Jayne Carr Thompson        
jthompson@jaynethompson.com
Phone: 312.658.0445

Jayne Thompson is a noted public affairs specialist and public relations practitioner, as well as a former trial and appellate lawyer. She founded Jayne Thompson and Associates, Ltd., a strategic communications consultancy, in March 2002.

As Managing Principal of the Chicago office of the Dilenschneider Group, Inc., a New York-based corporate communications firm, Jayne Thompson started and grew practice areas in litigation support and public affairs. Retained by law firms, industrial corporations, financial institutions and foundations, Mrs. Thompson worked extensively at the CEO / Director level addressing issues of corporate governance, crisis management, change-in-control, reputation management, regulatory and pubic affairs issues and strategic business development.

Mrs. Thompson’s clients have included The Mills Corporation; Mayer, Brown, Rowe and Maw; Winston & Strawn; Exelon Corporation and ComEd; the Terra Foundation for American Art; Harris Bank; Heller Financial Services; The Friends of the Farnsworth House; Illinois Institute of Technology; Accor Services; N.A. and Altria Corporate Services, Inc.

Mrs. Thompson has served three Governors of Illinois on issues relating to health and human service delivery systems and the status of women. She chaired Illinois Governor George H. Ryan’s transition committee on health and human services. She has co-authored reports which have become the basis of public policy in Illinois.

As an appointee of the Mayor of the City of Chicago, with the concurrence of the City Council, she chairs the Chicago Public Library Board of Directors. As Library board president, she has overseen the largest capital program in the history of the Chicago Public Library system as well as marked increases in library utilization. She serves as a member of the Chicago Public Library Foundation Board, the Illinois Treasurer’s Advisory Board on Women’s Issues, the Women’s Board of Northwestern University and the Chairman’s Advisory Council of the Lincoln Park Zoo. Previously, she served as a member of the Board of Trustees of National-Louis University.

Mrs. Thompson began her professional career as a trial attorney in the Office of the Attorney General of the State of Illinois. There she appeared on a wide range of matters in numerous state and federal trial and appellate courts, including briefing and arguing several cases before the Supreme Court of the United States. She also briefed and argued numerous cases before the Supreme Court of Illinois.

She served as Chief of the Attorney General’s Prosecution Assistance Bureau and as Acting Chief of the Criminal Division. Mrs. Thompson also engaged in the private practice of law and served as House Counsel to the National College of Education (now National-Louis University).

Mrs. Thompson has been extensively involved in Illinois and national politics. She has mentored numerous women candidates and served as an advisor and spokesperson for issues, campaigns and party organizations.

Mrs. Thompson is a member of the Economic Club of Chicago, the Executives Club and the Chicago Committee of the Chicago Council on Foreign Relations.

Mrs. Thompson is a graduate of the University of Illinois and the Northwestern University School of Law. She has received honorary degrees from Illinois College, Lincoln College and St. Xavier University.

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Christopher FitzHenry Robling                 
crobling@jaynethompson.com
Phone: 312.658.0445

Chris Robling’s 25-year career includes experience in media, government, agency public relations and politics. He joined Jayne Thompson & Associates., Ltd. as its first Principal in April 2002.

Most recently, Mr. Robling helped execute an intense and successful campaign against a $12 billion appeal bond in a consumer fraud class action lawsuit for Altria Corporate Services, Inc. He has provided extensive advice and support to The Mills Corporation in its role as master developer of a vacant city block in the heart of downtown Chicago. He helped execute the 2002 London-based announcement of Mayer Brown and Platt’s merger with Rowe and Maw, the largest trans-Atlantic legal merger in five years. He successfully assisted a Chicago-based, billion-dollar investment fund when it nearly failed after its broker-dealer became insolvent. He counseled a leading local bank regarding an acrimonious legal dispute involving a longtime client. He handled all media relations for the Terra Foundation for the Arts in its lengthy lawsuit against several of its Directors.

Other clients of Mr. Robling’s include Exelon/ComEd, Prime Group Realty Trust, Lowe’s, Rush–Presbyterian–St. Luke’s Medical Center, Illinois Institute of Technology, Copley Memorial Hospital, ITT, First Chicago Corporation and the International Council of Shopping Centers. His campaign to introduce (then) Adolph Coors Company product to Illinois earned a Denver PRSA Silver Anvil. He produced an Addy Award-winning campaign as the executive director of the Cook County Republican Party in 1986.

Mr. Robling has developed a particular depth of experience in transportation and mass transit. Mr. Robling’s paper, “Growing Transit Brand Strength in a Crowded Field,” has been accepted for presentation by the Union Internationale des Transports Publics at its 2nd Global Marketing Conference in Paris in November 2003, where he will be the conference’s only U.S. presenter. As Director of Communications for Chicago’s Regional Transportation Authority, Mr. Robling worked on all strategic issues confronting the agency, a new technology joint venture with Raytheon, press relations and business-to-business marketing. In 1998, he addressed the Swedish Transportation Institute on urban mobility issues. He received the American Public Transportation Association’s grand and first prizes for communications achievement in 1996 and 1995, respectively. Sales of the RTA Transit Check under Mr. Robling more than tripled.

