“Adding Shane to our staff allows us to continue building on our established leadership in developing innovative branding and marketing opportunities for our clients,” said President and CEO Cathy Ackermann.

The Ackermann PR digital and social media division has represented a rapidly growing segment of the firm’s work during the past quarter. In recent months, Ackermann has added a significant number of new clients, representing a wide variety of industry sectors, including tourism, hospitality, entertainment, sports, healthcare, manufacturing, and nonprofit.

“Shane’s marketing and media background made him the ideal choice as we made plans to expand the division,” said Katie Allison Granju, Social Media Director for Ackermann PR. “Shane is well known in Tennessee’s blogging community for his work on successful social media initiatives, and we are pleased to be able to offer his talents on behalf of our clients.”

Rhyne is a steering committee member of the Knoxville Social Media Association and an active community blogger. He has worked previously as the public relations and marketing director of the East Tennessee Historical Society, and as an online community manager with the E.W. Scripps’ branded social network for pet enthusiasts. In addition, he has worked as a radio news journalist and station manager, and as a freelance writer for magazines and newspapers, as well as on a project with the late Pulitzer Prize-winning author Alex Haley to document the author’s childhood.

Rhyne is a native of Clinton, Tennessee, and studied journalism and broadcasting at the University of Memphis and the University of Tennessee-Knoxville. He lives in Knoxville with his wife, Ruth Sapp.

Ackermann PR is a full-service, integrated marketing communications firm providing strategic public relations and marketing. It is headquartered in Knoxville, Tennessee, and serves clients across the United States.

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Media Contact
Katie Allison Granju
(865) 584-0550
kgranju@ackermannpr.com