CYNTHIA "Cindy" POLLARD
President
Cindy brings more than 18 years of creative and management experience to Cynthia Pollard Communications, Inc. Her unique blend of talents enables her to analyze a client's needs and recommend solutions that meet their bottom-line goals and objectives.
Cindy began her professional career with Walt Disney Productions where she worked as a training specialist, conducting need analysis surveys and researching and designing programs to meet those needs. In addition, she served as corporate liaison to numerous community organizations and consultant to various groups in the areas of employment staffing and training. (Clients included UCLA Medical Center, AVIS Rental Car, Independent Cable Television Producers and the U.S. Olympics Committee). While at Disney, Cindy also worked as an on-air reporter for "The Scheme of Things," a magazine-format science program that aired on The Disney Channel. She also served as a professional development specialist for Kaiser Permanente of Southern California.
After returning to her hometown of Bakersfield, California, Cindy became director of public information for Bakersfield College, where she provided administrative leadership in the areas of public relations, public information and publications. She supervised the design, production and distribution of all campus publications; increased public awareness and enhanced the college's image through community involvement; wrote and produced television, radio and newspaper ads promoting campus programs and events; and, as the public information officer, responded to media and public inquiries regarding campus issues and crises.
In 1993, Pollard founded Cynthia Pollard Communications. Based in Bakersfield, the company offers clients a diverse range of services and methods for positioning their companies within the context of their public messages.
Very active in her community, Cindy serves on the boards of directors for the Greater Bakersfield Chamber of Commerce and Bakersfield Downtown Rotary Club and is a member of California State University, Bakersfield's Council of 100. She is a founding member of the Bakersfield Women's Business Conference and chaired the highly successful 1995 conference. She has twice served as a guest editorial board member for The Bakersfield Californian, the city's only daily newspaper.
A firm believer in public service, Cindy has a extensive history of local involvement, having served as a community advisor to the Junior League of Bakersfield, a member of the Women's Advisory Cabinet for Girl Scouts-Joshua Tree Council, board member for CALM (California Living Museum) and the Community Connection for Child Care. In addition, she has served on the advisory board for Junior Achievement and the marketing and public relations subcommittee for the United Way. She also chaired the Girl Scouts' marketing task force and served as the publicity chair for the first annual Old Town Kern Railroad ArtsFest, which drew an attendance of 5,000 people).
Cindy holds a bachelor's degree in English from the University of Southern California and a master's degree in public administration from the University of LaVerne. She is a graduate of Leadership Bakersfield and holds a lifetime community college teaching credential in business and industrial management. A certified crisis communication consultant through the Crisis Management Institute in Louisville, Kentucky, she serves as a member of their network of consultants for the West Coast.
In 1996, Cindy was named "Career Woman of the Year" by the Greater Bakersfield Chamber of Commerce and profiled by the local NBC television affiliate as "a woman who has made a difference in her community."
