Kathleen Kennedy Manzo to Lead Hager Sharp’s Education, Labor, and Economy Practice

WASHINGTON (August 23, 2021)—Today, Hager Sharp announced the appointment of Kathleen Kennedy Manzo as executive vice president to lead its education, labor, and economy practice. Manzo brings more than 25 years of journalism and strategic communications experience to Hager Sharp, including nearly a decade as managing editor of Education Week’s newsroom and senior positions at Widmeyer/Finn Partners and The Hatcher Group, where she led marketing and communications efforts for mission-driven companies, foundations, nonprofit organizations, and institutions of higher education.

“Kathleen is a dynamic, strategic, and personable leader with a passion for Hager Sharp’s mission of doing good work for clients who do good,” said Jennifer Wayman, Hager Sharp’s president and CEO. “We are excited at the prospect of Kathleen leading our extraordinary education, labor, and economy practice to new levels of success in the years ahead.”

“I am delighted to join Hager Sharp and proud to lead and expand on the important work in the firm’s education, labor, and economy portfolio,” said Manzo. “I have dedicated my career to telling the important stories of how education and opportunity can change the life trajectories of so many children, families, and communities. I know my colleagues at Hager Sharp share this commitment, which is reflected in the work we do every day for the clients we have the privilege to serve.”

Manzo spent more than two decades at Education Week, the country’s leading trade publication for pre-K-12 education news, as a reporter and editor. For her first 13 years at Education Week, she covered state standards and accountability systems, national and international assessments, reading policy, teaching and learning, and ed tech. As managing editor, she directed the newsroom’s coverage across platforms; managed editorial strategy and planning across print, digital, and visual platforms; guided daily, weekly, and long-term content development; served as managing producer for segments reported for the PBS NewsHour; and oversaw the publication’s visuals approach and social presence. In her last three years with EdWeek, she was on the core team that designed and launched the publication’s new website. Earlier in her journalism career, Manzo covered the country’s colleges and universities for Diverse: Issues in Higher Education and covered local news and sports for The Washington Post.

As a senior partner at Widmeyer/Finn Partners, Manzo provided leadership, strategic counsel, content development, and communications expertise for the firm’s nonprofit and corporate clients in the education space. While at The Hatcher Group, Manzo helped launch communications efforts for the Campaign for Grade-Level Reading, the Success for All Foundation, and Attendance Works.

Hager Sharp is a full-service integrated marketing and communications firm with in-house research and evaluation; strategic planning; creative; digital, paid, earned, and owned media; partner and stakeholder engagement; event management; and campaign development and implementation expertise. Since Hager Sharp’s founding nearly 50 years ago, we have worked solely with organizations that take on critical issues like fighting for equity in education, improving public health, empowering vulnerable populations, and transforming communities to create and execute ideas that make a difference. Visit us at www.hagersharp.com.