Senior Vice President
214.363.3935
3090 Olive Street
Suite 430
Dallas, Texas 75219
Her work with Public Strategies
Merrill Davis is a senior member of Public Strategies’ leadership team and has been instrumental in helping the firm develop and implement its long-term growth strategies. Since joining Public Strategies more than 17 years ago, she has become a trusted advisor to corporate clients on corporate communications, internal communications and public affairs.
During her tenure at Public Strategies, she has managed numerous clients’ accounts with an emphasis on energy and health care clients. She has a proven track record in managing teams, resources and budgets, and currently oversees a cross-functional team on-site at an energy client’s headquarters. Prior to this role, she led the outsourcing team for a $9 billion health care client, assuming the role of vice president of communications, which was responsible for media relations and internal communications to 60,000 employees. Previously, she worked with a diverse set of corporate clients and coalitions to support passage or opposition to legislation.
Within corporate communications, she has consulted with clients on communications strategy and implementation, ranging from initial assessments of messaging and delivery to overall positioning in the market to crisis communications. Responsibilities have included media relations, financial communications, business-continuity communications and corporate social responsibility program development. In addition, she has managed numerous complex communications campaigns involving divestitures, litigation, regulatory proceedings, legislative actions and cost-cutting initiatives.
She also has significant experience in developing focused and effective internal communications systems for large, diverse organizations. In this role, she has managed numerous client retreats and strategy sessions, designed to create the best plan for fully engaging stakeholders in the direction the client selects.
Her expertise also lies in government relations and public affairs campaigns, working with clients to identify priorities and build winning coalitions to achieve legislative and regulatory goals. In this capacity, she has managed coordinated lobby activity and messaging, as well as developed campaign plans, associated materials and grassroots outreach strategies. Furthermore, she has led message and grassroots training for multiple clients.
Her earlier work
Prior to joining Public Strategies, Davis worked for a Texas-based consumer organization and the Governor’s Energy Office, focusing on the State of Texas Energy Policy Partnership’s development of a statewide energy plan. She attended the LBJ School of Public Affairs and graduated from Rice University.