Crisis Communication & Reputation Management
We build proactive reputation frameworks and response strategies that protect credibility, control narrative risk, and enable confident leadership under pressure.
OVERVIEW
In 2019, the Sausalito Marin County School District (SMCSD) entered a landmark settlement with the California Attorney General to address decades-long racial and ethnic segregation—placing the district under intense legal, public, and media scrutiny. The crisis demanded immediate action to restore credibility, unify a divided community, and execute a highly visible desegregation mandate under a compressed timeline.
Dr. Itoco Garcia was appointed Superintendent to lead the district through this critical inflection point.
STRATEGY & ACTION
Going Public PR was engaged as lead crisis communications counsel to design a proactive reputation framework and manage narrative risk during the district’s desegregation and unification process.
Our mandate was to ensure clear, consistent, and credible communication across all stakeholders—district staff, families, community leaders, partners, and media—while reinforcing trust in district leadership. We developed and executed a comprehensive communications plan that aligned internal messaging, public-facing materials, and earned media around accountability, transparency, and forward momentum.
IMPACT & OUTCOMES
Going Public PR tapped into our trusted relationships with local and national media to ensure accurate, contextual reporting throughout a period of heightened public scrutiny. We commanded sustained coverage to reinforce the district’s accelerated unification efforts under the settlement agreement, helping to shape public understanding of the transition process. Through disciplined crisis communication and reputation management, Going Public PR helped SMCSD successfully navigate one of the most consequential moments in its history.
3.2M+
monthly
page views
44M
viewers across streaming platforms
6.6M
monthly web and mobile visits
42M
weekly listeners across broadcast and streaming platforms
VIEW MORE CASE STUDIES
