Director, External Communications/Media Relations
Beaumont Health

Five years ago, Mark Geary was a TV news reporter working in North Carolina with no public relations experience. But his family lives in Michigan and he wanted to move closer to them. He was also interested in transitioning into a new public relations career.

That transition came when he was hired as a Media Relations Coordinator at Beaumont Health. The hospital system went through a merger soon after he was hired and he helped the new organization develop a media relations program, creating numerous new policies and procedures and revamping Beaumont's online newsroom. He also supervised the creation of a media interview training program.

After less than two years, he was promoted to Manager and then again to Director of External Communications and Media Relations for Beaumont, Oakland County's largest employer and the largest health system in the state.

Before his move to Beaumont, he worked as a reporter in four states - Missouri, Michigan, Iowa and North Carolina - and interviewed every major 2008 presidential candidate, including Barack Obama and John McCain. In addition, he covered many natural disasters including tornadoes, floods, earthquakes, wildfires and hurricanes.

Geary earned both a bachelor's degree and a master's degree in journalism from the University of Missouri-Columbia and completed the Leadership Oakland Cornerstone program. He lives in Troy with his two young children and spends much of his free time cheering them on at soccer games and dance performances.

The information presented here was accurate as of January 1, 2020.