Our Team

Our team is led by a core of individuals who have spent their entire careers in the communications field. No newcomers are they! What’s more, they have handled challenging assignments in, and with, the news media and in corporate communications – successfully. They can help you with your communications challenge.

Terri Ammerman

Terri is president and owner of The Terri Ammerman Group. Her mission and passion are to help people and organizations develop powerful messages so they can tell their stories in a compelling way that ultimately influences change.

Prior to starting The Terri Ammerman Group, Terri was president and CEO of the Ammerman Experience, the company her father founded in 1973.

Terri started her career in communications in 1981 and since that time she has provided strategic counsel, communications advice, and training for clients around the world, including several of the world’s largest energy companies. In times of crisis, clients often seek out Terri’s expertise in developing and delivering clear, consistent messages. Her consultations have been instrumental in helping clients respond successfully to negative news stories.

Top executives of Fortune 500 companies, energy companies, nuclear power plants, major food manufacturers and major retailers turn to Terri and The Terri Ammerman Group to achieve the ultimate result of communicating effectively in today’s global marketplace.

Terri is also an accomplished public speaker. She has traveled internationally and spoken to numerous groups, such as The Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Texas Council of Women School Executives and as a guest lecturer at Rice University.

Terri studied communications at the University of Houston.  She is recognized by Who’s Who of American Women and Who’s Who of Women in the Media. She was honored as a “Celebrated Houston Entrepreneur” in both 2012 and 2013. Terri serves on the board of Goodwill Industries Houston, is very active in her church, and volunteers her time to mentor young women, helping them to look, sound and feel confident.

Ford Atkinson

During his Emmy-winning career, Ford Atkinson spent more than 30 years in broadcast journalism as a television news reporter, anchor, producer and manager.

After obtaining his bachelor’s degree in journalism from California State University Northridge, he worked at a number of TV stations in Washington, Montana, Utah, Arkansas, and Houston.

While in Houston, he covered a variety of national stories as well as events in Houston and the rest of Texas. Among them: two space shuttle disasters and two successful space shuttle launches, including the final one.

With all air traffic grounded in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attack, Ford and his crew drove from Houston to New York City to bring coverage of the disaster to television viewers in Houston. As part of his station’s coverage of the first anniversary of that attack, he profiled a former Houston firefighter who a year earlier had taken a bus to New York to volunteer for ten days at Ground Zero. Ford traveled back to New York with the man, who shared his memories and experiences. The story won Ford an Emmy.

As a current Houston resident, Ford acknowledges one of his favorite assignments was covering the 1999 NFL Owners’ Meeting, when a surprise decision was made to award a new franchise to Houston – giving birth to a new team known as the Texans.

He took a short break from journalism to serve as an administrative assistant to a Harris County (Texas) Commissioner.

When he returned to the news business, Ford served as managing editor of a nightly investigative program. And he returned to on-air work as the weekend anchor for the FOX TV station in Houston.

Ford brings his impressive journalism skills to his work at The Terri Ammerman Group, where he participates in a variety of media interviews, crisis news briefings and other simulations. He also consults with clients who are preparing for anticipated negative news stories or who are already dealing with a media crisis. Drawing on his journalism experience, Ford assists clients in writing press releases and developing messages delivered to the print and broadcast media.

Patricia Prebula

Patricia Prebula has over 32 years in government relations, lobbying, media relations, crisis management, employee relations, community outreach and strategic communications. As president of Prebula Public Relations, LLC, since 2006, her career experience includes directing and developing public relations strategies for CITGO, PPG, Axiall, Lotte Chemicals, Indorama Ventures and consulting for Entergy Louisiana.

Working as Manager, Government & Public Affairs in the refinery and petrochemical industry, she helped manage a 100-day labor strike, Hurricane Rita in 2005 and the ensuing refinery shutdowns and startups, environmental issues (fish advisories, Bayou D’Inde and contaminated canal reroute, wetlands restoration and remediation, hazard waste & other environmental public hearings), Dr. Sanjay Gupta / CNN’s Mossville “Toxic Town” broadcast, explosions/fires and unit upsets, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez visits to the United States, pipeline communication, and many other high profile public relations events.

In addition to her public relations business, Patricia joined The Terri Ammerman Group to enhance and expand its services into Louisiana.  As a Public Relations professional with real-life crisis management experience in the petrochemical and refinery industry, Patricia supports The Terri Ammerman Group with spokesperson, high emotion public meeting and crisis management training for pipeline and other industry clients.

In 1998, she was elected to serve on the Sulphur City Council for two consecutive terms serving as Chairman and Vice Chairman of the City Council.  She successfully chaired the United Way campaign in 2012 raising approximately $4.3 million.  She currently serves on the United Way Board of Directors, Former President of the McNeese State University Foundation Board, McNeese Quarterback Club, Brimstone Museum Board, American Heart Association Circle of Red and St. Patrick Hospital Board of Counselors.  She is a member of the West Calcasieu Association of Commerce, Lake Area Industry Alliance, the Louisiana Chemical Industry Alliance, River Region Chamber of Commerce, and the SWLA Chamber of Commerce.

Patricia received her B.S. degree in Business from McNeese State University.

Bruce Hicks

Bruce Hicks is a senior public relations and crisis management consultant with more than 50 years of experience in the news media and public relations fields.

