Senior level strategists. Proven results. Private Equity & Investor Advisory | Reputation Management | Stakeholder Engagement | Political Advocacy Experience from the political war room
to the corporate boardroom

The Preston Group works at the intersection of business, public policy and communications to protect and enhance the reputations of companies and non-profit organizations, helping them grow and achieve ambitious goals. Our principals are multifaceted, senior executives with a unique blend of for-profit, non-profit, government and political campaign experience, and a 25-year track record of proven results from the political war room to the corporate boardroom.

Capabilities

Corporate Citizenship

Investor Relations

Media Relations

M&A and Transaction Communications

Political Advocacy

Private Equity & Investor Advisory

Reputation Management

Stakeholder
Engagement

Thought Leadership

What Others Say

“I would suggest to any CEO or leader that Sarah and Dwight are exactly the type of advisers you want in the foxhole with you.”
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Bruce Nardella, Chairman and former CEO of Civitas Solutions, Inc.

“There are lots of things about Dwight that make him particularly good and, quite honestly, special.”
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Molly Baldwin, Founder and CEO of Roca, Inc.
“If you are looking for multifaceted, proven communication support, the Preston Group should be at the top of your list.”
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Jane Swift, President and Executive Director of LearnLaunch, Inc. & former Governor of Massachusetts

“Any organization making its way through the behavioral health world would be wise to call on the Preston Group for support.”
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Ned Murphy, Operating Partner for Autism Services and Behavioral Health, Shore Capital Partners
“When you have someone like Dwight on your team…it doesn’t matter what challenges you face because you’ll come through the other side stronger.”
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Andrew Rem, former Portfolio Manager, Nuveen Asset Management.

About Us

As co-founders and principals of the Preston Group, Sarah Magazine and Dwight Robson have extensive experience in corporate strategy, reputation management and complex communications matters. Known for their bias for action and commitment to rolling up their sleeves to get the job done, they have served as strategists and spokespeople for governors, a U.S. Senator, and other high-profile elected officials; led statewide political campaigns; directed communications for a philanthropic organization; and most recently—together—managed a broad portfolio of responsibility at the nation’s leading provider of health and human services for adults and children with complex conditions.

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Civitas Solutions (The MENTOR Network)
Vice President, External Affairs

Office of Governor Jane Swift, Commonwealth of Massachusetts
Deputy Press Secretary

Office of Governor Paul Cellucci, Commonwealth of Massachusetts
Assistant Press Secretary

Barbara Lee Foundation & Political Office
Communications Director & Political Advisor

Massachusetts House of Representatives
Legislative Aide

Sarah Magazine

Civitas Solutions (The MENTOR Network)
Chief Public Strategy & Marketing Officer

Shannon O’Brien for Governor
Campaign Manager

Office of Treasurer Shannon O’Brien
Commonwealth of Massachusetts
Assistant Treasurer & Director of Communications

Scott Harshbarger for Governor
Press Secretary

Massachusetts House of Representatives
Chief of Staff, Joint Committee on Education

John Kerry for U.S. Senate
Deputy Press Secretary

Dwight Robson

617-470-6755

[email protected]

617-875-9452

[email protected]

617-470-6755

[email protected]

617-875-9452

[email protected]

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Corporate Citizenship

With extensive experience developing comprehensive corporate citizenship programs—including establishing and managing a corporate foundation, employee assistance fund and employee volunteer initiatives—the Preston Group partners with clients to design and execute initiatives that align with the company’s purpose and core values while also enhancing the organization’s reputation and mitigating risks. Whether your organization needs support establishing a framework for its corporate citizenship agenda or has a more specific need from program development to execution on key initiatives, we are confident we can help.

Investor relations

Whether your company is publicly traded or a private business looking to raise capital through a debt transaction or an IPO, we can help you develop an effective IR strategy, build a compelling story for investors, and prepare for roadshows, quarterly earnings calls and investor conferences.

During his time with Civitas Solutions (DBA The MENTOR Network), Dwight Robson managed investor relations for the company and played a central role in establishing and growing credibility with investors of all stripes—private equity, debt investors and public equity investors. He was instrumental in several successful financial transactions, including twice selling the company to private equity firms, raising $2B+ in capital through Term Loan and High-Yield Public Bond instruments, an IPO, and a secondary offering completed one year later at a price 24% higher than the initial IPO.

media relations

The principals of the Preston Group have decades of experience as on-the-record spokespeople and media strategists for political candidates, elected officials, non-profit organizations and most recently, a publicly traded company. They have worked extensively with media of all kinds—from major investigative reporters, to national and local outlets. From direct engagement with reporters to working behind the scenes to provide important context, we have expertise in both strategic media management and on-the-record media engagement.

M&A and Transaction Communications

Our principals led corporate communications for a healthcare services company with operations in 37 states and more than 30,000 employees that completed several major financial transactions, including an IPO and twice selling the company to private equity firms, and closed well in excess of 100 acquisitions. These acquisitions were of myriad varieties, including small tuck-in deals, larger strategic acquisitions, and even a “merger of equals” that more than doubled the size of the company. Whether you are seeking guidance and assistance announcing an acquisition, change in ownership or other financial event to internal and external stakeholders, formulating Day 1 communications or developing a comprehensive communications plan to support integration, we have the expertise to support your needs and help ensure your success.

Related Capability:
Executive transitions

Political Advocacy

Our principals have spent their entire careers working in politics, state government and at the intersection of communications, business and public policy. Their experience includes working for a U.S. Senator, two Governors, a state Attorney General, a state Treasurer, a state regulatory agency, and state legislative committees.

