Crisis Communications Management Team

Bruce M. Hennes

Bruce M. Hennes is the Managing Partner of Hennes Paynter Communications, a crisis communications, media training and media relations consulting firm based in Cleveland.

Hennes has more than 30 years experience working in politics, having managed or served as a senior campaign consultant and fundraiser for scores of campaigns at the local, state and federal levels. Hennes also served three years as Executive Director for The Temple on the Heights in Pepper Pike, Ohio, and three years doing government and public relations in the automotive industry. He opened Hennes Communications in 1989, which later became Hennes/Haslett & Associates, handling government relations, public relations, community relations and media training, leaving in 2002 to re-form Hennes Communications.

As one of Cleveland’s best-known crisis communication specialists and media trainers, Hennes is also an in-demand speaker before bar and trade associations on the subject of crisis communications. Under the auspices of Red Cross chapters, county emergency management agencies and boards of health, he frequently speaks to mayors, police, fire, education and other government officials on the subject of “Extreme Crisis Communications” (i.e. how to handle mass casualty incidents and other “extreme” situations involving threats to life & limb).

Hennes is past chairman of the Greater Cleveland Growth Association’s Public Affairs Committee and The Cleveland Jewish News. He currently serves on the boards of The Business Emergency Planning Institute, the Cleveland Leadership Center and The Judicial Candidates Rating Coalition (Judge4Yourself.com). He was one of the founding board members of the FBI Citizens Academy Foundation of Cleveland. He is also a Graduate Lecturer in Advanced Communications/Media Relations in the Levin College of Urban Affairs at Cleveland State University and a frequent guest lecturer at John Carroll University, Kent State University, Case Western Reserve University and Ursuline College. Hennes is a member of the board of The Press Club of Cleveland. He is also a member of the board and the Executive Committee of The Cleveland Metropolitan Bar Association, which awarded him its first-ever President’s Award. Hennes is president of the Leadership Cleveland Class of 2008 and recipient of the President’s Special Award for Extraordinary Service from the Cuyahoga County Bar Association and two Vega awards from The American Red Cross. Hennes is a member of the John Carroll University Entrepreneurs Association and he has a degree in Political Science from York University in Toronto, Canada. CLICK HERE for a list of Hennes' awards and recognitions.

In 2011, he received the "Communicator of the Year Award" from the International Association of Business Communicators - Cleveland Chapter.

Hennes received certification in Effective Communications from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and The Federal Emergency Management Agency. He is also of counsel to Levick Strategic Communications in Washington, DC. (2007 Crisis Manager of the Year and 2007 Litigation Communications Firm of the Year by PRNews).

Barbara Paynter, APR

Barbara Paynter is a partner in Hennes Paynter Communications, a crisis communications, media training and media relations consulting firm based in Cleveland.

Paynter specializes in crisis and environmental communications, issues management, media relations and media training. Her crisis experience includes helping clients deal with environmental incidents, sudden changes in leadership, accusations of criminal behavior, medical malpractice and other high-stakes reputation issues. She has worked with clients in a wide range of industries, including manufacturing, education, health care, financial services, retail, nonprofits and public sector.

Public Relations Cleveland

Prior to joining Hennes Paynter, she served as Senior Vice President with Edward Howard & Co., a full-service public relations agency based in Cleveland, Ohio. During her nine-year tenure with Edward Howard, Paynter worked with a number of high-profile clients including Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., The Hoover Company, 3M, PPG Industries and National City Bank.

Before joining Edward Howard in 1997, Paynter was director of university relations for Walsh University. She previously owned and operated a freelance writing business in Akron. Paynter began her career as a newspaper reporter and editor, working for newspapers in Georgia, Mississippi, Texas and Ohio.

In 2004, Paynter's work on behalf of Barberton Citizens Hospital helped that organization earn a Silver Anvil from the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA), and in 2009 her work on a national peanut butter recall for King Nut Companies was recognized with the "Best of Show" Cleveland Rocks Award from PRSA. She also led a team that received the Gold SABRE Award for business-to-business marketing from The Holmes Group. She has also received awards and distinctions from the YWCA of Summit County, the Akron Chapter of the Association for Women in Communications and PRSA. CLICK HERE for a list of Paynter's awards and recognitions

Paynter holds a bachelor of journalism degree from the University of Missouri. She is an accredited member of the Public Relations Society of America and has served as president of both the Cleveland and Akron Chapters. Paynter serves as the public representative on the board of the Federal Bar Association - Northern District of Ohio Chapter. She also serves on the board of Walsh Jesuit High School in Cuyahoga Falls, and previously served on the boards of the Urban League of Greater Cleveland, Loyola of the Lakes Jesuit Retreat House in Summit County and Women's Network of Akron.