Charlie Hannema will expand the firm’s public affairs capabilities, bring new practice to Oklahoma
Oklahoma City, OK — Cornerstone, a leading, bipartisan public affairs firm, announced today the addition of Charlie Hannema to its Oklahoma City office. Hannema currently serves as Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt’s chief of communications and has 15 years of media and strategic communications experience.
Hannema joined the Governor’s Office in March 2020 and guided the Governor, cabinet officials and state agencies through the COVID-19 pandemic and many other sensitive state and national issues. In addition to serving as the Governor’s primary spokesperson, Hannema also acted as the principal speechwriter for the 2021 and 2022 State of the State addresses, expanded the communications team and successfully increased Gov. Stitt’s digital footprint.
“Charlie Hannema has been a steady and trusted advisor to me during an unprecedented time in Oklahoma history,” Gov. Stitt said. “His years of experience as a journalist gave me a unique perspective and helped me communicate effectively with Oklahomans on a wide variety of complex issues. Charlie served his state well and I am excited for him in this next chapter of his career.”
Prior to his time with Gov. Stitt, Hannema served as the director of public relations and primary spokesperson for Broken Arrow Public Schools, one of Oklahoma’s largest suburban school districts located in the Tulsa metro area with nearly 20,000 students and 27 schools. He focused on building relationships with local and regional media to secure more than 100 positive story placements for district events, students and teachers each school year as well as expanding the district’s digital content production and corporate partnership programs.
From 2007 to 2017, Hannema worked as a television news and sports anchor for various stations in Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri and Nebraska, including more than five years at KOTV, the top-rated affiliate in Tulsa. He earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Missouri School of Journalism.
“As the communications landscape continues to evolve, relationships and market experience are more important than ever,” Hannema said. “I look forward to partnering with the talented national team at Cornerstone and my Oklahoma City colleagues Brian Hackler and Mark Yates to help our clients tell their stories to a wide variety of audiences.”
“Charlie is a professional and will be a huge asset to our Oklahoma team,” Managing Director Campbell Kaufman said. “We are excited to have him on board to help us build out our public affairs and communications capabilities in the region.”
Founded in 2017, Cornerstone’s Public Affairs business unit is dedicated to helping clients effectively tell their story and anticipate and navigate the complexities that occur at the intersection of policy, politics and public perception to achieve their desired objectives. The firm’s senior professionals have diverse experience in public relations, business, media and government. They provide bespoke counsel, develop thoughtful communication strategies, advise on messaging and reputation management, overcome crises and build long-term strategic communications plans.
Hannema will officially join Cornerstone July 1, 2022.