For more than a decade, they collaborated to manage federal and state government relations for a company in a heavily-regulated industry that derived nearly all of its $1.7 billion in revenue from government contracts.

During that time, they built winning coalitions to change and shape federal and state policies, spearheaded successful efforts to win new contracts and business, and effectively helped navigate their company through a high-risk congressional investigation.

Private Equity & Investor Advisory

Our principals have deep expertise in behavioral health, Medicaid and the funding, regulation and delivery of community-based services for people with disabilities and other challenges, including in the areas of I/DD, autism, brain injury, adult day health and children’s mental health, including therapeutic foster care.

During their time as executives at Civitas Solutions (DBA The MENTOR Network), they collaborated to craft and implement strategies that helped propel the company to become the nation’s leading provider of community-based health and human services. Through expansion into new markets and geographies, organic development and a robust mergers-and-acquisitions program, The MENTOR Network achieved tremendous growth.

Reputation management

Having built their careers at the intersection of business, public policy and communications, working to repair, protect and enhance the reputations of public figures and organizations whose success depends on having the confidence of the public and policy makers, our principals are the people you want in your corner when the stakes are high. The Preston Group’s holistic approach to reputation management and crisis communications helps organizations anticipate challenges before they become a crisis—and recover quickly when they do.

Related capabilities:
Crisis Management
Litigation Support
Research

Stakeholder Engagement

With decades of collective experience serving as spokespeople for high-profile elected officials and managing corporate communications for the nation’s leading provider of health and human services to adults and children with complex conditions, our principals are skilled and savvy communications strategists. They understand the importance of holistic strategies designed to inform and engage stakeholders of all stripes, as well as those that are tailored for individual groups—including employees, clients, policy makers and advocates.

Related Capabilities:
Event management
Executive transitions
Internal communications
Marketing communications
Social media strategy
Video Production

Thought leadership

A carefully crafted thought leadership strategy can help to protect and enhance your organization’s brand, while also supporting efforts to distinguish it from the competition. The principals of the Preston Group are skilled at developing thought leadership strategies that elevate the profiles of businesses and not-for-profit organizations—and their leadership—in a manner consistent with our clients’ values and goals.

Related capabilities:
Speechwriting
Executive Positioning

As partners in the Preston Group, Sarah Magazine and Dwight Robson have extensive experience in corporate strategy, reputation management and complex communications matters. Known for their bias for action and commitment to rolling up their sleeves to get the job done, they have served as strategists and spokespeople for governors, a U.S. Senator, and other high-profile elected officials; lead statewide political campaigns; directed communications for a philanthropic organization; and most recently—together—managed a broad portfolio of responsibility at the nation’s leading provider of health and human services for adults and children with complex conditions.

Their corporate experience includes leading a successful IPO marketing campaign, building winning coalitions to change and shape federal and state policies, and spearheading efforts to win new contracts and business. They’ve managed crisis and internal and external communications for matters including incident litigation, a congressional investigation, workplace violence and natural disasters.

Active in their communities, Dwight has been a longtime board member of Roca, Inc., an organization transforming the lives of young people by disrupting the cycles of poverty and incarceration, which he currently serves as treasurer. Sarah currently serves as co-chair of the Board of Overseers for the Boston Children’s Museum—the oldest children’s museum in the country.

“I would suggest to any CEO or leader that Sarah and Dwight are exactly the type of advisers you want in the foxhole with you. They are smart, strategic and hardworking.  During our time working together at MENTOR, they helped navigate a staggering breadth and depth of issues. They managed it all extraordinarily well, helping to strengthen our company’s brand and supporting its growth. I will always be grateful they were on my team.”

Bruce Nardella, Chairman and former CEO of Civitas Solutions

“There are lots of things about Dwight that make him particularly good and, quite honestly, special. He has helped Roca in many different ways, particularly in the areas of finance, strategy, and expansion. He has been a tremendous advisor on communications and media management, and he has helped me work through complicated matters involving investors, board members and staff.”

Molly Baldwin, Founder and CEO of Roca, Inc.

“If you are looking for multifaceted, proven successful communication support, then the Preston Group should be at the top of your list. Sarah Magazine earned her stripes in crisis communication as a young professional working in my Gubernatorial administration and has built on those foundational skills to provide strategic insights and leadership in non-profit, for-profit, and government settings. I still rely on her sage advice when a tough decision is at hand.”

Jane Swift, President and Executive Director of LearnLaunch, Inc. & former Governor of Massachusetts

“Any organization making its way through the behavioral health world would be wise to call on the Preston Group for support. Navigating the landscape of state Medicaid policies and healthcare regulations is complicated, and Dwight Robson and Sarah Magazine know how to do it better than anyone else. They also standout for their ability to develop and execute highly-disciplined communications strategies that are critical for companies to interact successfully with stakeholders, particularly governments and investors.”

Ned Murphy, Operating Partner for Autism Services and Behavioral Health, Shore Capital Partners

“Dwight and his team at Civitas Solutions (CIVI) consistently demonstrated what it takes to be successful. He was consistently curious, passionate about who he served, both employees and clients, and earned stakeholders trust. He was diligent in working through challenges as well as accurately communicating those situations. I can’t emphasize this latter point enough; honesty and integrity are earned when they require courage, especially when doing the right thing isn’t only hard but painful. Civitas managed through a number of problems as a public company and Dwight and his team correctly prioritized employees and clients first. When you have someone like Dwight on your team, you’ve got a person with the right mindset and that’s what you need; it doesn’t matter what challenges you face because you’ll come through the other side stronger.”

Andrew Rem, former Portfolio Manager, Nuveen Asset Management.