Kimberly Reason

Background

About Kimberly Reason

AWARD-WINNING, EDI-CENTERED COMMUNICATION STRATEGIST + LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT COACH with a keen instinct for grasping the big picture, distilling nuances, and identifying opportunities to grow an organization's engagement with its workforce and community, Kimberly a multi-dimensional range of executive, communications, and workplace culture expertise to the table, making her uniquely qualified to handle today’s complex organizational culture challenges.With 40 years in the government, nonprofit and corporate sectors, Kimberly has driven media relations, crisis communications, reputation management, and stakeholder relationship-building for a regional transit agency, Fortune 500 Company, and several community organizations. She has served as a senior strategist and spokesperson for Sound Transit, Macy’s, Inc, the Seattle City Council, and Legal Voice, with communications expertise in stakeholder and jurisdiction relations; racial justice, social equity and legal advocacy; mega-infrastructure capital project planning, design and construction; equitable transit-oriented development; and crisis response.As Acting Chief of Staff, Deputy Chief of Staff, and Senior Public Information Officer for Sound Transit, Kimberly advised executives on the agency's strategic, antiracism, equity, and capital initiatives. This work included the fare enforcement reform program (for which she served as the interdisciplinary team project lead); community engagement efforts for the agency’s $94 billion West Seattle-Ballard, Northgate, Federal Way and other Link light rail extension projects; and planning for the onboard human trafficking intervention program.As Divisional Vice President for Corporate Communications & Media Relations at Macy’s, Kimberly handled media response for myriad PR crises, including the 9/11 terrorist attacks, WTO “Battle in Seattle” riots, mall shootings and bomb threats; public reaction to LGBTQ store window displays during Pride Week; and customer outcry over in-store placement of FCUK brand merchandise.Throughout her work, Kimberly draws on extensive leadership and community experience as Vice President for Programs at the Metropolitan Seattle Urban League, Executive Director for Legal Voice, Chair of the Minority Executive Directors Coalition, Chair of the Mayor’s Commission on Children and Youth, board member for the United Way of King County and the Northwest Coalition Against Malicious Harassment, diversity training consultant, and speaker-educator for the People of Color Against Network and Lifelong AIDS Alliance.