Doug Alexander has over a quarter of a century experience in public relations, corporate communications, media and governmental relations, advertising and marketing, speech and general business writing. He has been a self-employed public relations and advertising consultant, gubernatorial communications director and press secretary, corporate communications director, and planning and development vice president of an Internet start-up company.

A 1971 graduate of Western Kentucky University, Doug began his career at Transylvania University as Director of Student Activities and later as one of the youngest college dean’s of men in America. He received his Master of Public Administration (MPA) degree from Kentucky State University in 1976.

Following a brief tenure as a radio sales account manager, Doug was an advertising agency executive before going into business for himself as a marketing and advertising consultant throughout the late 1970’s and early 1980’s.

In addition to managing advertising for various commercial accounts, Doug’s list of clients and projects included the 1982 United Way of the Bluegrass Fund Drive, the 1984 NCAA Women’s Final Four National Volleyball Tournament, the Lexington Fayette Urban County Government “911: When Time Counts” campaign, Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Lexington “Big Plans Need Big People” fund drive, and numerous local political campaigns.

During that time he also published newsletters for Humana Hospital Lexington and the Paintsville Hospital; wrote regularly for Your Business Magazine and the Lexington Herald-Leader advertising department; and was a Lexington Herald-Leader community columnist in 1982 through 1983.

In 1986 Doug accepted the position of press secretary to the Wallace Wilkinson for Governor Campaign. Mr. Wilkinson, a successful Lexington businessman, was a political novice with virtually no experience dealing with media.

Doug worked closely with Wilkinson, campaign manager Danny Briscoe and consultant James Carville through a grueling campaign leading up to the primary and general elections. Wilkinson received 35% of the vote in a crowded primary field that included former governors John Y. Brown and Julian Carroll and then incumbent Lt. Governor Steve Beshear. He went on to carry 115 of 120 counties in the general election.

Doug remained as press secretary to Governor Wilkinson throughout his term in office. Doug assumed the communications director’s portfolio under the press secretary’s title and worked as Governor Wilkinson’s close advisor on message, communications strategy, and scheduling.

He was responsible for developing and implementing short- and long-range communications strategies for the administration; represented the administration with state, national and international media; oversaw scheduling, event planning and crisis management; supervised construction of a new media facility in the state capitol building; and created and supervised a fully equipped advance and event management team.

Governor Wilkinson maintained a voice in statewide affairs following his term in office with Doug continuing to provide analysis, research, communications strategy and writing support, while assuming more and more corporate communications duties for Wilkinson Enterprises. (Wallace’s College Bookstores, Wallace’s College Book Company, Wilkinson Flying Service, Wilkinson Farms and extensive real estate holdings in the Central Kentucky area).

In 1999, Doug was one of two Wallace’s executives assigned responsibility for launching a fully transactional online Web-based college bookstore. eCampus.com, Inc. launched within nine months as the internet’s first full-service online provider of new and used college textbooks.

In 2001 Doug returned to self-employment as a public relations and communications consultant. He develops strategies and provides professional writing and communications services for a variety of clients that have included national trade show companies, political campaigns, public issues advocacy groups, non-profit associations and others.

Doug offers a personal consulting service for individuals, small- and medium-sized companies and institutions seeking professional public relations and marketing support, communications strategies and planning, special projects, and writing on an outsourced basis.

Doug is a member of the Advisory Board of the Salvation Army of Lexington (www.salvationarmy-lex.org) and the board of the Prevention Research Institute (www.askpri.org).

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