Based in Oklahoma City, Debbie Schramm comes to Saxum from Tronox (formerly Kerr-McGee Chemical), where she served as director of investor relations and communications. As a key member of the global chemical company’s management team, she was responsible for developing and executing strategies, goals and objectives for global internal and external communications, community relations, crisis communications and corporate branding.
She previously served as vice president of corporate communications for Kerr-McGee Corporation, managing the company’s global communications programs. She oversaw Kerr-McGee’s multi-million dollar national image campaign and various national and international public relations consultants. Schramm also directed all internal and external communications for a major shareholder proxy issue, a large merger and multiple acquisitions and divestitures.
As chief of staff for former Oklahoma City Mayor Ron Norick, Schramm oversaw and coordinated the ceremonies for the first anniversary of the Oklahoma City bombing, hosting more than 300 media representatives from around the world. Her experience also includes serving as vice president of communications for the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce, where she led the organization’s communications efforts, working closely with area business leaders to implement programs that focused on the growth and enhancement of the Oklahoma City metropolitan area.
Schramm is a graduate of Oklahoma State University and is passionate about helping Oklahoma continue to grow and prosper. She is a volunteer for the United Way, March of Dimes and Allied Arts. Schramm lives in Edmond with her husband, Dave. Their son, Chase, is a student at Southern Methodist University in Dallas.
Carol Troy comes to Saxum from Chesapeake Energy Corporation, where she served as director of corporate communications. While at Chesapeake, Troy developed the plan for the new corporate communications department and developed an enhanced media presence for the corporation. She previously served as president and CEO of the Oklahoma Center for Nonprofits. During that time, a new strategic planning process was initiated and implemented. Marketing and fundraising efforts were refocused, which produced a 150% increase in revenue for the organization.
As vice president of community relations for KOCO-TV, the ABC affiliate in Oklahoma City, she managed the department and initiated revenue-producing projects to meet strategic plans. She also oversaw production of and co-anchored a weekly hour-long news program, along with political debates, documentaries and the annual 5 Who Care Awards. She later joined parent company, Gannett Broadcasting Company, headquartered in Washington, D.C., as a community relations vice president.
Troy is a graduate of The University of Oklahoma. She currently serves on the Allied Arts Foundation executive committee and board of directors, the Oklahoma City Public Schools Foundation board of directors, and the University of Oklahoma Health Center Foundation board of trustees. She and husband, Mac, live in Oklahoma City.
Renzi Stone is president and CEO of Saxum Public Relations, one of the region’s largest independent public relations firms. As a visionary entrepreneur with strong public relations and public affairs expertise, Stone has grown his business from a one-person start-up in 2003 to a team of 21 full-time professionals. Saxum serves a diverse local, regional and national client base, touching nearly every sector of the economy. With an emphasis on excellence, Stone is focused on partnering with clients to provide strategic public relations services that achieve the client’s goals and objectives through creative, innovative communications.
Stone is a leader in Oklahoma and is recognized nationally for his political intelligence and public relations insight. He has been published in several books and his opinion editorials have run in The New York Times, Indianapolis Star and The Oklahoman. He guest hosts a popular local political talk show, is an active member of the social media community and is frequently asked to speak to organizations on a variety of issues, including leadership, youth development, entrepreneurialism and Oklahoma. He has been honored multiple times by various local and national organizations and publications as a top businessman and public relations professional under the age of 40. He was selected as one of seven finalists at the University of Oklahoma for the prestigious Rhodes Scholarship to study at Oxford.
Stone serves on the board of visitors for the University of Oklahoma Gaylord College of Mass Communications, the executive committee of Allied Arts the board of trustees for the Oklahoma Foundation for Excellence, the board of directors for the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce and Ally’s House and on the advisory board for the Meinders School of Business at Oklahoma City University. He is a member of the Oklahoma Race to the Top Commission, helping coordinate and report on the effort of the state to implement the federal Race to the Top program. Stone is also a member of the executive committee of IPREX, one of the world’s largest international public relations networks.
Stone is also passionate about public service and is a Leadership Oklahoma graduate (Class XVIII). He has served in various volunteer capacities in local, state and presidential political campaigns. He is an alumnus of the Joint Civilian Orientation Conference (JCOC – Class 77) hosted by the Secretary of Defense. A former member of the school’s basketball team and three-year starter, Stone earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in history from the University of Oklahoma. He and his family live in Oklahoma City.
Alaina Gjertsen joined Saxum in 2007 and serves as a consultant, assisting with development and implementation of communication plans for clients.
Before joining Saxum, she managed international issue campaigns for the Specialty Graphic Imaging Association, where she wrote and produced a national communication training video and acted as liaison with government agencies in Washington, D.C.
Gjertsen is a graduate of Georgetown University, where she earned a Master of Arts in communication, culture and technology. She is also an alumna of Vanguard University of Southern California where she graduated cum laude with dual bachelor’s degrees in international business and political communication.
She currently lives in Enid with her husband, Matt.
As a consultant to the Saxum team, Evelyn (Evie) Klopp Holzer assists with the planning and implementation of client events, media strategies and internal and external communications.
