BJK Consulting

Who is Benjamin J. Kirby?

BJK Consulting is a strategic communications firm, leveraging decades of experience to help identify and engage your audiences. If you want to ensure your messaging is authentic as well as purposeful, then contact us – let’s get started.

Benjamin J. Kirby is a communications professional with thirty years in politics, federal and local government, the nonprofit sector, and advocacy. A dedicated servant leader, he applies his expertise and experience in an array of disciplines, including: writing, editing, media relations, social media, public policy, and politics. He has served in a variety of volunteer and leadership roles in state and national political campaigns.

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Strategic & Tactical Communications

Have you identified your target audience, and do you have a plan for engaging them?

We are here to help you communicate purposefully. Organizations like yours make strategic decisions every day. We will examine your communications in a holistic way to create an integrated, multidisciplinary approach. Working together, we will craft an ideal narrative, and amplify your voice in a targeted way.

Public Engagement

Have you identified each of your constituencies? And are you talking with them in a way that will ensure they are more than just your constituencies – they are your champions?

We will work together to engage the public in a way that provides value to you as well as the community. We have extensive experience in identifying stakeholders, bringing them to the table, and making progress on the issues that matter. We can help you establish – or enhance – relationships with targeted groups as well as a broader array of citizens.

Government Affairs

Are you engaged with the right governmental leaders?

Thanks in large part to social media, special interest groups can mobilize quickly. Ensuring you are connected to the right groups at every level will give you and your organization a strategic advantage. We have decades of experience at the federal, county, and local level, and good relationships with both leaders as well as staff.

Content Development

Is your content more than just words on a screen?

Good content is powerful. When people understand what you have to say, it’s the difference between passively reading and active involvement. This is the way to recruit and retain advocates and champions. We will tell your story in a way that conveys more than just words on a page – it will demonstrate your mission, your purpose, and your cause in a way that engages your target audiences.

Speechwriting

When you talk, do people listen?

We have years of experience writing background papers, talking points, and speeches for everyone from the Chairman of the United States Parole Commission to the Mayor of the City of St. Petersburg. We will work closely with you to ensure you are on-message, and that your speech is memorable for all the right reasons.

Media Engagement & Training

Do you have a media plan, and are you ready to talk to the media?

Gone are the days of drafting a press release, submitting an op-ed, and hoping for good coverage. Today, it begins with relationships, and we have extensive experience with local media. We will work together to ensure a targeted message receives proper coverage in print, online, and on TV.

We can work with you to identify and prepare for earned media opportunities. We have extensive experience sharing stories with the media, and can work with you to ensure your important message is communicated in the right place, at the right time, in the right way.

Crisis Management & Messaging

Will you and your organization be ready when a crisis strikes?

A crisis can unfold quickly. And in today’s social-media-driven world, it can accelerate and spread almost immediately. We can identify critical areas to address and evaluate what the impact might be. We will work together to develop appropriate responses, and provide recommendations to work with the community, stakeholders, and others to mitigate the effects of the crisis.

Social Media

Are you engaged with your audience where they live? And are you engaging new constituencies?

Social media is both complex and still evolving. But it can also be an important piece of any communications strategy. We have extensive experience implementing social media strategies and tactics, and offer trainings on social media use and best practices.

Benjamin J. Kirby

From 2014 to 2022, he served as the Communications Director for St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman. As the chief spokesman for the mayor, he developed and distributed information from the Mayor’s Office to the news media and promoted mayoral initiatives through media exposure. He was the chief point of contact for local media to Mayor Kriseman. He also drafted press releases, advisories, speeches, talking points and related presentations and information, and advised on social media content for the mayor and deputy mayor.

Previously, he served as an advocate for at-risk youth and underprivileged families as the Communications Manager for the Juvenile Welfare Board (JWB), a Pinellas County governmental authority which provides critical social services. Benjamin served in healthcare education and advocacy roles as well, in communications leadership capacities for the American Association of Kidney Patients and the Parkinson’s Action Network.

Benjamin served on the Board of the National Association of Planning Councils (NAPC), including as Board Secretary. He was also a member of NAPC Forward, a group of young leaders working to promote the work of NAPC for the future.

Before healthcare and family advocacy, he served in staff and volunteer capacities in local and statewide political campaigns in Florida, Arkansas, and Virginia. Benjamin served as Field Director for Arkansas' first female gubernatorial nominee, Jimmie Lou Fisher, and as Campaign Manager for Jan Schneider’s first bid against Katherine Harris for the U.S. House of Representatives in Florida’s 13th Congressional District. His first campaign was with the Clinton/Gore Presidential Campaign of 1992 in his hometown of Little Rock, Arkansas.

