TEAM

Opening her own shop in 1989 was an experiment that’s never ended for Teresa Zumwald: a speechwriter, executive speech coach, executive communications adviser and three-time corporate history book author.

At Zumwald & Company, LLC, she works 1:1 with leaders to write and deliver speeches and presentations that change how people think or behave.

Since 2012, her speeches have won 27 international, national and regional awards including 20 Cicero Speechwriting Awards from Vital Speeches of the Day.

Among her clients are board chairs, C-suite leaders, entrepreneurs and subject matter experts from the Fortune 500 and other U.S. and international firms including the former owner of two global manufacturing companies based in Europe.

She routinely serves leaders as a thought partner and ghostwriter of executive communications for employees, shareholders, customers, partners, suppliers, the media and the public.

A few years ago, Teresa collaborated as the writer of a business book, authored by an executive, that was published in 2020 for stakeholders of a private corporation. An expanded second edition is now in progress.

Teresa is a frequent lunch-and-learn, webinar and workshop presenter on confident public speaking, teaching leaders how to rework their own speeches and presentations to change how people think or behave.

Experience

Over the years, Teresa’s award-winning writing has been recognized by eight professional organizations, and her work has been published in 50 magazines, journals, corporate publications and online.  

Her legacy portfolio in corporate and marketing communications includes dozens of projects in brand messaging and corporate storytelling – collaborative efforts with graphic designers, web developers, videographers, photographers and printers.

Teresa’s three corporate history books focus on the Dayton, Ohio, region:

• “For the Love of Dayton: Life in the Miami Valley, 1796-1996” (1995) and the revised edition (2001)
• “Dayton Ink: The First Century of the Dayton Daily News” (1998)
• “The University of Dayton Research Institute – Sponsored Research: 40 Years of Progress” (1999)

Before creating Zumwald & Company, Teresa was a communications specialist for Geographic Information Services at Woolpert, a national architecture, engineering and geospatial firm.

She has also been a reporter/copy editor for the department of University Communications at The Ohio State University, and a writer/copy editor for Diagnostic Medicine magazine in New Jersey.

Education and memberships

Teresa earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism from The Ohio State University and later trained under an international speechwriter and speech coach.

She is a current member of the Professional Speechwriters Association, International Association of Business Communicators (IABC), American Society of Journalists and Authors (ASJA), Toastmasters International and Women in Business Networking (WiBN), a program of the Better Business Bureau. She is a past member of the Ohio Society of Association Professionals.

Leadership

Teresa recently completed her term as chair of IABC’s international Program Advisory Committee (PAC) for 2023–2024. Before that, she served for one year as vice chair of the PAC from 2022–2023, and two years as a PAC member from 2020–2022. The PAC works collaboratively with IABC staff to ensure that the IABC World Conference is a high-value professional development experience aligned to the needs of the global profession.

Teresa is also a past senior board member, past chapter president and past vice president of programs for the Greater Cincinnati chapter of IABC.

At WiBN, Teresa served on the founding advisory board from 2010–2013. She is also a past president of Downtown Morning Toasters, a club of Toastmasters International. As a past member of Women in Communications, Inc., she served as an officer, committee chair and newsletter editor.

Recognition

Teresa is a 2011 WiBN Top 25 Women to Watch honoree; a 2002 winner of the Communication Leadership Award from IABC’s former Dayton chapter; and the 1992 winner of the Woman of Achievement Award from the former Dayton chapter of Women in Communications, Inc.

She is a weekly volunteer for the Brunner Literacy Center in Dayton and loves to travel, cook and RV camp – especially at her family’s longtime favorite spot: Ludington State Park in Michigan.

Keri Jaehnig is an award-winning social media marketer for business brands and public figures who want to lead their industries online. 

In 2010 she founded Idea Girl Media, a boutique social media marketing agency serving a global clientele specializing in customized social media campaigns, executive social content strategies, online channel asset positioning and social business training. She has been a valued adviser and contributor on the Zumwald & Company team since 2016.

Once designated by the U.S. Department of State to manage and market cultural education experiences for future leaders programs of the Eurasian and Middle Eastern regions of the world, Keri became savvy as an early adopter of social media marketing – through email and online forums.

She went on to receive back-to-back top social media campaign awards for a state Convention and Visitors Bureau, and a commendation for Outstanding Attainment in Social Media from the Senate of the State of Ohio.

In 2021, MARsum honored her with a Top 100 Marketing & Advertisers Award. Keri has also earned two APEX Awards for Publication Excellence, the most recent in 2022 for the Social Media Process & Standards Guide for a prominent California University.

Keri is a recognized small business influencer and has written for several top marketing blogs, earning her mentions at Business Insider and Forbes.com.

Non-fat lattes, travel and quick wit make her smile, and she is always enthused to meet new people.

For three decades, Di Madewell has been the graphic designer and illustrator behind nearly all of the communications work created and delivered for Zumwald & Company and its clients.

She is the creative genius behind a wide variety of materials ranging from custom-illustrated infographics, web graphics, online ads, brochures, flyers, catalogs, newsletters, and magazine and newspaper ads, to logos, packaging, retail and trade show displays, and vehicle wraps.

Di, who’s owned A.D.i. Advertising since 1994, has received several awards for her design and production work for Zumwald & Company client Winsupply including:

• A 2017 Award of Excellence, APEX® Awards for Publication Excellence, Print Media − Special Purpose, for “Protect Your Investment in Your Local Company: Business Preparedness & Succession Planning Booklet”
• A 2012 Award of Excellence, APEX® Awards for Publication Excellence, Meeting & Event Materials, for “WinWholesale Resource Guide: Annual Meetings & Vendor Showcase,” a company meeting/trade show program
• A 2007–2008 Award of Merit, IABC/Dayton Bronze Quill Awards, Newsletter – circulation 5,000+, for The Spirit, a corporate publication

Di is a graduate of the School of Advertising Art, now The Modern College of Design, a nationally recognized college for graphic design in Kettering, Ohio.

Earlier in her career, she served as an art director at two Ohio advertising agencies: Real Art Design Group and The Creative Approach. She has also been an assistant art director at Ad Ventures.

Di has more than 35 years of experience in the field.