk, governance and reputation.

• Donna Brazile, former Chair of the Democratic National Committee and of the DNC’s Voting Rights Institute, is a veteran political strategist, author and nationally recognized commentator known for her work advancing bipartisan dialogue during the Clinton Administration and beyond. She brings decades of campaign, policy and public engagement experience alongside academic appointments at Georgetown, Howard and Harvard. She joined Purple in an earlier senior advisory role in 2022.

• David Bickerton, former senior advisor at BP and recent visiting fellow at the University of Oxford, has spent two decades steering global brands through the borderless currents of reputation, turning worldwide scrutiny into opportunity with integrated positioning, sustainability, and stakeholder engagement strategies across energy, financial services, food and beverage, automotive, and technology sectors. He joined Purple in an earlier senior advisory role in 2022.

Advisory Board members will provide strategic counsel to the firm on client challenges, contribute to thought leadership that advances our field and our thinking, and help push our offering and unlock new opportunities for Purple to add value for our clients.

Building out the Advisory Board is one part of a broader transformation underway at Purple — renewing how we lead, expanding how we think, and preparing clients for a world where influence is being reshaped in real time. To learn more about our approach at Purple – visit our collection of perspectives and insights.