Millicent Fortunoff

Millicent Fortunoff is President of M. Fortunoff Communications. She has extensive experience managing global and national media relations campaigns that build one reputation across regions, yet tailored to local issues and audiences.

Prior to opening her own consultancy Ms. Fortunoff was a Senior Vice President in the Global Issues Communications Group at Ruder Finn (Finn Partners) from 1999-2009, and continues to provide strategic counsel to many of the agency’s clients.

Her nonprofit issues clients include a range of Interfaith, theological, social justice, education and women’s organizations, among which are Global Green (President Mikhail Gorbachev’s organization), the Family Violence Prevention Fund, The Afghan Women’s Summit and UNA-USA. She has been communications counsel to Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York and others including Ambassador Susan Johnson Cook, Global Peace Initiative of Women, Intersections International and Cornel West.

Ms. Fortunoff handled media relations for The Millennium World Peace Summit of Religious and Spiritual Leaders, which was held at the United Nations, as well as The Earth Charter, The Afghan Women’s Summit, The Museum of World Religions, Liz Claiborne Inc. (teen dating violence initiative), Safe Horizon, UNIFEM and The Department of Justice/Office of Violence Against Women. She also was part of a team that the government of Ethiopia turned to for a crisis media relations program in its war with Eritrea. Ms. Fortunoff’s work has been recognized with numerous awards within the public relations industry.

Ms. Fortunoff also has more than 20 years’ experience working with a diverse range of corporations, institutions and government agencies with one common factor: complex issues that present unusual communications challenges. She has developed and managed corporate reputation programs and issues management programs for such clients as, Ford Credit, Norsk Hydro in Norway, TV Azteca in Mexico and Pertamina in Indonesia among many others.

She has worked on communications initiatives for a range of United Nations agencies including the largest UN agency, The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and The United Nations Fund for Women, as well as bilateral agencies including USAID, and the Japanese External Trade Organization (JETRO).

Ms. Fortunoff’s work has appeared in every major newspaper in the United States and many abroad, including The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, USA Today, The Boston Globe, The Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post as well as the Financial Times and the International Herald Tribune.

Ms. Fortunoff began her career as a journalist, working as a television reporter and anchor before moving into public relations. She is a Trustee of Union Theological Seminary in the city of New York as well as serving on the advisory councils of the American Friends of the Parents Circle-Families Forum, The Of Many Institute for Multifaith Leadership at NYU and Let’sWin! Pancreatic Cancer. She is a graduate of Penn State University with a degree in Speech Communications and History. She lives in New York City with her husband and two young children.