Expertise: Strategic Planning, Business Development, Marketing Communications
Leslie’s accomplished career spans work in agency, corporate and consulting environments. Her experience includes more than a dozen years with two of Philadelphia’s largest marketing communications agencies; 10 years operating her own successful public relations agency; several years conducting public relations and advertising for the Penn Central Railroad Company (Amtrak’s predecessor); a few years freelance writing for newspapers and national magazines; eight years as Director-Marketing, Public Relations and Customer Relations for world-renown ScrippsHealth, and a year as Director-Business Development for ORNDA (an HCA Columbia competitor).
Her biggest strength is helping others find theirs. Leslie helps companies reach their highest potential with her expertise in evaluating needs, creating strategies, implementing programs and analyzing results.
She has comprehensive expertise in consumer, healthcare, technology, business-to-business, and industrial marketing. Prior to moving to San Diego in 1986, she worked for Philadelphia’s leading full service marketing and communication agencies developing marketing, sales and communication plans; instituting client relations programs; designing advertising and sales promotion campaigns; creating product catalogs; assisting in trade show activities; employing direct response techniques; conducting market research; developing internal audience programs, annual reports and technical bulletins; designing dealer promotions, investor relations programs, handling crisis communications, and new product launches.
Leslie is a member of: The Escondido Rotary, Leadership California, San Diego Organization of Healthcare Leaders, North County Communicators, Public Relations Society of America, PR Legends, Women in Business, American Society of Interior Designers, the American Marketing Association, Board Member of the Escondido Humane Society, and a former member of the Color Marketing Group.
She has a bachelor’s degree from Temple University and a master’s degree in Business Administration from University of Phoenix.
She loves the quiet of rural inland San Diego, and loves long hikes with her dogs Jezebel and Walker. Married for 25 years to her husband, Artist Bill Kasper, they love to travel, enjoy gourmet food and art shows.
Denise Kasper, MBA Senior Vice President
Expertise: Media Relations, Marketing Communications, Research, Event Planning
A background in professional journalism has given Denise an inside-out perspective to the media. She is often the first call a report makes, relying on her proven attention to detail, articulacy and dependability to deliver a reliable source for a story.
A fearless visionary, she’s level-headed in a crisis. Her keen problem solving delivers a wealthy source of media angles in any situation. She is also instrumental in market research, trend analysis and strategic planning.
With Project Works Marketing since its inception, she has launched international products, coordinated national media interviews and placed innumerable stories in all forms of media.
Denise has a bachelor’s degree in Communications from Marist College and a master’s degree in Business Administration from University of Phoenix.
A member of the local Public Relations Society of America, American Marketing Association, and the Davidson County Schools Advisory Council, Denise works from the North Carolina office. She resides in a small town with her loving husband of 17 years and her two perfect children, Joey 12, and Carolyn, 9. Forever a fan, she’s often heard cheering them on at sporting events and at school. In her spare time (what’s that) she’s an avid reader, a gourmet cook and a forever friend.
Shelley Buckingham Executive Vice President of Business Development
Shelley Buckingham is a public relations professional with more than 25 years experience working with non-profit organizations. She began her career at AARP in September 1997 as the Communications Manager for the AARP Andrus Foundation where she was responsible for the creation and implementation of a strategic marketing communication plan and publicizing the research activities of the Foundation’s grant recipients. Shelley also created the highly successful public forum “Staying Sharp: Current Advances in Brain Research” which continues to draw thousands of AARP members to events nationwide through the leadership of NRTA. After the Andrus Foundation merged with the AARP Foundation in 2005, Shelley joined the office of AARP’s Chief Communications Officer as Senior Communications Liaison (my title in the department has also been Project Manager, Public Relations Account Manager). In this capacity, she coordinates a variety of projects including the renowned Voices of Civil Rights bus tour, IC co-lead on the 50th anniversary of AARP, AARP’s Summer camp and All Staff Meetings.
Most recently, she assumed the role of Maryland ASD for Communications while their staff was on maternity leave. During the 6 weeks she wrote and placed several press releases, consulted with staff on legislative session activities and giving advice to increase visibility with the press.
Prior to joining AARP Shelley served as the Communications Director of the American Cancer Society’s National Government Relations office for two years prior to that she served four year as the Director of Advocacy for the American Lung Association of Maryland where she worked on tobacco control legislation and clean air issues. In 1993, she received awards from then-Governor William Donald Schaefer and Maryland Department of Environment Secretary Robert Perciasepe for building a broad coalition of organizations together to work on air pollution legislation. Shelley also received a PRSA Best in Maryland Award in 1995 for “Kids’ Day in Annapolis,” where over 1,000 Maryland school children came to the state capitol to lobby their legislators for tough tobacco control measures.
Shelley has won numerous awards for her work at AARP including Bulldog Reporter Awards for the Voices of Civil Rights bus tour and the publicity campaign for “Stealing Time: The New Science of Aging.” Shelley has been awarded several AARP internal recognitions including being named IC Staff of the Year in 2004. She graduated magna cum laude from Towson University’s Mass Communications program.
