ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION – Tyler Blue once sang with his church choir and worked as a consultant for a large payroll company, where communication was central to his role. After surviving stage 4 throat and thyroid cancer and losing his voice box, he now dedicates himself to educating others about his condition.
“It takes a trained ear to hear what I’m saying,” the 63-year-old explained, using an electrolarynx or electronic voice box to speak. The battery-operated device resembles a microphone, which he holds to his neck to generate vibrations that act like vocal cords, producing speech.
Blue represented City of Hope Cancer Center Atlanta in the Rose Parade in Pasadena, California, on New Year’s Day. He joined four other cancer survivors and a diabetes transplant patient on City of Hope’s float, decorated with more than 12,000 flowers and a centerpiece displaying the word “hope.”
As design director at Cookerly, Tim serves as the creative lead in the development of branding campaigns, print collateral and digital media for clients across a broad range of industries, including consumer, professional services, healthcare and technology.
As a senior vice president at Cookerly, Mike Rieman is a strategic communications leader specializing in media relations and reputation management. With a proven track record of securing high-profile placements in top-tier outlets such as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, CNN and USA Today, he excels at crafting compelling narratives that resonate across print, broadcast and digital platforms.
Mike Touhill is vice president at Cookerly Public Relations, where he helps lead traditional, social and digital media programs for B2B and B2C clients in packaging, telecommunications and technology, among other industries. As a communication leader, he develops and executes public relations strategy, provides proactive and reactive counsel to C-level executives and secures earned media coverage for client initiatives and product.
Andrew Agan is a vice president at Cookerly Public Relations, overseeing the agency’s internship program and leading media relations, content strategy and social media initiatives. He provides counsel and executes campaigns for clients across various sectors, including finance, healthcare, hospitality, technology, automotive and many others. Andrew excels at crafting compelling stories and building media relationships, resulting in clients being featured in notable outlets such as CNBC, Associated Press, Business Insider, Fox Business, HBO, Inc. Magazine, Sirius XM, The Wall Street Journal and USA Today, among others.
As vice president of Cookerly, Sheryl Sellaway uses her extensive corporate communications background to lead consumer PR efforts, deliver strategy for marketing programs and share expertise about community initiatives.