The Plank Center for Leadership in Public Relations has named Leah Seay as the chair of its 2021 Emerging Leaders Committee.
Seay is a crisis and issues management spokesperson at Amazon, where she serves as Amazon Operations’ lead media contact for litigation, porch piracy/ theft, global social media issues, and customer service issues – dealing with the company’s most difficult scenarios.
Prior to Amazon, Seay worked at General Motors (GM) where she led state and local public policy communications in Washington, D.C., executed creative campaigns for the Buick, GMC, and Chevrolet brand communications teams in Detroit, and managed manufacturing and labor communications at the Flint Metal Center, in Flint, Michigan.
Seay is a graduate of The University of Alabama and a former graduate assistant for the Plank Center. She is passionate about mentoring and is a mentor both informally and through The LAGRANT Foundation, a nonprofit devoted to increasing the number of ethnic minorities in the fields of advertising, marketing and public relations.
“The Plank Center has played an invaluable role in my development as a student and professional, and I am immensely grateful to serve as The Plank Center’s 2021 Chair of the Emerging Leaders Committee,” Seay said. “From helping me earn my master’s degree and connecting me with mentors, to providing meaningful resources as a professional, the Center has been there for every step of my career.”
The purpose of the Emerging Leaders Committee is to recommend and undertake activities for the Center with the purpose of helping develop a pipeline of future leaders for the Center and the profession, and providing the best content and knowledge on leadership in the field for entry- to mid-level professionals.
“As I work alongside my peers and the Center’s outstanding national advisory board, I hope to be able to impact students, educators and professionals just as the Center has impacted me,” said Seay.