Howard Fencl serves as vice president for Hennes Communications. Fencl brings more than 30 years of experience in public relations and in television news production and management. He is responsible for the development, management and implementation of communication strategies for clients of the firm, focusing on crisis communications, reputation management, media strategy, media training, and cross-platform media monitoring in on-air, on-line, social and mobile media.

Prior to joining Hennes Communications, Fencl spent twenty years running TV newsrooms, including ten years at WKYC-TV, the NBC-affiliate in Cleveland.  He was vice president at Edward Howard & Co. (now Fahlgren Mortine), serving a diverse client base including Hoover, Nokia, Sony Ericsson, Rubbermaid, Ben Venue Laboratories, Lifebanc and the Greater Cleveland Growth Association (now the Greater Cleveland Partnership). He has written speeches for numerous executives, including former Congressman Dennis Eckart and Pro Football Hall of Famer Gayle Sayers.

Fencl graduated as valedictorian from Denison University, and received his M.A. at Hiram College. He studied the Russian language as part of his undergraduate work at the University of Moscow’s Pushkin Russian Language Institute. Fencl is a trustee on the board of the Cleveland Association of Phi Beta Kappa, where he served as president for three years. He is a past board member of the Press Club of Cleveland and the Near West Theatre. He is an accredited member of the Public Relations Society of America.