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Advocacy & Communication Solutions, LLC Recognized in Two International Business Awards

For the second year in a row, Advocacy & Communication Solutions, LLC (ACS) was selected out of more than 3,700 nominations in The 19th Annual International Business Awards®

to receive a Silver Stevie® Award in the category: Company of the Year in Small Business or Professional Services

Additionally this year, ACS was honored with a Bronze Stevie® Award in Communications or PR Campaign of the Year for its five-year engagement with The Arras Foundation. ACS guided Arras through a name change and a new strategic direction based on community input and engagement.

ACS, an Ohio-based minority and women-owned firm that has been in business for almost 20 years, received the Company of the Year award for its work in helping non-profit organizations, government agencies, philanthropic organizations and for-profit companies advocate for policy change and communicate effectively with audiences who have the power to effect change. ACS previously won the Bronze Company of the Year Stevie® Women in Business Award in 2018, 2019, and 2020 and the Silver Stevie® Award in the Company of the Year in Small Business or Professional Services in 2021.

“ACS is an exceptional organization with critical-needs expertise for some of our nation’s most vulnerable sectors,” one judge commented. “As the ‘champions for social and policy change,’ their strategies will have positive impact for future generations. Their laser focus on policy change and advocacy for organizations nationwide provide the support and platforms for community catalyst organizations to sustain and build capacity for their future success.”

Of ACS’ five-year engagement campaign with Arras, one judge noted it was “a good solid strategy that led to the transformation of the organization that if it had not been handled in a sensitive and community-led way could have had severe negative corporate reputation ramifications. This shows how philanthropic organizations that have a negative history can be turned around through community engagement to create a ‘force for good’ with their financial contributions.”

The International Business Awards are the world’s premier business awards program. All individuals and organizations worldwide – public and private, for-profit and non-profit, large and small – are eligible to submit nominations. The 2022 IBAs received entries from organizations in 67 nations and territories.

ACS Launches New Website

You’ve heard the adage “try something new?”

At Advocacy & Communication Solutions, LLC (ACS), we embrace this motto and are always looking for new ways to improve upon who we are, what we do, and how we present ourselves to the world.

And what better way to “try something new” than by launching a new website? We’ve taken everything you know and love from our previous website, reexamined and refined our existing material, and added in some new content that can help you discover the many ways ACS can help your organization.

It’s the same expertise you’ve come to expect from ACS—communication, strategy development, and advocacy—just with a new look.

NE Ohio Education, Civic and Business Communities Celebrate Greater Cleveland Career Consortium Launch

Northeast Ohio education, civic and business leaders have launched the Greater Cleveland Career Consortium (GCCC), a collaborative cross-sector effort to help every student in the region graduate from high school with a career vision and a plan to achieve it.

The GCCC builds on the Linking Students to Career Pathways and Living Wage Jobs initiative, a collaboration between the Cleveland Metropolitan School District and The Cleveland Foundation. ACS has been deeply involved in the Linking Students work since its 2019 inception.

The GCCC comprises employers, industry, K-12 education, higher education, public sector, philanthropy, workforce, and youth-serving nonprofits committed to ensuring that every student leaves school with the confidence, knowledge, skills, and relationships they need to follow a path to fulfillment. The region benefits as talented graduates take the next step in their careers, including pursuing post-secondary education, joining the workforce, and/or starting businesses.

Social media post: The Greater Cleveland Career Consortium will help every student graduate from high school with a career vision and a plan to achieve it.

Ohio Department of Education Releases 2020-2021 Student Wellness and Success Fund Survey Data Report

The Ohio Department of Education released its 2020-2021 Student Wellness and Success Funds Report. The report summarizes how funds help eligible districts and schools and community partners implement physical, mental and behavioral health care services.  A $675-million state investment in student support initiatives from October 2019 through June 2021 has served more than 1 million Ohio students through 2,000 student support initiatives. Several school districts represented by The Ohio 8, an ACS client, participated in the study, including Cincinnati, Dayton and Youngstown public schools. Highlights of the survey include:

• 80% of eligible schools and districts used Student Wellness and Success Funds to provide mental health programs and services.
• Schools and districts increased community partnerships by 491 additional community partners from the previous year.
• Of the reported initiatives, 22% were new.

Social Media post: Ohio’s $675-million investment in student wellness supports has increased the number of programs by 22% and has served more than 1-milion students. Learn more about the impact of this important program.

Jennifer Judkins joins Advocacy & Communication Solutions, LLC  as Senior Communication Manager

Advocacy & Communication Solutions, LLC is pleased to announce Jennifer Judkins has joined the firm as a Senior Communication Manager. Judkins will lead the firm’s strategic communication efforts to support clients nationwide.

“Jennifer has deep experience in developing and delivering information to drive and support a wide variety of internal and external communication strategies including political campaigns, marketing and public relations, community engagement, and staff training. Her expertise will only deepen ACS expertise and capacity in this vein,” said ACS CEO and Co-Founder Lori McClung.

Judkins is a professional writer, editor, and public relations professional who has spent her career advocating for her clients across a broad range of industries. She believes that in order to be an effective communicator, you must know your audience and meet them where, when, and how they want to receive information for maximum influence and change.

ACS President and Co-Founder Scarlett Bouder said, “Judkins personally and professionally aligns with the ACS commitment to the issues. Along with her experience, Jennifer understands the impact strategic communication can have on people, organizations, and communities at large. Her holistic view of partnering with clients has allowed for her to have an almost immediate impact within the firm’s portfolio,”

“Being given the opportunity to work with a female- and minority-owned business is an honor I take very seriously,” said Judkins, “I look forward to learning from and contributing to this team of amazing individuals on issues that are important, relevant, and life changing for ACS clients and those they serve.”

Judkins is currently an active member of both the Cleveland Clinic Advisory Board and the North Coast Rotary. She received her BS in Communications and MA in English from Bowling Green State University. Judkins currently resides in Avon Lake, Ohio with her husband, Dan, three children, and a dog.

About Advocacy & Communication Solutions, LLC

ACS is one of the only female and minority owned consulting firms in Ohio, receiving various local, national and international awards for their work. ACS has gained a national reputation for not only its advocacy, communication and strategy development expertise but also a deep understanding of matters within the early childhood, K-12, workforce, Medicaid, and health and human services fields across the non profit, government, and philanthropic sectors. Learn more about ACS at www.advocacyandcommunication.org 

Two years after declaring racism a public health crisis, Cuyahoga County officials have released a follow up report on accomplishments aimed at addressing socio-economic and racial disparities. Legislation passed in May 2021 created the Department of Equity and Inclusion to enhance diversity both internally – as it relates to recruitment, hiring, and promotion – and externally – as it relates to awarding contracts, providing services, and making other investments. An article published by The Land highlights the county’s efforts.

2022 is off to an ambitious start. This year holds many challenges but lots of promise. ACS is closely watching five issues that will have big impact on our clients: issues related to election laws, how states use federal dollars, abortion access, debates on critical race theory and if we will continue to see governments and foundations cut red tape. Our latest newsletter offers a primer on these five issues so you can get up to speed quickly. Read it now.