Mr. Robling received a Peter Lisagor Award from the Chicago Headline Club as a news anchor at CBS-Infinity’s all-news WMAQ-AM (Chicago) for his coverage of then-Illinois Gov. George H. Ryan’s 1999 trip to Cuba, the first by a sitting U.S. Governor in 40 years. He anchored the station’s coverage of the Columbine shootings. He also covered business and politics.

Mr. Robling has appeared on all Chicago-area television stations as either a news source, panelist or commentator. Mr. Robling was a longtime program host at WBEZ-FM, Chicago’s NPR affiliate. The legendary Chicago reporter Mike Royko granted Mr. Robling an exclusive broadcast interview on the 30th anniversary of his column. The resulting two-hour program, “A Conversation with Mike Royko,” is the most widely cited such source in subsequent writing on Royko’s work and career. Mr. Robling anchored public affairs coverage and an award-winning international news program. He interviewed numerous authors and public figures, including Henry Kissinger, Warren Buffet, Laurence Tribe, Leon Lederman, Tom Wicker and Larry King. His written work has appeared in Institutional Investor, The Chicago Tribune, The Chicago Sun-Times and numerous other publications.

As a member of the Chicago Board of Election Commissioners from 1991 to 1994, Mr. Robling sponsored the Board’s first independent management audit, which resulted in the Board’s first use of imaging technology as well as significantly reduced payroll and costs. He was one of few Illinois Republicans to urge Illinois’ adoption of enabling legislation for the National Voter Registration Act.

Mr. Robling was elected President of the association of U.S. House Republican press secretaries during his service to a senior member of the Appropriations Committee. He has also worked with the U. S. Navy, Department of Commerce, Appalachian Regional Commission and Central Intelligence Agency.

Mr. Robling is a governor of the City Club of Chicago, a director of the Riverside Elementary Education Foundation and will become a director of the Landmarks Preservation Council of Illinois in June 2003. He is a frequent speaker on professional and public issues. Recently he addressed “Strengthening Corporate Reputation through OFAC Compliance” for the National Association of Independent Insurers. He has lectured at the University of Chicago and at Northwestern, DePaul and Roosevelt Universities. He has twice visited Russia under the auspices of the U.S. Agency for International Development to conduct democracy training. He is a graduate of Georgetown University and attended Northwestern University School of Law.

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Susana E. Leyva    
sleyva@jaynethompson.com
Phone: 312.658.0445

Susana Leyva is a media/public relations/public affairs professional with 16 years of diverse corporate experience. She has a track record for high-impact results in launching and strengthening brand loyalty for consumer products in local, national and international marketplaces.

At United Airlines (then the world's largest commercial airline), she had responsibility for the implementation of global, integrated consumer media campaigns to promote United as the airline of choice in major markets around the world (New York, London, Paris, Frankfurt, Milan, Boston, Miami, Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, and United's hometown hub of Chicago). In this position, Ms. Leyva led cross-enterprise teams in the development of integrated promotional, marketing, media, internet strategies and brand loyalty campaigns specifically targeting business and leisure consumers in each business market. All campaigns were designed to achieve revenue goals in support of new-product launches and strengthen consumer awareness of United's service versus local-market competitors.

Before leaving United, Ms. Leyva designed a highly successful national, integrated public affairs and media relations campaign to support one of United's leading business objectives: the construction of new runways at key North American airports. In that campaign, Ms. Leyva positioned United's senior leadership and union leadership (ALPA and IAM) the Air Line Pilots Association and the International Association of Machinists with national business/aviation media, members of the U.S. Congress, state and local legislators, consumer groups and business forums to gain economic, political, legislative and consumer support. That campaign placed United in an industry-leading position and established a strong customer service commitment for the company with its 76 million customers. This campaign contributed toward City of Chicago plans for new runways at O'Hare International Airport.

Ms. Leyva also led all media outreach for the “Win Back Chicago” campaign to re-establish United's hub dominance at O'Hare International Airport, the airline's #1 hub serving 280,000 customers daily. That campaign featured the roll out of new routes, new business-class products, new print and broadcast advertising, and Web-based communications with United's premier business customer base.

