Debra Vilchis | PR Professional | President at Fishman Public Relations

Debra is President of Fishman Public Relations, the nation’s leading agency specializing in PR, content marketing, digital marketing, influencer relations and crisis communications for franchise brands. Debra is also a partner at Franchise Elevator PR, a second agency under the Fishman umbrella that focuses on emerging brands. Debra recently celebrated 26 years of serving clients and leading internal operations at Fishman PR. She served as Chief Operating Officer from 2006 through March of 2022, when she was elevated to the role President. Prior to PR, Debra was a news journalist who covered state government for the Associated Press and municipal reporting in the Chicago area, and was associate editor for health and safety trade publications. Debra served on the IFA Women’s Franchise Committee for 10 years, co-chaired the Women’s Franchise Network in Chicago and currently serves on the IFA Supplier Forum Advisory Board. She is an active agency partner of Worldcom Public Relations Group. She is passionate about combatting ageism in the workplace and bringing humor into the workplace as a way to enhance creativity and improve the well being of employees. She has expertise in all areas of public relations, including media relations and the changing media landscape as it relates to PR, best practices for AI with an agency setting and advice for brands on how to best tell their stories in the marketplace and manage their reputations.