Peter's Story
Peter Brown - Communications & Brand Strategist
Peter Brown is a senior executive with vast experience in communications/brand strategy (how to tell your story succinctly and successfully), internal and external communications, crisis communications, C-suite management and leadership, media and public speaking training.
Peter is former Chief of Staff to the President and CEO of Partners HealthCare. In this role, he worked directly with the CEO and senior leadership to advance the mission of the health care system, the state’s largest private employer with 65,000 employees. Among his responsibilities, Peter oversaw external affairs for the Partners CEO, including Community Health, Government Affairs, Public Affairs and Communication.
Prior to this position, Peter was Vice-President of Public Affairs and Communication for Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH). He was responsible, with his team, for managing media and external messaging as well as internal communications for a hospital community of more than 15,000 people.
AWARD-WINNING JOURNALIST
Peter spent more than twenty-five years in television journalism. He started his career in radio news in 1977 and transitioned to television in 1978. After graduating from the University of Rhode Island in 1979, Peter worked as a broadcast producer at television stations in Providence (WJAR-TV), Philadelphia (WPVI-TV) and Boston (WBZ-TV), where he was promoted to News Director from 1993-2004, leading a staff or more than 125 journalists. Strong writing and communications skills have been a hallmark of his leadership.
During Peter’s television news career, he was honored with numerous awards from the Associated Press and United Press International. He received an Emmy Award, a Best of Boston Award as Best News Director from Boston Magazine and several distinguished accolades from the Radio/Television News Directors Association. In 2000, he and his WBZ news team were acknowledged with the highest award given to any television station, the Edward R. Murrow Award for best local news station in America. At that same time, WBZ News at 11p was ranked #1 in quality in Boston by the Columbia School of Journalism’s Project for Excellence. WBZ was the top-ranked Boston station in the nationwide study, as well as the top ranked CBS station in the country.
SERVICE TO THE COMMUNITY
Peter is a member of the Board of Governors of the Boston Athletic Association, supporting the Boston Marathon and its various community activities. He is on the Board of the Massachusetts Broadcasters Association and also serves as Chair of the Massachusetts Broadcasters Hall of Fame Committee, which honors the industry’s most noteworthy members and commemorates their achievements and contributions to broadcasting. Peter serves as Chair of the President's Council of the MGH Institute of Health Professions (IHP), assisting the president with community outreach. The IHP is a member of Mass General Brigham health system. Peter is a member of the Board of Directors of Massachusetts Hugh O’Brien Leadership; its mission is to inspire and develop our global community of youth to a life dedicated to leadership and service. Peter has served as Chair of the Board at the Family Justice Center of Boston, a collaborative venture providing support and services to victims of domestic violence. He also served on the External Affairs Committee for the Forsyth Institute in Boston - the world’s leading independent organization dedicated to scientific research and education in oral, craniofacial and related biomedical sciences.
Peter has worked with various government agencies and groups, both locally and internationally, to provide his expertise with the media around emergency events and offering guidance on how best to deliver communications during a crisis. As examples, he has been involved in Operations “Atlas” and “Poseidon” through the City of Boston Department of Homeland Security and the city of Cambridge, MA and internationally, through his media training with the International Emergency Department Leadership Institute. IEDLI is sponsored by Brigham and Women’s Hospital, an affiliate of Harvard Medical School.