Prior to joining Saxum in 2006, Holzer was a public communications specialist for Pasco County in New Port Richey, Florida. On sunny days, she worked in the tourism office, promoting destinations in the area. On windy and rainy days–during hurricanes–she acted as a public information officer for the county’s emergency operations center.
Holzer graduated from The University of Oklahoma college of journalism in 2003. She is a former editor-in-chief of Sooner yearbook, and her book was nationally recognized for writing, photography and design. She also spent a semester writing for Southern Living magazine in Birmingham, Alabama.
Based in Austin, Texas, Christina Felton serves as a consultant for Saxum, assisting with client service, media relations and strategic communications initiatives for Saxum.
After spending three years in Saxum’s Oklahoma City office as a vice president, Felton moved to Austin in September 2008.
Prior to joining Saxum, Felton was with Neiman Marcus in Dallas, Texas, where she worked as public relations manager. Before moving to Dallas, Felton worked in New York, where she held a variety of positions in the public relations and marketing fields. Felton worked as promotions manager for GQ Magazine, where she helped to create strategic alliances between advertisers and execute special events. Felton has also worked for Barneys New York and CosmoGirl! magazine. She received her bachelor’s degree in English from Manhattanville College in Purchase, New York.
Toni Mitchell serves as office manager and executive assistant at Saxum. She manages the firm’s day-to-day office operations, which include organizing office tasks and keeping the schedule of Renzi Stone, the firm’s president and CEO. She also coordinates special events, organizes databases and assists in maintaining the company culture.
Mitchell comes to Saxum from the Office of Gov. Brad Henry, where she served as director of appointments to boards and commissions. In that role, she assisted the governor with recruiting, vetting and selecting members for various agencies, boards and commissions. She also assisted leadership at Devonshire Institute, LLC and OK United Methodist Volunteers in Mission, overseeing staff, organizing meetings and managing office operations.
She is an active volunteer for Church of the Servant and lives in Oklahoma City with her husband, David, and their two sons, Hunter and Jake.
Triana leads Saxum’s Intelligence Department as a media relations specialist, conducting research, writing and gathering information of interest to Saxum’s clients. Triana also supports Saxum accounts with campaign development and daily operations.
Prior to joining Saxum, Triana interned with Conde Nast publications in New York and later as a freelancer for W magazine. Triana served as an intern for Saxum before joining full time in February 2008.
Triana graduated from The University of Oklahoma in 2007 with a bachelor’s in journalism and mass communication with an emphasis in public relations and a bachelor’s of business administration in finance.
He lives with his wife, Bethany, in Oklahoma City.
Lisa Janssen is integral in the day-to-day writing, editing and communication efforts on her accounts as media relations supervisor. She brings a multimedia and journalism background to Saxum, after graduating summa cum laude with a 4.0 GPA from the University of Oklahoma with a Bachelor of Arts in journalism and a minor in Spanish.
During her educational career, Janssen served as a Gaylord Ambassador for the Gaylord College of Journalism and gained experience in seven different areas of media, including newspaper, magazine, radio, television, online journalism, editing and public relations. She worked for The Oklahoma Daily, The Excellence and Ethics in Journalism Foundation, The Oklahoman/OPUBCO, the Public Information Office of OKC, the Oklahoma Gazette, the Office of the Mayor of Oklahoma City, World Literature Today and KGOU Radio. While working with the Public Information Office, she translated materials into the Spanish language and hosted City News on City Channel 20.
Janssen has received awards from the Society of Professional Journalists and the Oklahoma Broadcast Education Association, and was named Outstanding Journalism Senior from her 2008 graduating class and Top Scholar in the Kappa Tau Alpha Journalism Honor Society. She is a member of the Society of Professional Journalists, the Oklahoma Arabian Horse Club and MENSA
Her work has been published in The Oklahoman, the Oklahoma Gazette, Distinctly Oklahoma, The Norman Transcript, The Oklahoma Daily, the Journal Record, OKC Friday, Thoroughbred Style, The National Show Horse Registry and the Oklahoma Arabian Horse Club newsletter. Janssen has also received regional and national titles for showing Arabian horses.
She currently lives in Oklahoma City.
Rachel Leonard serves as an account executive at Saxum and brings a strong passion for health care and social media to the team.
Leonard’s previous experience includes serving as an account executive at Beckerman Public Relations in New Jersey, where she used social media communications tools to effectively reach target audiences and garner media coverage. Leonard also planned a panel discussion that focused on the underinsured in Washington, D.C. during the height of the nation’s health care reform debate. As an account coordinator for Stern + Associates, she conducted media relations for architecture and design and health care accounts.
During her time as a student at the University of Oklahoma, Leonard served as a public relations consultant for Health for Friends, a health center located in Norman, Okla. During her time at HFF, she organized a Safe Halloween Event to raise awareness of the organization and produced a promotional video for future fund-raising. As a public relations intern for OU Medical Center, she organized media interviews, wrote and distributed press releases and fact sheets, conducted an environmental analysis of area health care facilities and assisted in event organization.
She graduated with academic distinction from the University of Oklahoma with a bachelor’s degree in journalism with an emphasis in public relations and currently lives in Norman.
