Pro Rhetoric Leadership

David Murray

David Murray heads the global Professional Speechwriters Association and the Executive Communication Council, both organizations he founded.

Murray is also editor and publisher of Vital Speeches of the Day, one of the world’s longest continuously published magazines. 

An award-winning journalist, Murray is the author of An Effort to Understand: Hearing One Another (and Ourselves) in a Nation Cracked in Half (Disruption Books, 2021). His previous books include Raised By Mad Men, a memoir about his advertising parents, the New York Times bestseller that he co-authored, Tell My Sons: A Father’s Last Letters. He comments daily on communication issues on his popular blog Writing Boots.

The son of two writers, Murray grew up in Hudson, Ohio, and studied English at Kent State University. He lives in Chicago with his wife, Cristie Bosch, and daughter, Scout Murray.

Benjamine Knight

Benjamine Knight is the Chief Operating Officer of the Professional Speechwriters Association, an organization she helped to found. She brings 18 years of event management experience to the role, and a lifelong passion for bringing people together and building community.

Her work with organizations as varied as the Scottsdale Convention and Visitors Bureau, the Arizona Super Bowl Host Committee, Equinox Fitness, Sprouts Farmers Market, and McMurry/TMG prepared her for the rigors of managing multiple brands, projects, websites, consultants and customers … while also (joyfully) handling every detail in between.

She studied Economics at Smith College, and went on to work in the corporate worlds of Boston and New York City before returning to the southwest.

Benjamine is of French descent (and Parisian-born), but grew up primarily in Phoenix, Arizona, where she resides again, with her husband, Trevor Barger, and 11-year old Wheaten Terrier Poodle, Bentley. 

Mike King is the General Manager of Vital Speeches of the Day and serves as Finance Manager for Pro Rhetoric.

Mike began his career in publishing as the controller at the corporate communications trade publisher Ragan Communications, working in a variety of management roles over 18 years with the organization before becoming Group Publisher.

In 2016, Mike joined Pro Rhetoric, LLC supporting the finance operations and continues to expand his role into the magazine fulfillment and member management sides of the organization. 

Mike holds a degree in Accounting from Indiana University.

He currently lives in the suburbs of Chicago with his wife, Caryn King, and occasionally provides free room and board for his three children when they aren’t off at college.

Sharon McIntosh

Sharon McIntosh serves as an advisor to the Executive Communication Council. She’s president and founder of And Then Communications, sharing her passion for creating and executing new ideas to drive executive communications, employee engagement and change management communications at Fortune 500 companies. Clients have included Otis Elevator, Toyota, Under Armour, United Technologies, Raytheon Technologies, AbbVie, Intercontinental Hotel Group.

Previously, she served as PepsiCo’s vice president of Global Internal Communications, overseeing the company’s efforts to connect with its more than 274,000 employees worldwide. Before joining PepsiCo , Sharon worked at Sears and Waste Management in various communications capacities, including media relations, speechwriting and corporate communications. She holds a master’s in Leadership Communications from DePaul University.

Sharon lives with her husband Larry in Norwalk, CT.