Lori Sussle Bonanni
Founder and Communications Consultant at elssus, LLC
Marketing and Advertising
Education: Rowan University
Rochester, NY, USA
Biography
Lori Sussle Bonanni is the founder of elssus, LLC, a multi-disciplined communications consultancy. Lori builds and grows companies’ reputations thereby increasing awareness, business results and credibility.
Think of her as a nontraditional publicist partnering with companies as early as fast-growing, funded startups and as established as Global 500s. Lori’s work spans communications including public and media relations, strategic, internal and crisis communications, integrated marketing and more.
Lori delivers engaging talks and workshops by combining authentic stories, compelling research and actionable takeaways. She speaks about effective and mindful communication, visibility and reputation management.
Prior to launching elssus, Lori held senior-level marketing, communication and business development roles at world-class organizations including Verizon, World 50, NBCUniversal and DDB. Her writing has been featured in prestigious media outlets such as U.S. News and World Report, Huffington Post and The Muse. Her insights have been featured in Nasdaq, Crunchbase and Thrive Global.
In 2023, Lori was recognized as a Woman of Excellence by the Rochester Business Journal. The Women of Excellence award identifies high-achieving women for their career accomplishments. Honorees are selected based on their professional experience, community involvement, leadership and sustained commitment to mentoring.
Passion
I am an advocate for career breaks (took two) and solo travel. 🌎 South America has a soft spot in my heart and I still get excited by the thud of a new passport stamp. I love exploring new place and getting deep into the culture. I love going off-the-beaten path. Gaining a deeper understanding of people and places excites me.
I am game to try most anything at least once, and so I have vowed never to hike 7+ hours on a glacier again, though it was simply spectacular.
Featured Video
I am willing to travel
More than 100 miles
When it comes to payments
Everything is negotiable
Topics
Origin Story
https://www.elssus.com/about-lorisb
Example talks
Mindful Communication: Who are you Unknowingly Excluding
In a world where there is a long-overdue focus on diversity, equity, inclusion, belonging and accessibility, communicating effectively and mindfully is critical. Adjusting the WAY and HOW one communicates enables the message to reach the intended audience.
In this session, attendees will learn:
✔ How to identify and acknowledge who one may inadvertently be excluding through communications (or lack of)
✔ How to think more broadly about how people consume the content you create
✔ Eight mindful ways to communicate
✔ Strategies for expanding your audience reach
Crisis Mode: How to Protect Your Brand’s Reputation
A crisis is anything that threatens your brand’s reputation. The situation can be fast-paced, high-stakes and emotionally charged. When it comes to a crisis response, you don’t want to be building the plane while you are flying it.
In this session, attendees will learn:
✔ Three steps you can take today to counter a crisis
✔ Best practices during a crisis
✔ How to determine if an apology is required
Attention is Earned, Not Given: Getting Your Startup Media Attention
Getting your business media attention takes time and effort but the rewards are worth it.
In this session, attendees will learn:
✔ Why media attention is beneficial for your company
✔ How to build your media list and target the right audience
✔ How to get a reporter’s attention, as well as other places to find press
✔ What to do when your company is in the news