Newhouse School of Communications
Public Relations:
Gary Grates '99
Gary Grates '99 is Vice President for General Motors North America Communications. He is responsible for brand, product, media, internal, financial and public policy communications for GM's North America Region. He is also Global Process Leader for Internal Communications. He is a member of General Motors' North American Strategy Board and works with senior leaders, including Chairman and CEO G. Richard Wagoner, on executive, media and internal communications strategy and actions.
Prior to joining General Motors, Grates was Chairman and President of GCI Boxenbaum Grates, a strategic communications consultancy specializing in change management/internal communications, and Executive Vice President and Managing Director of GCI Consulting North America, a unit of GCI Group Public Relations.
Grates has more than 20 years of marketing and strategic communications experience with a particular expertise in organizational/internal and change management communications. He has counseled more than one hundred organizations including Caterpillar, Shell, Carrier, Novartis, Mellon Bank, and Mobil. A frequent lecturer and author on issues facing corporate management and communications professionals, he is a recognized leader in change management communications and employee-management relations.
