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Experts in strategic public relations, crisis management, and digital & multimedia communications

Slowey McManus Communications was founded in 2006 by Dominic Slowey, and James McManus, who both have more than three decades of experience in journalism, government and public relations.

They are assisted by a talented group of account managers, supervisors, and senior consultants with diverse backgrounds and experiences in virtually all aspects of communications. Unlike other firms, we don’t push the work down to junior staff. Partners are involved in every client engagement, so our clients benefit from seasoned experts as well as highly trained digital natives who are deft at the latest technologies and platforms.

Our Team

Jim McManus

Principal Partner

Jim McManus

Principal Partner

Jim helps corporate and non-profit organizations develop and implement creative and successful communications strategies closely tied to their business or public policy objectives. He is also an attorney who has assisted law firms with their clients on crisis communications and litigation support engagements.

Over the course of his career, Jim has worked as a journalist in Boston, Washington DC and Hong Kong. While in law school, he served as Chief of Staff for a prominent State Senator, who chaired the Criminal Justice and Education Committees.

Jim has helped secure media coverage in the most prominent media outlets around the world for Fortune 500 clients and startups in the biotech, energy and education sectors. He has worked with several governmental clients, including the Irish, Austrian and Canadian business development agencies. He holds degrees from the College of the Holy Cross, the University of Illinois and Suffolk University Law School. He is a member of the Leadership Council of the American Diabetes Association and a board member of Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Boston. He is an adjunct professor of Media Law at Emerson College.

Dominic F. Slowey

Principal Partner

Dominic F. Slowey

Principal Partner

Dominic Slowey has been a trusted advisor and guide to companies and organizations seeking to raise their visibility, advance worthy causes, respond to crises, and communicate their messages to key audiences. As co-founder and Principal Partner at Slowey McManus Communications, Dom has established a reputation as one of the most skilled public relations practitioners in Greater Boston.

Dom has managed strategic public relations campaigns for a broad array of corporate and nonprofit clients focusing on complex issues, including energy and the environment, education, financial services, health care, criminal justice reform, and transportation. He is comfortable and effective in the boardroom, in government’s halls of power, and in front of the camera.

Prior to founding Slowey McManus Communications, Dom was a senior executive at two of Boston’s leading public relations firms. He served in state government as Assistant Secretary for Policy and Communications in the Executive Office for Administration & Finance under Massachusetts Governor William F. Weld. Dom’s political experience includes roles as Deputy Campaign Coordinator and chief spokesperson on statewide ballot campaigns.

Before his career in public relations, Dom was a respected print and broadcast journalist in Boston covering national, state, and city government. He reported from the Massachusetts State House and Boston City Hall for National Public Radio (WBUR), State House News Service, The MetroWest Daily News, and The Boston Ledger. Dom sits on the Boards of Stop Handgun Violence and the Massachusetts Afterschool Partnership. He earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Boston University’s College of Communications.

Travis Small

Associate Partner

Travis Small

Associate Partner

Travis has more than two decades of experience in the communications industry – including senior level positions overseeing energy, healthcare, and emerging technology practices at leading strategic communications firms. He is passionate about working with and helping tell the stories of mission-driven organizations and companies that are having a positive impact on people’s lives and their communities. He brings creative ideas, unparallel organizational skills, and a drive to deliver excellent results for SMC’s clients. In addition to providing strategic direction to many of SMC’s top clients, Travis has been instrumental in the agency’s growth by cultivating new business and adding several notable clients to the firm’s roster.

Prior to joining SMC, Travis held leadership roles at Solomon McCown (now Issues Management Group) where he oversaw the healthcare and mission practice and Lois Paul and Partners (now part of FleishmanHillard) where he was a senior member of the health technology practice. For over ten years, Travis worked with Rasky Baerlein Strategic Communications (now Rasky Partners) where he helped build the firm’s energy, emerging technology, and environmental practice.

