Emily Shirden joined Jarrard in 2020 from Finn Partners, where she led thought leadership, issues management, and integrated communications programs with a strong focus on analytics and measurement.
She brings more than 15 years of experience providing communications counsel to clients across the health sector, including pharmaceutical companies, payers, health tech start-ups, and healthcare providers.
Most notably, Emily led the agency’s longtime partnership with Michigan’s largest health insurer, Blue Cross. Under her leadership, the team executed a customer-centered communications strategy harnessing paid, earned, and owned channels to empower consumers to make smart healthcare decisions and strengthen the connection between Blue Cross and its members amid the roll-out of the Affordable Care Act. Social community listening and sophisticated content performance dashboards informed content themes for local market television segments, digital content and executive thought leadership.
Originally based with Finn Partners in Chicago, Emily relocated to Detroit in 2014 to launch the firm’s office there. She grew that operation to more than 17 full-time communications professionals servicing some of the city’s most exciting projects and longstanding brands. In 2019, Emily relocated with the organization to DVL Seigenthaler, a Finn Partners Company, in Nashville to further her work in the health sector.
Prior to Finn Partners, she worked for several Chicago-based agencies, including ComBlu, LCWA, and GOLIN. She is a graduate of Michigan State University’s Executive MBA program and holds a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism from Indiana University.
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