Rick French
Rick French

French/West/Vaughan CEO Rick French is one of five new members of the North Carolina Media and Journalism Hall of Fame. The awards, presented by the University of North Carolina School of Media and Journalism, honor industry pros with ties to North Carolina for their leadership, service to both the industry and society at large, and performance that meets top professional standards. French was cited for FWV’s numerous Agency of the Year awards, as well as his being recognized as Agency Leader of the Year twice. The other winners were Curtis Media Group CEO Donald W. Curtis, Northrup Grumman corporate VP of communications Lisa R. Davis, Scripps Networks Interactive CEO Kenneth W. Lowe and John Sweeney, who directs advertising and public relations for UNC-Chapel Hill.

Jonathan Stern
Jonathan Stern

Burson-Marsteller has named Jonathan Stern managing director and market leader of its Miami office, taking over for Jorge Ortega. Stern, who was VP-marketing practice at B-M from 1997 to 2000, rejoins the firm from Platinum Marketing Communications, where he was president and CEO. Before that, he spent 11 years with MillerCoors in Chicago, most recently as director of media relations and investor relations. He also led marketing and communications for NYC2012, New York City’s Olympic bid. In his new role, he will lead a team serving diverse clients, providing assistance with brand marketing, crisis response, government affairs, investor relations, reputation management and sports marketing.

Sabrina Lacle
Sabrina Lacle

Miami-based consulting firm Newlink has promoted Sabrina Lacle to director of the tourism practice. Lacle joined Newlink in 2013 and has led numerous accounts and projects including the Mexico City Tourism Board, Guatemala Tourism Board, Quito Tourism Board, LATAM Airlines Group, JW Marriott Miami, La Coleccion and Amadeus. Prior to joining Newlink, she served as director at AMGW, overseeing the public relations department and developing major public relations campaigns for travel and real estate clients in Latin America, the Caribbean and South Florida. In her new role, Lacle will be part of Newlink’s leadership team, providing senior counsel and management of account teams for tourism clients. She will also assume increased responsibilities in such areas as new business development, talent management and crisis management.

Meghan Gross
Meghan Gross

Pierpont Communications has brought on Meghan Gross as a vice president. Gross comes to Pierpont from Grayling, where she was an executive vice president. Before that, she was president of Gem Strategic Communications and a senior vice president at MSLGROUP. Gross has worked for large public companies and led client engagements for global PR agencies, professional services organizations and industry associations. In her new role, she will serve existing Pierpont clients on the East Coast as well as building new business opportunities.