Veteran publicist and crisis communications expert Ron Berkowitz began his career in media as a radio personality before pursuing public relations. While at the University of Miami, Berkowitz handled play-by-play for WVUM Radio covering Hurricanes football, baseball, and basketball. He then worked as a reporter for WTOP radio in Washington covering the Baltimore Orioles where he met longtime MLB PR guru Rob Butcher. Butcher invited Berkowitz to interview with him for a role in the Yankees PR Department if he wanted to transition out of broadcasting, and he quickly took him up on the offer. Berkowitz went on to work for the Yankees and FOX Sports before launching Berk Communications in 1999. For the last 21 years, Berkowitz has grown the then-one-man-shop to what is now an award-winning PR firm representing some of the industry’s leading players across sports & entertainment, consumer lifestyle, food & beverage, and travel & tourism. Berkowitz leads the firms' reputation management practice that includes Alex Rodriguez, Meek Mill, and Michael Rubin, and has been featured across Inc, PRWeek, CBS Sports “Tiki & Tierney”, and more.

Marisa has been part of the core executive team at Berk Communications for five years. For the past two decades, her focus has been on building smart and effective media strategies for consumer lifestyle brands. She has held leadership roles at some of the top PR agencies in New York including Text100 and Harrison & Shriftman, and also spent several years in-house at American Express.  Marisa has worked with a diverse roster of consumer brands throughout her career including Johnson & Johnson, Shazam, MTV, VH1, The Cheesecake Factory, British Airways, TLC (The Learning Channel), W Hotels, JW Marriott, Blackberry and more. At Berk Communications she leads strategy development for key accounts across the lifestyle, food & beverage and travel categories including The Cheesecake Factory, Israel Ministry of Tourism, Elegance Brands, Weedmaps, Patreon and more.

Melanie (Wadden) Van Dusen joined Berk Communications in 2017 and co-leads the sports and entertainment practice. With over a decade of experience, she has worked with some of the biggest personalities, agencies, and governing bodies in the industry and held roles with the National Basketball Association, Octagon, and Select Sports Group. As a senior strategist at Berk, Melanie oversees the agency’s roster of sports personalities in reputation management and leads the National Football League, Major League Soccer, BODYARMOR, and Lids business. Her deep industry expertise, extensive rolodex, and proven results earned her a spot on the 2018 PRNEWS’ Rising Stars 30 and Under list.

A skilled content marketing and communications strategist, Matt Mirandi has spent years leading comprehensive content, thought leadership, and public relations campaigns for Fortune 50 companies, advocacy groups, and startups alike. He’s passionate about building authentic reporter relationships and a student of the Internet who uses pop culture to tap traditional and new media formats to help advance client stories and enhance the impact they have on desired audiences. Matt has led media relations strategies for brands as diverse as GE, Credit Suisse, Pfizer, ExxonMobil, Target, The Home Depot, Dell, The Motion Picture Association of America, the TED Conferences, InterContinental Hotels Group, Liberty United, Solar Impulse, The Happiest Baby Company, Knewton, Credit Sesame, and BillShrink (acquired by MasterCard) among many others and the experiences have made him adept at successfully crafting compelling strategies for any industry or beat. Always eager to pursue great stories, Matt has contributed pieces for publications such as Fast Company on topics ranging from marketing to Internet culture.

From the world’s biggest brands to the newest start up darlings, Laura Kepus has a depth of experience across a multitude of sports, fashion, streetwear, fitness, and lifestyle brands. Beyond providing strategic guidance and expertise to her clients, Laura has developed a vast network of strong and genuine relationships with editors across an array of verticals. Clients past and present include household names from PUMA, Target, Foot Locker, Lids, ’47, Major League Soccer, Nixon, and CorePower Yoga to breakout brands Bombas, Balance Athletica, Toluca Swim, BODYARMOR, and more. Laura has also conceptualized and activated during important cultural events including New York Fashion Week, Super Bowl, NBA All-Star, MLS All-Star, and more.

An avid sports fan with a deep appreciation for fashion, when not working Laura can be found watching a game, cooking up a new recipe, or spoiling her adorable French Bulldog, Lucho. Originally from Richmond and a graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University (go Rams!), Laura currently resides in Boston.

Brooke Levine is an Account Director at Berk Communications with nearly seven years of experience in public relations, working with clients across food, beverage, and consumer lifestyle verticals. Currently, Brooke has a vast array of clients on her plate, ranging from a tech provider in the cannabis space, Weedmaps, a premium spirits e-commerce platform, ReserveBar, a household name such as The Cheesecake Factory, and more. Brooke serves as a day-to-day lead across all accounts and builds thoughtful media strategies that ladder back to individual client goals. She is a media maven who’s always on the lookout to secure the next impactful story for her clients.

Gabrielle Gaines is an Account Director at Berk Communications with over seven years of experience in the public relations field. Since joining Berk in January 2017, Gabrielle has been a core member of shaping the food and beverage department. She is an expert in the space that loves to think outside the box and secure top-tier press for her clients. She also serves as a day-to-day lead across all her accounts where she develops PR plans and pitch strategies to help her clients tell their unique stories in the media. She has worked with various food and beverage companies whilst at Berk, ranging from large-scale restaurant chains, Michelin restaurants and chefs, wine companies, liquor brands, RTD cocktails, energy drinks, and beyond. Currently, she is overseeing accounts such as The Cheesecake Factory, Cavit Wines, Tao Group Hospitality at Moxy East Village, BBQGuys, Rowdy Energy, and more. 

Christy Distefano is an Account Director at Berk Communications with a background in global in-house public relations. Throughout her career, Christy has focused on corporate and brand communications within the luxury goods and lifestyle categories. Prior to joining Berk, Christy was the first Global PR Manager at Oribe Hair Care where she focused on building the brand’s international presence and was part of the Strategy & Development team at Tiffany & Co. for four years. At Berk, Christy works across the consumer lifestyle, technology, and food & beverage verticals, crafting strategic and effective media strategies for her clients such as Weedmaps, ReserveBar, and Eastbay.