From 1993 through 2001, Benjamin held a variety of staff positions in the Clinton Administration. He was the first Public Affairs Officer of the United States Parole Commission, part of the United States Justice Department. He also served on the staff of the First Lady’s White House Millennium Council, the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Office of Presidential Personnel.

Born in western North Carolina and raised in Little Rock, Arkansas, Benjamin now lives in St. Petersburg, Florida with his wife, Kendra, and his children, Emeline, Finnegan, and Elle. He has a degree in Political Communication from George Mason University.

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Benjamin J Kirby to the right of Mayor Rick Kriseman in St. Petersburg, Florida

Benjamin J Kirby standing on the right of Hillary Clinton while working on Bill Clinton's Campaign

Benjamin J Kirby shaking hands with President Bill Clinton while working on his campaign

Purposeful Communication

Decades of Experience

A communications professional with thirty years in politics, federal and local government, the nonprofit sector, and advocacy. A servant leader applying expertise and experience in an array of disciplines, including: writing, editing, media relations, social media, public policy, and politics. Served in a variety of volunteer and leadership roles in state and national political campaigns. Award-winning work spans decades.

“One of my priorities was to elevate St. Petersburg on a global stage. Thanks in large part to Mr. Kirby’s collaboration with the Marketing Department, and his leadership within the city, our goal has been achieved. From the New York Times to Forbes, the Travel Channel to CNBC, the City of St. Petersburg has been lauded as an international destination to live, work, and play.”
Rick KrisemanFormer St. Petersburg Mayor

“He has accelerated and amplified the city with rich insights, well-rooted relationships and a steadfast commitment to the effort required to move us forward with internal and external audiences.”
Dr. Kanika TomalinFormer St. Petersburg Deputy Mayor & City Administrator

“Ben demonstrated early in his tenure that he would not be a conventional communications professional.”
D. Gay LancasterFormer Executive Director of the Juvenile Welfare Board of Pinellas County (JWB)

“During the campaign Ben demonstrated his creativity, superb ability, and unflinching loyalty. Through his hard work, Ben earned the respect of his co-workers and myself.”
Representative Jimmy “Red” MilliganFormer Speaker Pro Tempore, Arkansas State House of Representatives

“The National Capital Revitalization Act has brought the Parole Commission to the forefront of many sensitive issues, and Ben has been instrumental in assisting us in negotiating difficult political developments. As interest in the work of the Commission has grown, his ability to discuss the complex nature of parole in an easily accessible manner to reporters and interested parties has been invaluable.”
Michael J. GainesFormer Chairman, U.S. Parole Commission, U.S. Department of Justice

“He created a site that accurately reflects the national mission and unique responsibilities of the Commission. The Commission’s web page, and the labor that Ben dedicated to ensuring it was of the highest quality, has contributed to enhancing the image and professionalism of this office.”
Timothy E. JonesFormer Chief of Staff, U.S. Parole Commission, U.S. Department of Justice

“His ability to balance multiple priorities, while effectively communicating with senior and junior-level staff earned him the respect and recognition as the linchpin for coordination between ONDCP senior management and staff, and other counter-narcotics agencies.”
COL Walter L. HoltonFormer Deputy Chief of Staff, White House Office of National Drug Control Policy

“He has led the development of new media technology for JWB, including setup of the JWB Facebook page, JWB Twitter feeds, and the JWB YouTube page.”
Debra A. PrewittMPA, Former Director of Public Policy & Strategic Partnerships, Juvenile Welfare Board of Pinellas County (JWB)

“Mr. Kirby’s ability to effectively communicate the critical considerations that connect City Hall with the community it serves makes a difference for thousands every day. His collaborative leadership style and commitment shines through whether he is producing a high-pressure press conference focused on crisis communications or explaining to a fledgling entrepreneur how to access and diversify the community’s supply chain.”
Dr. Kanika TomalinFormer St. Petersburg Deputy Mayor & City Administrator

“An exemplary writer, Mr. Kirby was the lead on talking points and briefing materials covering a wide range of issues and events, and he contributed to speeches for both me and the Deputy Mayor.”
Rick KrisemanFormer St. Petersburg Mayor

BJK Consulting

727-501-4837
BJKConsultingfl@gmail.com