During his career, Travis has represented clients of all sizes from global health technology and biopharma companies to healthcare providers to emerging cleantech start-ups. He has helped build successful thought leadership programs, corporate communications initiatives, messaging and positioning efforts, investor relations programs, crisis communications protocols and cause marketing campaigns. He has a proven track record of facilitating dynamic media training and storytelling workshop sessions for executives and members of the C-Suite in the biotech, healthcare, and clean energy sectors. He has a strong network that includes relationships with influential national and regional industry organizations and top-tier media that he leverages for his clients.

Travis has a long history of involvement with statewide and national political campaigns. A proud graduate of Emerson College, Travis served as a long-time member of the Emerson College Alumni Board. He lives in Groton, MA with his wife, two teen children, corgi, and ragdoll.

Anneke Butkus

Account Executive

Anneke Butkus

Account Executive

Annie is a strategic communicator with a passion for public affairs and impactful storytelling. She supports organizations across various industries, with a specific expertise in non-profits, public policy, and education. She brings sharp writing skills, media savvy, and a deep understanding of the political landscape to her work, helping clients amplify their messages and building meaningful public engagement.

Prior to joining the Slowey McManus team, Annie held roles in public relations, marketing, politics, and law. She found her passion in communications, having managed media strategy for a city government political campaign, and volunteering as public relations and marketing manager for a children’s hospital’s fundraising campaign.

Annie received her B.A. in Political Science and History from the University of Vermont, and her M.A. in Political Communication from Emerson College. Additionally, she studied at the Burren College of Art in Ballyvaughan, Ireland with a concentration in creative writing. She currently lives in Somerville, MA with her two cats, Banjo and Tucci.

Gabe Edelman

Senior Account Executive & Senior Media Strategist

Gabe Edelman

Senior Account Executive & Senior Media Strategist

Gabe is an expert in communication and research in the healthcare, retail, and technology sectors. He has had great success in compiling media lists for a selection of wide-ranging industries, as well as consistently receiving positive coverage for his clients.

In his role as Senior Account Executive & Senior Media Strategist, he focuses on providing his clients with the research and information they need to advance in a specific market. His proficiency and knowledge of the media landscape allow him to assist his clients in building their brand reputation in the most efficient and effective ways possible.

Gabe holds a degree in Political Science and History from McGill University.

Kate M. Jackson

Senior Writer

Kate M. Jackson

Senior Writer

Kate joined the SMC team in 2013 where she handles most of the writing and creative content for our clients, including op-eds, bylined articles, press releases, website content, case studies and social media campaigns.

For more than 25 years, Kate has served in a variety of roles as both a communications professional and journalist. She worked as a freelance writer and communications consultant for more than a decade as well as a correspondent for the Boston Globe where she wrote features on topics ranging from style and real estate to lifestyle and business. While at the Globe, she also penned a number of columns on workplace issues and psychology that were syndicated nationwide.

Kate’s work has gained accolades and awards across the industry, including a gold award from Parenting Publications of America, its highest honor, for her two-part feature on 9/11 families in Massachusetts. Her feature stories have also received top honors from the New England Press Club over the years. In a former life, Kate served as a public relations manager for high-tech firms during the dot com boom of the 1990s – a role that involved too many trips to Las Vegas. She began her career with a baptism by fire as a public information specialist at the Big Dig.

Kate received her B.A in English from Westfield State and M.S. in Journalism from Northeastern University. She lives on the South Shore with her husband, two teenagers and a haughty french bulldog.

Jeff Krasner

Senior Vice President

Jeff Krasner

Senior Vice President

Jeffrey Krasner is senior vice president at Slowey McManus Communications. From 2016 to 2021, Jeff was founder and president of Emerging BioCommunications, a firm advising biotech companies on strategic communications, media relations, marketing, web design, and social media.

Prior to founding Emerging BioCommunications, Jeff served as senior director of communications for Flagship Pioneering, where he launched companies created inhouse at Flagship VentureLabs from stealth mode onto the public stage. He also served as director of corporate communications for ARIAD Pharmaceuticals, a commercial stage company with treatments for rare forms of leukemia.

