Leff & Associates president Mitch Leff is a 20-year Atlanta public relations veteran. He is recognized as one of the strongest and most effective media relations specialists in Atlanta.
He began his career with Cohn & Wolfe Public Relations, rising to become Media Relations Director for the Atlanta office, at the time the largest public relations agency in the southeast. For many years, he edited the Cohn & Wolfe Metro Atlanta Media Guide, the definitive guide to Atlanta media.Mitch also spent several years with the Atlanta offices of Edelman Public Relations and GCI Group. He left agency PR to become director of public relations for Turner Learning, the educational division of Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. There he was responsible for public relations and public affairs for educational programs across a number of AOL Time Warner networks and entities, including CNN, TNT, Turner Classic Movies, Cartoon Network, HBO, and the Atlanta Thrashers. He also launched CNNstudentnews.com, the network's first and only educational Web site. Leff has provided public relations services for some of the world's most prestigious companies, including The Coca-Cola Company, AOL Time Warner, the National Football League, UPS and many others. He is a member of the Atlanta Press Club, where he serves on the Annual Gala and Gorila Ball Committees. He is member of the board of directors of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Atlanta and has served on the organization's marketing committee since 1990.
Karen Eisele Leff was an award-winning television producer and reporter for more than 15 years, most recently with FOX5 Atlanta. In addition to general assignment reporting, she specialized for many years in medical and health reporting. Karen moved from television to public relations in 1998 and served for several years as director of communications for the American Red Cross Blood Services division.
Julie Herron Carson was featured by The Atlanta Business Chronicle for seven consecutive years as one of Atlanta's most outstanding public relations professionals. She offers strategic public relations services to a wide variety of clients. Her specialties include media relations, newsletters, website writing, special events and cause-related marketing. She has nearly 25 years of expertise serving clients in the real estate, travel/tourism, hospitality, consumer products, healthcare and non-profit arenas.
Herron Carson spent 13 years at several prominent public relations agencies including Carl Byoir & Associates, Hill and Knowlton and Fleishman-Hillard. There, she directed the real estate account groups, handling public relations activities for a number of residential, commercial and industrial developers. Recently, she has handled media relations campaigns for Hedgewood Properties (high-end residential developer) and The Norsouth Companies (developer of affordable apartment communities).
From 1992 –2002, she served as the Atlanta Botanical Garden's marketing director. As such, she was responsible for all of the Garden's internal and external communications including media relations, newsletters, advertising, brochures, annual report, visitor materials and signage.
Bill Marks was formerly an Executive Vice President of GCI Group, one of the top 10 public relations firms in the world, and Managing Director of its Technology Practice in North America.
In addition to his extensive experience in the technology sector, Marks also served as deputy managing director of communications for the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games and as vice president of public relations for Coca-Cola North America. Marks began his public relations career at the School of Medicine at Morehouse College founded by former U.S. Secretary of Health Dr. Louis W. Sullivan.A former journalist, Marks was as a reporter for the Pittsburgh Press and United Press International in Atlanta.
He is a graduate of Hampton University and has a master’s degree in journalism from the University of Illinois.He is a member of the board of directors of the Technology Association of Georgia. He is an accredited member of the Public Relations Society of America and former member of the board of directors of the Georgia PRSA chapter.
