Manning Selvage & Lee Announces Two Co-Practice Directors of West Coast Healthcare Group

Manning Selvage & Lee's (MS&L) San Francisco office has named Kelly McKenna and Jennie Kim co-practice directors of the West Coast Global Health practice and members of the office’s executive team.  Both promotions are effective immediately.

“We are thrilled to have Kelly and Jennie lead the West Coast healthcare practice and contribute to the office’s overall strategy and growth,” said Bill Orr, managing director of MS&L San Francisco.  “We place an emphasis on client satisfaction and results-driven strategy, and Kelly and Jennie continually provide both.”

McKenna was previously vice president of West Coast Global Health and has a decade of healthcare public relations experience at MS&L.  Her background includes providing strategic counsel, media and advocacy relations, executive and physician training, and financial communications support for a range of healthcare clients, including pharmaceutical, biotechnology, medical device and diagnostic, Internet health and emerging technology companies.  Prior to joining MS&L, McKenna was the PR director for Orion Systems, a health software company in New Zealand, where she helped launch the company’s technologies into several international markets, including the United States.  She has also worked in healthcare groups for public relations agencies Middleberg Euro RSCG and Cohn & Wolfe.

Kim, who is joining MS&L San Francisco from MS&L’s New York office, previously held the position of vice president in that office's healthcare practice.  Her expertise covers a broad range of therapeutic areas including women’s health, sleep disorders, and medical devices.  She also has a strong background in managing relationships with key professional, consumer and trade organizations on behalf of her clients.  Prior to joining MS&L, Kim was a senior program associate at Bass and Howes, a public policy consulting firm based in Washington, D.C.  She began her career in women’s health as a policy analyst at the Office on Women’s Health, Department of Health and Human Services, where she was responsible for the daily management of the National Centers of Excellence in Women’s Health program.

The West Coast Global Health practice develops and implements strategic communications for small, cutting-edge companies and products as well as large, established healthcare and pharmaceutical brands.  The team specializes in "new technologies" such as biotechnology, diagnostics/devices, tissue engineering and cell therapy, in addition to consumer-health products.  Its clients include Nestlé Nutrition, Philips Medical Systems, Biogen Idec, Pharmion and Xdx.

MS&L San Francisco provides marketing communications and public relations support to both local and global companies. It has four major practice areas: consumer marketing, healthcare, corporate reputation and emerging technologies. The office's clients include Nestlé Nutrition, Philips Medical Systems, Biogen Idec, Best Buy, Dreyer’s Grand Ice Cream, Progressive Bag Alliance, SideStep and Crestwood Behavioral Health.

###