Gary Ross

Gary Ross is a workplace communication trainer, coach, and consultant whose career spans broadcast journalism, Fortune 500 corporate leadership, and professional speaking. He is the president of INSIDE COMMS, a training, coaching, and consulting firm focused on workplace communication. Over his career, Ross has worked as a trainer, coach, consultant, corporate executive, and Emmy-nominated broadcast journalist. He holds a bachelor's degree in journalism from the Medill School at Northwestern University.

Earlier in his career, Ross worked as a reporter and substitute anchor for WCBD-TV in Charleston, South Carolina, where he was nominated for an Emmy Award in investigative journalism, traveled overseas with the U.S. military, and reported from the eye of Category Four Hurricane Hugo. He began his career at the former WRKL-AM in the New York City area as an anchor and reporter. These formative experiences in high-stakes, real-time communication laid the foundation for a career dedicated to helping others master effective workplace communication.

Ross led corporate communications departments at three major corporations: Fortune Brands Home & Security, CDW, and Hyatt Hotels Corporation. He develops client-specific live and e-learning courses and coaches CEOs, C-level executives, and internal communications teams on corporate transformations, integrations, mergers and acquisitions, and change management. Ross has led and been embedded in communication and integration teams supporting mergers, acquisitions, transformations, and integrations reaching as high as the Fortune 20. Companies he has worked with include Labcorp, DuPont, Papa John's, Sikich LLP, and TreeHouse Foods.

Ross is a keynote speaker on topics such as "The Three Number One Rules of Communication," "Getting Your Ideas Approved: A Simple Framework," "We Need to Talk: Leading Difficult Conversations," and "Like, Um, Filler Words and Stuff." He has spoken on communications and change management for organizations including the International Association of Business Communicators, Advanced Learning Institute, Healthcare Businesswomen's Association, PRWeek UK, Public Relations Society of America, Northwestern University, DePaul University, University of Georgia, and Great Place to Work Institute. He is also a principal at thoughtLEADERS, LLC, a leadership development training, coaching, and consulting firm specializing in change management, change communications, and strategic thinking.

Ross serves as the public address announcer for Northwestern University football and men's basketball in the Big Ten Conference. He is a member of the Public Relations Society of America, International Association of Business Communicators, Association of Change Management Professionals, and National Speakers Association Illinois Chapter. Through INSIDE COMMS, Ross works to advance the way organizations and their people communicate with one another.