Jess Block Nerren, Ed.D. Leadership, MA Communications, is Publicist and President of Felten Media Services, a boutique public relations shop. FMS is known as an innovative and enthusiastic communications professional services firm with a proven track record in successful implementation of public relations and new media for higher education audiences and across diverse settings. A practitioner/scholar, Nerren both teaches, practices, and researches public relations and communication studies and she brings her broad expertise to the clients and campaigns of Felten Media Services.

A few success stories:

Success in Health and Education: Having recently served on a major press and social media campaign for a Southern California health sciences university, Block Nerren helped to elevate the University’s profile through its annual gala as a new name and a new range of offered degrees were unveiled. The location of this client’s facility and the patients served made it uniquely situated to serve a number of communications goals to a diverse audience, given that the University has a clinic on site that serves all ages, all abilities and all socioeconomic backgrounds. Ultimately, the campaign was a great success, with the President of the University sharing the press results across all staff, faculty and students at the University because of his pride in the resulting campaign.

Success in nonprofit and event work: Expanding the scope of higher education beyond the boundaries of a college or university setting, Block Nerren served as Communications Chair for Autism Speaks Southern California, where she manages teams of 6-10 volunteers frequently involved in study or teaching at the higher education level. Through her use of publicity and social media she helped to make one of the Southern California autism walks one of the biggest in the country and the first to break $2M raised for those affected by autism spectrum disorder.

Success in the public sector: Block Nerren held a prestigious New Media internship in the Office of Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa in 2011 where she was responsible for researching, creating and implementing new media communications and policies for the Mayor of the City of Los Angeles including a successful communications campaign for the first “carmageddon.”

Giving back: An avid supporter of educational and health rights, Block Nerren donates her time to sit on the Children's Hospital Autism Treatment Network Parent Advisory Board, and is a Board Member-at-Large for the Riverside County SELPA, the largest special education local plan area in the state of California. Block Nerren has received Special State Recognition from the United States House of Representatives, the California Legislature Assembly and the Mayor of the City of Los Angeles for her commitment and contribution to making lives better for the community and for families of disabilities.