Carolann Samuels | Senior Director of Communications

Biography | The Real Story

Carolann Samuels has 15 years of experience managing public relations programs and strategic communications campaigns for numerous clients in the technology, business-to-business, corporate, renewable energy and consumer industries.

Carolann brings a breadth of experience to the GFM team including strategic communications, messaging, media relations, product launches, media training, social media, internal communications and crisis communication and reputation management. Carolann has worked on a variety of current and past GFM clients including Corporate Express, Rally Software, St. Anthony Hospital, the Department of Energy, Plugless Power, Examiner.com, Bellco Credit Union and VICORP Restaurants (parent company of Village Inn and Bakers Square restaurants).

Before joining GFM, Carolann served as an account director at Ogilvy Public Relations. While at Ogilvy, Carolann was responsible for developing and implementing strategic PR programs for clients such as Xerox, TeleTech, Uniden, Sun Microsystems and numerous startup technology companies. Her work with these clients allowed her to garner coverage in national, local and trade media, including The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Wired, PC Magazine and Telephony, to name a few. Carolann also managed client teams across Ogilvy’s offices in the United States.

While at Ogilvy, Carolann was a member of The Ogilvy Fast 50, a nominated position, serving with 50 members of Ogilvy’s global management team to address cross-company issues that impacted employees and clients.

Carolann’s public relations campaigns have received the PRSA Gold Pick and the International Association of Business Communicators Bronze Quill Award.

Before joining Ogilvy, Carolann was public relations manager for Apex Global Internet Services, an Internet service provider, where she managed all aspects of the company’s analyst and media relations programs. Carolann also worked for MCI on the corporate communications team, managing the industry analyst relations program.

Originally from New York, Carolann holds a bachelor’s degree from the State University of New York. Outside of work, Carolann has volunteered for her children’s school, The Montessori School of Denver, where she also sits on the board. In her spare time, she enjoys exercising, yoga, cooking and spending time with her husband and three children. They live in Denver.

Biography | The Real Story

Organization Addict
Carolann Samuels grew up the youngest of two in a sleepy Albany, N.Y., neighborhood, working at a gourmet chocolate shop in the winter and saving lives poolside come summertime. She liked her parents. She got along with her brother. She was a darling little freckle-faced redhead with dreams of becoming a singer someday. Pretty standard life, wouldn’t you say? Until you read what comes next: She actually met Bono. Yes, THAT Bono. Her idol.

Her brush with Bono carried over, and she’s been comfortable with the rich and famous ever since. From sharing cocktails with the late Tim Russert (be sure to ask about his drink of choice) to sharing conversation with Sen. John Kerry. Oh, did we mention she moved to Denver from D.C.? It all makes a little more sense now, doesn’t it?

As a young wanderer, she once found herself in a sketchy port in Greece, waking up to find her hiking boots has been stolen. From her feet! We can’t imagine anything worse for our very own “organization addict.” We’re not kidding about the addiction. Carolann literally fantasizes about what she can tidy up next! She’s an avid collector of buttons, wine corks, shoes and cookbooks. We know she has them categorized and inventoried in a way that would make The Container Store envious. She claims that her kids’ toys are “everywhere” in her home, but really, we all know that they’re lined up tidily, sorted by color first, then by age-appropriateness. She loves spending quality time with her kiddos, exercising, cooking, baking (at this altitude? You’ve got to share your secrets), reading, catching up with friends, sharing a bottle of red wine with her husband and hanging out with their two spoiled cats, Stoli and Loki.

Carolann was exposed to her family’s Czechoslovakian culture at a very young age, so it’s a wonder kolaches aren’t listed as one of her favorite foods. Alas, she’s more into sushi and Indian fare. She claims to refuse to eat olives or cauliflower. Really, Carolann? Not even if Bono had prepared them?