Our Team
Sarah Sherwood, Founder and Principal
Along with a successful tenure at Stanford Hospital & Clinics, Edelman Worldwide and Ruder Finn, Sarah Sherwood has been promoting organizations in the political, well-being, science, and medical industries, and working with top public officials, scientists and innovators for almost 30 years. Her success and creativity in the field has won the confidence of colleagues in Chicago, Washington, D.C., and the San Francisco Bay Area.
Sarah’s experience includes putting together the first news department at Stanford Hospital & Clinics, where she worked with both traditional and social media in order to spread news. She was responsible for building a new department that would serve the news media internationally, nationally, and locally to promote the adult hospital and all 16 clinics. Sarah managed a nearly one-million-dollar budget and developed new campaigns in both traditional and digital media that gave Stanford Hospital a record amount of media coverage.
Sarah was responsible for supervising accounts in the healthcare practice for two international public relations agencies, soliciting new business, and counseling clients in media relations and third-party development. Her efforts included working with Motorola Healthcare Solutions Group, Roche Diagnostics, the American Association of Diabetes Educators, and the American Liver Foundation. Through her relationships with The New York Times, USA Today, the Chicago Tribune, the Chicago Sun Times, the American Hospital Association, and others, Sarah was able to place her clients’ messages in high-circulation publications. In addition, she developed strategies in third-party development for her clients to assist them in forming key relationships with essential audiences.
Before settling in Chicago to work for Edelman Worldwide, Sarah was a development coordinator for the Kamber Group, the eighth largest public affairs firm in Washington, D.C. She was responsible for raising funds for the AFL/CIO and the National Lesbian and Gay Health Association. Sarah produced direct mail that raised a record amount of funds for both the AFL/CIO and NLGHA, and raised a record amount for a growing health association.
Before working at the Kamber Group, Sarah began her career in politics for Clinton/Gore in 1992. She managed an office for Kathleen Brown in 1994.
Sarah has a master’s degree in public communication from American University in Washington, D.C., and a bachelor’s degree in the social sciences from San Jose State University.
Gerri Kelly, Partner
Gerri Kelly is a senior communications professional with international agency, as well as corporate technology and academic medical center experience. She is well versed in driving strategy from the center where content, media relations, and social media converge to protect and enhance brand reputation.
Gerri has nearly 30 years of communications experience, including years of senior experience in high tech and education, and on the PR agency side in media relations, consumer goods, health care, and corporate communications. She is proud to consistently produce news consumers can use to improve their lives.
Her skills include account management; client education; writing and editing; storytelling; research & analysis; media relations; media and digital strategy; internal & external communications; managing internal & external partners; and website content management.
Greg Philips, Senior Editor
Greg Phillips has a significant portfolio in public communications, including editing, media relations and health care issues management. In addition to having managed media relations in health care advocacy and policy for AARP, Greg was the Director of Media Relations & Communications at The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) in Washington, DC, where he led national media relations outreach for the ob-gyn specialty. Greg was also the Deputy Editor in Chief of pause, an award-winning magazine for peri-menopausal and menopausal women.
Greg is also well-versed in a wide range of health-related issues important to adults age 50-plus, including the Affordable Care Act, Medicare, Medicaid, prescription drug prices, nursing homes, and family caregiving, to name a few.
Marion Karl Bonar, Content Creator
Marion is a medical illustrator, writer, and content designer for the biomedical and health industries. Marion and her husband own a boutique medical animation studio, Lure Animations, which specializes in the production of medical content, such as device animations, MOAs, and patient education material.
Marion is responsible for art direction and concept development; her deliverables include animation storyboards, illustration, and well-designed infographics. Essentially, her job is to take a complex idea and translate it into a visual story that foremost serves to inform and clarify, but also excites and engages.
Marion applies the same approach to creating content for Sherwood Communications; she enjoys collaborating with clients in order to tell their story in a way that is both dynamic and forward-thinking, and that reflects and elevates their brand.
Marion earned an MS in Biomedical Visualization at University of Illinois at Chicago, one of four accredited medical illustration programs in the country, and has worked in the industry for 8 years. Prior to this, she pursued textile design in New York City after receiving an MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in the Fiber and Material Studies program. Marion first studied Intaglio printmaking and English at Cornell University, earning dual BFA and BA degrees.
Our Philosophy
In the information age,
an organization must
communicate effectively
with its audience.
All too often, messages are sent hastily to large audiences. Because we are a global information society, misinformation carries significant repercussions: vague messages can create misunderstanding, lack of comprehension, and even antagonism.
Time and again, a crisis or lack of resonance with key audiences is caused by a failure to communicate effectively. Good educational campaigns, however, speak clearly and persuasively to each audience.
More than ever, there is a need for sensitive and informed communicators who can explain the objectives and methods of organizations, individuals, and public officials to others in a responsible and effective manner.
Sherwood Communications provides groups or individuals with the knowledge of public opinion and ways to communicate so that key audiences will listen.
Good Public Relations Involves:
Anticipating, analyzing, and interpreting public opinion, attitudes, and issues that may impact the operations and plans of the organization
Counseling management at all levels in the organization concerning courses of action and communication, taking into account the public ramifications
Ongoing research and evaluation of programs to enhance communication with key audiences
Contact with the media or groups that will enhance the organization’s communication
Developing media material that effectively delivers your message
Managing the resources needed to perform these functions