It seems like yesterday, but it was in 1978 that Yvonne Middleton discovered her entrepreneurial spirit and applied it to public relations. Fortified by a major early success – helping to launch a nascent Canadian hospitality company in the U.S. (Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts), she has since guided countless blue chip clients from Rolex to Trump through award-winning PR campaigns.

A love for the written and spoken word led Yvonne to an early career in broadcast journalism, and she continues to finds herself in front of the camera as the subject of interviews about PR and women in business, including an appearance on NBC-TV’s “Today.” She is regularly tapped for speaking engagements, and in 2007, her contributions were recognized by the Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International with a Winthrop W. Grice Award for lifetime achievement.

While Yvonne and her husband enjoy life in Manhattan to the fullest, they’ve also pledged themselves to as many global travel adventures as their busy schedules permit.

Armed with a journalism degree and dry Wisconsin wit, Mary Gendron came to New York in 1977 and spent four years as a magazine editor. While editor of Hotel & Motel Management, she met Yvonne Middleton and was lured into PR. The move proved fortuitous, allowing Mary to make the most of her excellent people, writing and business skills, and earning her recognition as a speaker and frequent interview subject.

Mary has spearheaded a long succession of highly successful PR initiatives and is deeply involved in the industry. She was a founding ISPA board member and is a recipient of the Mel Hosansky Distinguished Service Award, the highest honor presented by the International Association of Conference Centers. She currently sits on the Board of Directors of the New York Spa Alliance.

Mary embarked on her second career as a parent in 1993. The perils and pleasure of balancing the needs of the business and her family are fodder for a future bestseller.

When Burns joined Middleton & Gendron in 2004 as vice president, he brought more than 15 years of award-winning travel and corporate PR experience to the agency – as well as a box of original artwork by his two young children. In relatively short order, he has commanded the respect of the agency’s clients through creativity, diligence and a wry sense of humor. Today he serves as the agency’s Executive Vice President.

Burns has served in PR positions with the New York Philharmonic, Historic Hudson Valley and Cablevision, and made his Madison Square Garden debut as director of public relations, sports properties. Burns, his wife, children, and Labrador puppy live a not-so-sleepy life in Sleepy Hollow, New York.

Kate brings nearly a decade of travel, real estate and lifestyle public relations experience to M&G, where she heads up the PR campaigns for a number of top-tier international brands and resort developments. Kate’s efforts are award-winning and have garnered feature placements in many of the country’s top publications, but she’s most proud of the close-knit relationships she’s built with clients, colleagues and media.

When she’s not globetrotting to fabulous locales in the name of the job, Kate enjoys relaxing at home in Rye, New York, with her husband, Jeff.

Lori Kennedy’s hands-on knowledge of hotel operations, garnered at some of the most prestigious resorts in the western U.S., is an invaluable asset to Middleton & Gendron. That experience, combined with her 18 years in hospitality public relations, made her the ideal choice to open and lead our San Diego office.

Lori was most recently a partner in JLKennedy Communications, a Southern California-based marketing communications firm that she founded with her husband, Jim. She holds the distinction of being the first regional public relations director for Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts, overseeing the brand’s Hawaiian resorts. She has survived hurricanes, earthquakes and wildfires, making her a natural candidate for any crisis communications team. She lives just north of San Diego in beautiful Bonsall, California, with Jim and their two children.

Since 1994, Annette Russo has managed Middleton & Gendron’s finances and staff, crunching numbers, keeping the office operating smoothly and generally serving as "mother." A former controller at a number of prestigious hotel companies, including Princess Hotels International, Annette's contributions to the business go well beyond her areas of expertise.

Annette is a lifetime New Yorker, and enjoys taking advantage of the best the city has to offer – namely good music, great food and outstanding theater.

Todd is our agency's marketing guru. With 30 years of senior-level marketing, sales and advertising experience with such companies as Procter & Gamble, Colgate-Palmolive, Bristol-Myers, Avis Rent a Car and National Distillers, he adds a distinct and important perspective to Middleton & Gendron's brand communications activities.

Todd has sold and marketed services, traditional packaged goods, new products and established brands. He is a planner, an innovator, and most importantly, a doer. His forté is successfully building businesses by identifying opportunity both within and beyond a company's traditional boundaries of operation. In case you're wondering...yes, he is part of the M&G family in more ways than one.

Lucy Vlahakis landed in Manhattan in 1988 and parlayed a personal reference from Mary Gendron’s Aunt Dot into an assistant position at Middleton & Gendron. Twelve years later, she was heading up our editorial operations as vice president and creative director.  After taking a break from the corporate world for motherhood, she moved cross country to Los Angeles.

But Lucy never really left the M&G family, and soon found herself back on board as editorial director, managing our Los Angeles operation. Her award-winning work runs the gamut from press kits, press releases and carefully crafted pitches to newsletters, bylined articles, speeches, online content and more.