Don brings more than 30 years of top-level corporate, agency and not-for-profit public relations experience to Gould+Partners. His areas of specialization include strategic planning and management. “I like to help agencies grow more business by taking advantage of mutually beneficial alliances and opportunities,” he says. Don is also expert in the use of social media and new technology for PR and marketing purposes. He believes small to mid-size agencies that lead in the use of social media will become the most inviting targets in the years ahead for larger, acquisition-driven organizations.
Before entering PR, Don was a news reporter and then held executive positions with Western Electric (part of AT&T), McDonnell Douglas and other companies and organizations. He has served on the boards of many professional organizations, including the prestigious U.S.-based Institute for Public Relations. Don was executive vice president and COO of Sumner Rider & Associates, the international PR firm. In 1982, he founded his own agency, The Bates Company, Inc., which he sold after 12 years.
During his career, Don has taught PR and marketing courses part-time at several universities. He joined George Washington University in 2007 where he helped to establish its Strategic Public Relations Master’s Degree and Graduate Certificate Programs. Currently, he is a clinical assistant professor in New York University’s graduate program in public relations and corporate communications. He also conducts public and private business and PR writing workshops. He is married, has four children, and lives in New York City.