Kara provides strategic counsel and communications support to clients on a wide range of special situations, including mergers and acquisitions, shareholder activism and crisis management. She also assists clients with ongoing investor relations, corporate communications and public relations programs.

Mergers & Acquisitions

She works with clients on both friendly and unsolicited transactions. Notable assignments include: cxLoyalty Group on the sale of its Global Loyalty Division to JPMorgan Chase; Virtusa on its proposed sale to Baring Private Equity Asia; an investor group led by Richard Baker on its go-private transaction with Hudson’s Bay Company; First Horizon and IBERIABANK on their merger of equals; Newmont on its acquisition of Goldcorp and its defense against an unsolicited proposal from Barrick Gold; Anadarko Petroleum on its sale to Occidental Petroleum; Centene on its acquisition of WellCare; LaSalle Hotel Properties on its sale to Pebblebrook Hotel Trust; Rockwell Automation on its defense against Emerson; Gigamon on its go-private transaction with Elliott Management; and Convergys Corporation on its sale to SYNNEX Corporation.

Shareholder Activism

She has experience working with companies in activism situations and proxy contests opposite Blackwells Capital, Corvex Management, Elliott Management, Land & Buildings, New Mountain Capital, Starboard Value, Third Point, ValueAct and Voce Capital, among others.

Crisis Management

She develops and executes communications strategies to help companies advance their business objectives and protect their reputations in a variety of situations, such as management succession, unplanned leadership changes, government investigations, data breaches, litigation, short attacks, facility closures and workforce reductions.

Public and Investor Relations

She works with clients to enhance their overall corporate communications strategy, including quarterly earnings preparation, investor events, corporate positioning, profile-raising, thought leadership and employee communications.

Kara joined Joele Frank in 2017. Prior to Joele Frank, Kara served as an Account Supervisor at Edelman. She received a BA in Economics with a minor in Communications from Denison University.