About Charlene E. "Charlie" Fern

For nearly 20 years, Ms. Fern has led a successful communications career in the fields of journalism, state and federal government, and corporate public affairs. Ms. Fern has worked with wide latitude among top political officials and corporate executives; policy professionals; local, state and national media; authors and publishers; and non-profit organizations.

As a speechwriter and press aide for First Lady Laura Bush in the Governor's Office and the White House, Ms. Fern managed issues including early childhood education, child advocacy, literacy, public libraries, the arts, women’s rights and women’s health issues.

As a speechwriter for the Attorney General of Texas, Ms. Fern wrote about legal issues, including child support enforcement; open records; Medicare and Medicaid; pharmaceuticals; oil and gas; tort reform; public safety and law enforcement.

As director of executive communications and chief speechwriter at Merck & Co., Inc., Ms. Fern wrote about health care policy; global trade; worldwide health problems (SARS, river blindness, and HIV/AIDS); access and patent protection; Medicare; drug development; education; shareholder issues. She assisted with employee communications and other high-stakes corporate communications issues.

As a full-range communications consultant, Ms. Fern can assess your needs and work with you to develop a comprehensive communications plan, outline a public speaking strategy, create a presentation, or simply prepare written material.

As an event partner, Ms. Fern can assist you in choosing the event plan and the words that are right for you. She will coach you through the process from beginning to end, as you develop the message in the office, deliver the message in public, and stay on message with the media. Charlie Fern will work with you to develop a proactive strategy for ongoing top-level communications for your entire organization, from overall corporate communications and public affairs to management committee and executive communications.

• Feature Article in Austin Monthly Magazine