Karen Terrill
Lead Trainer & President
Media Survival Group
...is the President of Media Survival Group and a former television news anchor, producer, talk show host and an investigative and political reporter for ABC and NBC affiliates. She covered national political conventions as well as many natural disasters. She has worked as a Public Information Officer (PIO) in the California fire service for the past 20 years. She served as the Chief PIO for CAL FIRE and the Communications Officer for the State Fire Marshal. In other words, she has been on both sides of the microphone under the most challenging situations. She shares her "survival tips" with clients, especially other PIOs.
Media Survival Group specializes in PIO Team Training and Karen has vast experience in the team atmosphere of Joint Information Centers during California's disasters over the past two decades including major fires, earthquakes and floods. She has worked in close collaboration with her counterparts in cities, counties, other states and a variety of federal agencies. She has participated in and evaluated many emergency response drills pertaining to everything from terrorist attacks, to hazmat leaks, to chemical stockpile explosions.
She is an award-winning writer including multiple Gold Awards from the State Information Officers Council (SIOC), Crystal Awards from the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC), the California Association of Public Information Officials (CAPIO) and she is a recipient of the SIOC Lifetime Achievement Award. She is the 2012 winner of the Paul B. Clark Award for Excellence in Communications.
Karen has taught media relations and crisis communications workshops for many government agencies and private organizations. She teaches crisis communication for the California Specialized Training Institute (CSTI), and mass media for the University of California - Davis. She is past president of the International Television Association (ITVA) and has served on many boards and commissions as a volunteer. She is an active member of CAPIO, CESA, NIOA, NPHIC, SIOC and the Sacramento Press Club.
