Jeff Caponigro

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Jeff Caponigro: Public relations leader and author

Jeffrey R. Caponigro is an American public relations and marketing executive, entrepreneur, and former journalist. He founded Caponigro Public Relations (CPR) in Southfield, Michigan, and serves as its president and CEO. He also serves as Executive Vice President of Corporate Communications and Chief Marketing Officer for Trion Solutions, Inc., a large HR-services company based in Troy, Michigan.

Education and early work
Caponigro grew up in Illinois and Michigan and graduated from Central Michigan University in 1979 with a Bachelor of Arts in journalism and English. He worked as a sports reporter and columnist for Observer and Eccentric newspapers, with one column later published in Best Sports Stories.

Career highlights
- He spent years in Detroit-area public relations, eventually becoming chairman and CEO of a Detroit-based PR firm for 11 years before founding CPR in 1995.
- CPR focuses on crisis management, product recalls, environmental issues, layoffs, lawsuits, and other communications challenges. Caponigro is the company’s president and CEO.
- In 2007, CPR opened a second location in downtown Tampa, Florida.

Awards and recognition
- In 2001, Caponigro was inducted into the Public Relations Society of America for lifetime achievement. He is an accredited PRSA member and has held leadership roles with PRSA’s Detroit chapter and the Tampa Bay chapter, including chairing the Accreditation Committee.
- In 1988, he won PRSA’s Silver Anvil Award for a public affairs program aimed at increasing seat belt use. PR Week later named that program one of the 20 greatest PR campaigns ever. He is also known for crisis-management work on the large 1995 seat belt recall in the automotive industry.

Public service and philanthropy
- In 2002, Michigan Governor John Engler appointed Caponigro to a six-year term on the Central Michigan University Board of Trustees. He served as chairman for two years and was inducted into CMU’s Journalism Hall of Fame in 2009.
- He established an endowment at CMU to fund a full-ride journalism/public relations scholarship and created the Caponigro Multi-Media Journalism Lab on campus.

Author and thought leader
- Caponigro wrote The Crisis Counselor: A Step-by-Step Guide to Managing a Business Crisis. The book became a bestseller on crisis management and has been published in multiple languages.
- His crisis-management ideas are referenced in the textbook Business Communications Today.

In summary, Jeff Caponigro is a prominent PR executive and entrepreneur known for his crisis-management work, public service, authorship, and ongoing influence in the field.