Anne Keene has enjoyed a 25-year career across all disciplines of the communications sector including work as a radio news and television documentary researcher; press secretary and speechwriter in both Congress and Bush '43 administration; and account management roles in both the public relations agency- and client-side of communications. A talented writer who excels at telling clients' stories and relating to the media, Anne leads the message development, writing and media planning/outreach aspects of Crossnore Group's client engagements. She specializes in marketing for universities, healthcare and senior living media with a focus on wellness, winning national industry awards for creative concepts. Her 2018 book The Cloudbuster Nine: The Untold Story of Ted Williams and the Baseball Team that Helped Win World War II unveils the untold story of a World War II Navy baseball team manned by major-league players and fighter pilots. Keene was nominated among 12 authors as a CASEY Award finalist for "The Best Baseball Book of the Year" for 2018. The audio book was released in 2019 and the paperback version is due out in spring 2020. A journalism graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Anne has served as a Governor of Texas appointee to the nine-member Texas Historical Records Advisory Board dedicated to the preservation of the state's archives and documentary heritage. She currently serves on the board of the Friends of the State Library and Archives of Texas, is an adviser to Off Assignment, a literary travel magazine, as well as Texas Our Texas, a PBS-supported organization that explores and illuminates the storied history and culture of Texas.
Russ Keene was a cofounder of Crossnore Group in 2008 after spending five-plus years leading the Austin office of global public relations firm Burson-Marsteller. Throughout his 35-year career Russ has worked in energy and healthcare Fortune 500 companies, advised candidates and officeholders on campaigns and policy ranging from mayors to presidents, and as an association executive and consultant advised some of the country's leading brands on business development, communications and government relations strategy. Russ' experience includes employment with the American Gas Association, the former Enserch Corp now known as Atmos Energy, Aetna, Inc., Kissinger McLarty Associates, Bush for President campaigns and the Texas House of Representatives. He has lobbied in multiple state capitals and Washington, DC and is adept at developing government relations strategy for state capitals and federal issues, enjoys partnership and coalition development, and executing public affairs issue/campaign communication strategies. He attended the University of Texas at Austin, where he today is a member of the athletic department's Longhorn Foundation Advisory Council, serves on the Moody College of Communication's Annette Strauss Institute for Civic Life Advisory Board and is a member of the University of Texas Systems' Chancellors Council Executive Committee. In addition to his work with Crossnore Group, Russ serves as a Board member of Dallas-based business advisory Catapult Partners, and is a Special Adviser for the southwestern US with FIPRA, a European Union government relations firm.
Bergan Casey brings more than 20 years of experience to the Crossnore team, managing public relations and public affairs information campaigns. She is an expert planner and manager of client resources and relationships and values collaborative approaches to problem solving. Through her own communications firm, Bergan has managed non-profit and corporate clients like the Headliners Foundation of Texas, Austin Community Foundation, Texas Cultural Trust Council and Scott & White Healthcare System. Her particular skills include media relations (traditional and social), storytelling, writing and editing, event planning, design and implementation. Earlier in her career, Bergan was an account executive with Christian-Hubble Media & Communications in Austin, and worked for the public relations firm, Rowland Worldwide in London, followed by several years with Selz/Seabolt Communications in Washington, D.C. Bergan is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin and holds a Master of Public Affairs from the LBJ School of Public Affairs.
Greg Talley leverages more than two decades of experience in government agencies, non-profit associations and trade organizations to work on behalf of Crossnore Group's corporate and association clients seeking to build community relations outreach activities and cohesive public affairs programs. He is a principal in his own firm as well, which specializes in coalition campaigns and community relations activities. He has worked for U.S. Senators from Louisiana and Texas, as well as for a Texas governor. Greg has also served as president of a Texas insurance trade group. Greg earned a Bachelor degree from Louisiana Tech.