Sally Squires Joins Weber Shandwick as Director of Health and Wellness

Tuesday, July 29, 2008 WASHINGTON, D.C. – July 29, 2008 – Award-winning journalist Sally Squires has joined Weber Shandwick as senior vice president, director of health and wellness. After more than two decades with the Washington Post, including seven as the nationally syndicated nutrition columnist, Squires joins one of the country’s largest and most established food and nutrition practices in public relations. Weber Shandwick’s food and nutrition practice represents a diverse group of food companies and food industry organizations.

“Sally brings a tremendous set of skills that will be incredibly valuable in helping us address today’s increasingly complex food issues,” said Cathy Calhoun, president, Weber Shandwick Chicago. “She understands nutrition science, is brilliant at communicating to consumers and, of course, knows what it takes to appeal to both traditional and digital media.”

Squires will split her time between the firm’s Washington, D.C. and Chicago offices and dually report to Cathy Calhoun and Pam Jenkins, president of Powell Tate, Weber Shandwick’s public affairs arm.

"Sally is one of the most-respected journalists in Washington - and beyond. We are delighted to bring her insights and energy to our growing roster of clients in the food industry as well as clients interested in overall health and wellness," said Pam Jenkins, president of Powell Tate.

Squires created the Lean Plate Club multimedia franchise, which includes a nationally syndicated newspaper column (circulation 6 million weekly), an email newsletter (300,000 circulation), weekly web chat and social network (www.leanplateclub.com). She is the author of two books, including "Secrets of the Lean Plate Club," and has contributed articles to a wide range of publications, including Reader’s Digest, Parade, Family Circle, Cooking Light, Self, Good Housekeeping and Parents. A sought-after speaker on issues ranging from obesity to overall health and wellness trends, Squires is also a frequent guest on television and radio, including NPR and XM. She holds two master’s degrees in both human nutrition and journalism and is an outgoing board member of the National Association of Science Writers and a member ofthe Association of Health Care Journalists. Squires is the first journalist to be named an honorary fellow of the Society for Public Health Education, joining the ranks of former U.S. Surgeons General C. Everett Koop and David Satcher and former first lady Rosalyn Carter.

Squires joins a growing group of food and nutrition specialists at Weber Shandwick, including Chicago-based Janet Helm, MS, RD, director of food and nutrition, and Susan Ruland, who heads up the food issues practice in Washington, D.C.

The experienced team of food and nutrition strategists at Weber Shandwick includes four registered dietitians, two certified chefs, two Ph.D. nutrition scientists and two former public relations staffers for the American Dietetic Association.

About Weber Shandwick
Weber Shandwick is a leading global public relations agency with offices in over 79 markets around the world. The firm’s reputation is built on its deep commitment to client service, creativity, collaboration and harnessing the power of Advocates - engaging stakeholders in new and creative ways to build brands and reputation. Weber Shandwick provides strategy and execution across world-class practices such as consumer marketing, healthcare, technology, public affairs, corporate/financial and crisis management. Its specialized services include digital/social media, advertising, market research, and corporate responsibility. Weber Shandwick received the highest client-satisfaction honors in the 2007 Agency Excellence Survey by PRWeek U.S. and in 2006, was named Large PR Firm of the Year (PR News U.S.), European Consultancy of the Year (The Holmes Report) and Network of the Year (Asia Pacific PR Awards). The firm also won the United Nations Grand Award for Outstanding Achievement in Public Relations for the past three years. Weber Shandwick is part of the Interpublic Group (NYSE: IPG). For more information, visit http://www.webershandwick.com/.