Kevin T. Kirkpatrick
senior executive vice president | principal
Kevin T. Kirkpatrick
I chose and my world was shaken. So what? The choice may have been mistaken; the choosing was not. You have to move on.— Stephen Sondheim
The leader of MG’s strategic communication practice, Kevin tries to marry his idealism with his understanding of the theoretical foundation and practical realities of using communication to advance the public good.
Early in his career, Kevin was trained as a journalist. He still thrives on work that allows him to dig through complex information to find nuggets of meaning and truth, and to challenge narratives and mindsets that protect entrenched power and privilege. Kevin developed MG’s approach to narrative as a tool of social change. He is also the principal author of “Measuring What Matters: The Challenge of Quantifying Social Change” and “Values. Value. Voice. The 3Vs of Social Purpose Branding,” and he is co-author of “Public Will Building: A 3-4-5 Approach to Sustainable Change.”
His areas of expertise:
- Public will building and social marketing initiatives
- Narrative and message framing
- Social impact branding
- Strategic communication planning and implementation
- Formative research, measurement and evaluation
Experience
Before joining MG in 2005, Kevin worked as a journalist and news producer at C-SPAN, as a legislative aide on Capitol Hill, and as VP of Marketing and Communications for Prevent Child Abuse America.
Kevin has a Master of Science degree in journalism and a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics and political science from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
In Community
Active in his community, Kevin served as the chair of the board of directors of Circle of Parents, a national nonprofit network of mutual support groups for caregivers. Kevin served for four years on the Wilmette Historic Preservation Commission, and he is a founding board member of A Time to Act, an annual performance gala and fundraising benefit to fund direct service support for people in the greater Chicago area living with HIV and AIDS.
When not working or working out, Kevin loves spending time with his wife and daughter, and their dog, Zoe. He performs in community theater when the right opportunity comes along. And he enjoys palm trees, beaches and swim trunks, which fails to explain why he still lives in the Chicago area.