Mark McNeely, APR

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Mark McNeely, APR, has experienced the explosion of technology in the public relations realm like few other active practitioners, from manual typewriters to word processors to laptops to smart phones to Al, always adapting as a fast follower but insisting on accuracy and transparency. And for the two communications businesses he has started, he has worked tirelessly to place his colleagues’ interests above financial gain.

Mark cut his teeth as a political journalist and became a force in public service and politics, holding roles including Capitol Bureau chief for the Knoxville News-Sentinel and then-U.S. Sen. Al Gore’s first state director.

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He wanted to create an approach to public relations that turned the stereotypical PR flack into a valued strategic partner in telling newsworthy stories when it came to media relations, a philosophy that would become the cornerstone of his
decadeslong PR legacy.

In 1987, Mark founded what eventually would become the largest independent public relations firm in Tennessee – McNeely Pigott & Fox (now MP&F Strategic Communications). After growing this agency and mentoring new generations of PR professionals, he stepped aside to create a smaller, more nimble organization while continuing to emphasize a culture of collaboration and teamwork.

Since co-founding MBPR with his daughter, Kelly Brockman, Mark has been a key strategist in the agency’s work with Middle Tennessee Electric, HCA, CSX, Western Governors University, Pathway Lending, and the cities of Spring Hill and Lebanon, Tenn., and Madison, Miss., as well as providing counsel for several entities involved in public affairs issues at the local, state and federal levels.

Strategic planning, senior counseling and media relations are his specialties. Mark is a 1970 journalism graduate of the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and served as a member of the Board of Visitors to the College of Communication and Information for 15 years, chaired the group from 2009 to 2011, and was appointed an honorary board member in 2015. He was presented the Donald E. Hileman Distinguished Alumni Award in 2015 for outstanding contributions to the field of communications, an award previously bestowed on Vol superstar quarterback Peyton Manning and the late Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times science journalist John Noble Wilford.

In 2016, Mark was honored with the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce’s IMPACT award for his work in mentoring young professionals through the years. He has been recognized by the Nashville Women’s Political Caucus in its annual “Good Guys” Award, was a member of the board of directors of the Nashville Downtown Rotary Club from 2014 to 2016, and served as a Nashville Downtown Partnership board member for more than 12 years.

Mark has also been active in the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce and the local Public Relations Society of America chapter, which honored him in 2007 with the chapter’s annual Hercules Award for professional contributions to public relations.

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