Jeff worked as a financial reporter in Boston for 25 years at the Boston Herald, The Boston Globe and The Wall Street Journal, winning numerous local and national awards for his journalism. He holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from Brandeis University and a master’s degree in journalism from the University of Missouri.

Maeve Lawler

Assistant Account Executive

Maeve Lawler

Assistant Account Executive

Maeve brings a sharp eye and deep understanding of the media landscape to SMC. Before transitioning to communications, Maeve worked for The Boston Globe and GBH News, covering breaking news with regional and national significance, as well as crafting in-depth, multi-media features on issues affecting the Greater Boston community.

She leverages her newsroom experience to help clients shape compelling narratives that cut through the noise. With a passion for impactful storytelling and a commitment to authenticity, Maeve works closely with clients to develop media strategies that resonate with local and national audiences.

Specializing in media relations, content development, and strategic messaging, Maeve is driven by a simple goal: to help people and organizations tell their stories in the most effective, engaging way possible.

A proud alumna of Emerson College, Maeve holds a B.S. in journalism with a minor in publishing. She currently resides in Boston.

Brittany Murphy

Managing Director

Brittany Murphy

Managing Director

Britt is an award-winning journalist and seasoned storyteller who brings years of experience in content production and media strategy to her role as Managing Director at SMC. She leads day-to-day client relations, develops compelling visual content, and drives media outreach for clients in healthcare, education, banking, and the nonprofit sector. Britt also produces broadcast-quality video packages and b-roll, and supports media training efforts for clients.

Before joining SMC, Britt was the morning and noon anchor at Western Mass News (ABC 40/FOX 6/CBS 3), where she earned a Boston/New England Emmy in 2020 for Best Morning Newscast and was recognized by the Massachusetts Broadcasters Association in 2018 for Best Feature Story for her powerful report on increasing cancer risks firefighters face.

Earlier in her career, Britt spent three years at WMCT-TV in Marlborough, MA, where she took on many roles, including news director, anchor, writer, editor, photographer, and producer. She played a key role in launching a second newscast and created Marlborough Living, a lifestyle program focused on wellness, cooking, fitness, and more.

Outside of work, Britt has served as a mentor for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and volunteered with Dress for Success. She’s a proud alumna of Emerson College, where she earned her Bachelor’s degree in Journalism.

Paris Tanner

Senior Account Executive

Paris Tanner

Senior Account Executive

Paris brings a vibrant edge to Slowey McManus, backed by four years of on-the-ground experience in television news. With a keen eye for compelling stories and a deep understanding of the media landscape, she offers clients a fresh, forward-thinking perspective on journalism and public relations. Her knack for crafting pitches that resonate ensures our stories break through the noise and make headlines.

Before joining the team, Paris served as a general assignment reporter for Western Mass News (ABC 40/FOX 6/CBS 3), where she covered everything from breaking news to community features. She began her career as a multimedia journalist in Southern West Virginia, telling powerful stories that sparked conversations and inspired change.

A graduate of High Point University, Paris holds a degree in Strategic Communications with a minor in Journalism. Outside the office, she’s a devoted mom to her son Tye and two rescue pups, Boomer and Mully. On weekends, you’ll find her restaurant-hopping with her husband Zack.

Tom Walton

Account Executive

Tom Walton

Account Executive

Tom is currently an Account Executive with Slowey/McManus Communications. With a strong interest in research and social media strategy, Tom proves as a secure asset in gathering resources and managing social media accounts for various clients. He has a particular interest in the non-profit sector, bringing with him a broad array of skills to assist those who need it most.

Tom joined the Slowey McManus team as a sophomore at Bentley University, where he recently earned his B.S. in Marketing and minor in Information Design and Corporate Communication. Additionally, he had the opportunity to study at the University of Manchester in England, where he had a focus in international marketing. He currently resides in Melrose, MA.