Ed Cafasso offers more than a quarter century of reputation
management and corporate communications expertise with a deep
portfolio of issues and crisis management, corporate, health care,
higher education, social responsibility, community relations and
public affairs work. His proven skills in messaging, stakeholder
engagement, social media and labor relations have made him a
trusted advisor to top executives at public, private and non-profit
brands.
Ed works across a range of SM& clients and is also a member
of the issues management team.
His healthcare experience includes work on behalf of Blue Cross
Blue Shield of Massachusetts, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Rhode
Island, Boston Children's Hospital, the Greater Boston Interfaith
Organization, Hawaii Pacific Health, HealthAlliance Hospital, the
New England Journal of Medicine, Southcoast Health
System, and University Hospitals (Cleveland).
Ed has devised and executed issues, crisis and reputation
management programs for many hospitals and healthcare players to
help navigate and leverage healthcare reform, acquisitions,
compensation, regulatory scrutiny, community relations, patient
safety incidents, physician relations, service cutbacks,
legislative initiatives, and numerous other issues.
He most recently served as senior vice president director of
corporate communications for Sovereign Bank/Santander, where he
held day-to-day responsibility for external and internal
communications, and led strategic messaging, internal rebranding
and emergency response assignments.
Previously, as managing director and senior vice president at
MSL Boston, he led the agency's corporate practice for five years,
helping local, national and global enterprises with critical
business opportunities and challenges that included executive and
brand positioning, social responsibility, regulatory scrutiny,
mergers and acquisitions, traditional and social media relations,
government relations, and litigation.
Ed's corporate experience includes work on behalf of Blue Cross
Blue Shield of Massachusetts, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Rhode
Island, Children's Hospital Boston, General Motors, Green Mountain
Coffee Roasters, Hawaii Pacific Health, Hawaii Pacific University,
HealthAlliance Hospital, Reebok, Riddell, Sodexo, Southcoast Health
System, Staples, State Street Bank & Trust and UnderArmour.
He also served for five years as director of communications for
the Office of the Massachusetts Attorney General, and for 11 years
as a reporter and editor, covering national and international
breaking news, as well as political beats in Boston City Hall, the
Massachusetts State House and the White House.
Ed holds a degree in journalism from Boston University and has
been active in the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce, the Chief
Executives' Club of Boston, and the Public Relations Society of
America (PRSA). He is also an editorial advisor and frequent
contributor to Public Relations Strategist
magazine.