Ms. Leyva also has served as the Chief Communications Officer for Metra, the nation's leading commuter rail transportation service with annual ridership of 90 million passengers. In that position, Ms. Leyva led a team of communications professionals and reported directly to the Chief Executive Officer and the Chairman of the Board of Directors with responsibility for strategic communications counseling and crisis-communications response. Ms. Leyva was charged with leading the development and implementation of media outreach programs to build customer loyalty in the brand, while integrating a corporate reputation management campaign focused on external local, state and federal funding sources. While at Metra, Ms. Leyva designed and led a media campaign to launch a major transportation initiative that positioned Illinois among the national leaders in transit networks.

Most recently, at Jayne Thompson & Associates, Ms. Leyva led a comprehensive year-long effort to launch Chicago's newest destination restaurant in the highly acclaimed Millennium Park . She positioned Park Grill by defining its brand for its unique mix of seasonal dining and entertainment in the nation's restaurant community and in the 21st Century's first “Cyber Age Park ”. Ms. Leyva rolled out a comprehensive promotional, media, travel and tourism, advertising, convention, concierge, and internet communications platform targeted at local, national and international consumers.

She initially faced strong challenges in raising the profile and awareness of Park Grill as a destination (the restaurant opened when Millennium Park was still a construction site) and creating foot traffic from the local, business, and leisure customers, who had no awareness of life east of Michigan Avenue. This year-long process continued to gain in momentum under her leadership, resulting in a media campaign that reached millions of broadcast viewers each month, continuous print coverage, and prestigious industry honors (an invitation to cook at the James Beard House in New York, selection as best new restaurant from Chicago magazine and Zagat's, and sustained coverage as the city's #1 Hot Spot from Chicago magazine).

Ms. Leyva also brings extensive crisis communications experience to her clients at Jayne Thompson & Associates. Ms. Leyva was one of a group of professionals directing United's crisis response following the September 11, 2001 unprecedented act of war on U.S. soil and the hijacking of four commercial aircraft, including United Flights 93 and 175. Ms. Leyva served as lead external communicator for United's senior Crisis Center team, implementing all global communications outreach. She also led media relations on Congressional relief for the industry and federal issues of industry insurability in the weeks following the attacks. Ms. Leyva worked side-by-side with the Wall Street Journal and USA Today on a series of award-winning 9/11 features, examining the events of that day and the airline's response.

Ms. Leyva holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Loyola University . A native of Cuba, Ms. Leyva is now a proud Chicagoan.

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Anthony P. Marusic    
amarusic@jaynethompson.com
Phone: 312.658.0445

Tony Marusic’s media and public relations knowledge is built on the extraordinary international experience of having worked for five years in a former war zone.

Mr. Marusic was a communications consultant to the U.S. Department of Defense in Sarajevo from August 1998 to June 2003. He worked in the Stabilization Force (SFOR) command headquarters where he was communications and media advisor to the SFOR commander, who was either a U.S. Lieutenant General or General. In this capacity Mr. Marusic operated the only ongoing, continuous U.S. press service in the Balkans. As such he and his office assisted the U.S. Department of State and other agencies of the U.S. Government, as well as non-government agencies, in Bosnia and neighboring countries. He also supported peacekeeping operations in Bosnia directed by NATO.

In July 1999, Mr. Marusic worked alongside the White House Communications Office preparing for a Summit which was attended by President Clinton, British Prime Minister Tony Blair and 44 other heads of government.

Mr. Marusic was responsible for negotiating disputes, devising strategies and creating and implementing communications plans in the hostile region. He brought former belligerents, who a few years earlier were at war against one another, to the same table to discuss communications matters. He also dealt with heads of government and state, including Presidents, Prime Ministers and leading political and business figures from Bosnia, Croatia, Serbia-Montenegro, Slovenia and Hungary. Mr. Marusic developed communications and marketing plans with such international agencies as the World Bank and International Monetary Fund, for which he directed communications programs for economic donor conferences, at which more than $2 billion were raised. Mr. Marusic aided projects of the International Committee of the Red Cross, United Nations, World Food Organization and the European Union.

Mr. Marusic also handled media relations for visits to the Balkans of NATO Secretary-Generals Javier Solona and Lord George Robertson, Secretaries of State Colin Powell and Madeline Albright, Secretary of Defense William S. Cohen, numerous Congressional delegations and several NATO commanders. Mr. Marusic supported the staffs of NATO Commanders / Supreme Allied Commanders Europe (SACEUR), General Wesley Clark, General Joseph Ralston and General James L. Jones.

Prior to joining Jayne Thompson & Associates, Mr. Marusic also consulted with the government of Croatia, as well as various Croatian political parties. He assisted the government on several business projects and counseled political candidates on media and public relations strategy in the lead-up to the national elections. Mr. Marusic developed a number of communications programs to help the Croatian government spur economic growth and job creation in Croatia.

Prior to his work with the Department of Defense, Mr. Marusic was an assistant news producer for WKYC-TV, Cleveland, on the highest rated morning news program in the market. He is a graduate of The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio with a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism and Communications.

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