He has operated the Houston offices of The Alliant Group and its predecessor firm, Darcy Communications, since 1989, serving a wide range of international, national and local clients in travel and tourism, airlines, energy, commercial real estate development, legal, technical and manufacturing industries.  His clients have included American Airlines, Delta Airlines, Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Marriott International, Wyndham Worldwide, United Airlines, Virgin America, Aeromexico airlines, World Airways, AirTran Airways, Atlantic Southeast Airlines, Allstate Insurance, KPMG Peat Marwick, American Express Travel Related Services Company, Ethyl Corporation, Coastal Corporation, Crown Central Petroleum, Olympic Figure Skating Gold Medalist Tara Lipinski, Mexico City Tourism Board, Hawaiian Airlines, Mexicana Airlines, Midway Airlines and others.

Hicks is recognized as an expert in crisis management with experience in labor (contract negotiations, strikes, lockouts, corporate campaigns, union organizing), financial (bankruptcy, takeovers), legal and regulatory (lawsuits, government investigations and hearings), and physical (airline crashes, refinery fires, office building fires) crises.

His crisis work also includes developing crisis and emergency operating plans for clients.  He has directed or supported communications during six major airline fatal accidents.

For Starwood Hotels, Hicks was the senior crisis consultant from 2003 until the merger with Marriott in late 2016 and continued to assist Marriott during the transition through May 2017.  He developed Starwood’s emergency and crisis management plans as well as assisting directly with all major crisis events.  He went to New Orleans in the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Katrina spending six weeks assisting in Starwood’s crisis management efforts and leadership in the city’s recovery.

From January 2012 through March 2013, Hicks served as chief spokesman for American Airlines on labor and bankruptcy related issues.  From 1992 through 2005, Hicks consulted with American Airlines on a wide variety of issues, including labor organizing attempts, contract disputes and strikes, the September 11th tragedy and the November 2001 A300 crash in New York.  For more than a year, he served as internal and external communication strategist and public media spokesperson in the successful effort in 2003 to restructure all labor agreements and avoid bankruptcy.

In 2006 and 2008, respectively, Hicks consulted with Delta Air Lines and United Airlines on labor issues facing those carriers.  Additionally, he consulted with Delta and subsidiary Comair on the NTSB investigation of Comair’s tragic accident in Lexington, the sixth commercial airline accident investigation in which Hicks was involved.

In his more than 40 years as a public relations executive, he has both agency and corporate experience, including his highly public role as vice president, corporate communications for Continental Airlines and Texas Air Corporation for the first decade of deregulation.  As a journalist, Hicks was the NASA spaceflight bureau chief for both United Press International and the Houston Chronicle, night city editor of the Austin American-Statesman and editor of the weekly Austin Citizen.

He has won numerous awards, including the Public Relations Society of America’s top national honor, the Silver Anvil, twice (crisis communications and special events).  Hicks holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Houston.  He is active in community affairs.  He has been a volunteer Little League umpire for more than 20 years and was selected to umpire at the 2017 Little League World Series.

Trace Saylor

Trace Saylor works behind the scenes to make sure every seminar runs smoothly whether at our training site in the Houston area or in the many locations around the world to which the Ammerman teams travel.

Our Founders

Dan Ammerman and Mary Ammerman founded the Terri Ammerman Group, then operating as The Ammerman Experience, in 1973.  Years ago, Dan accurately predicted that organizations would need help in managing crisis situations, making him one of the pioneers in the media training industry.

Dan was a nationally known lecturer and author who spent 30 years in broadcast and print journalism. His vast knowledge of the media and immensely successful teaching style made The Terri Ammerman Group seminars the benchmark of the industry. Many clients, colleagues and media mourned the passing of Dan Ammerman in 2009.

Mary Ammerman is well-known in the Houston area as “Lovely Mary” from the popular radio show, “The Lunch Bunch.” Mary’s business acumen helped move the fledging company into a world-wide training organization and she currently serves as Chairman.

Our team is led by a core of individuals who have spent their entire careers in the communications field. No newcomers are they! What’s more, they have handled challenging assignments in, and with, the news media and in corporate communications – successfully. They can help you with your communications challenge.

Terri Ammerman

Terri is president and owner of The Terri Ammerman Group. Her mission and passion are to help people and organizations develop powerful messages so they can tell their stories in a compelling way that ultimately influences change.

Prior to starting The Terri Ammerman Group, Terri was president and CEO of the Ammerman Experience, the company her father founded in 1973.

Terri started her career in communications in 1981 and since that time she has provided strategic counsel, communications advice, and training for clients around the world, including several of the world’s largest energy companies. In times of crisis, clients often seek out Terri’s expertise in developing and delivering clear, consistent messages. Her consultations have been instrumental in helping clients respond successfully to negative news stories.

Top executives of Fortune 500 companies, energy companies, nuclear power plants, major food manufacturers and major retailers turn to Terri and The Terri Ammerman Group to achieve the ultimate result of communicating effectively in today’s global marketplace.

Terri is also an accomplished public speaker. She has traveled internationally and spoken to numerous groups, such as The Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Texas Council of Women School Executives and as a guest lecturer at Rice University.

Terri studied communications at the University of Houston.  She is recognized by Who’s Who of American Women and Who’s Who of Women in the Media. She was honored as a “Celebrated Houston Entrepreneur” in both 2012 and 2013. Terri serves on the board of Goodwill Industries Houston, is very active in her church, and volunteers her time to mentor young women, helping them to look, sound and feel confident.

Ford Atkinson

During his Emmy-winning career, Ford Atkinson spent more than 30 years in broadcast journalism as a television news reporter, anchor, producer and manager.

After obtaining his bachelor’s degree in journalism from California State University Northridge, he worked at a number of TV stations in Washington, Montana, Utah, Arkansas, and Houston.

While in Houston, he covered a variety of national stories as well as events in Houston and the rest of Texas. Among them: two space shuttle disasters and two successful space shuttle launches, including the final one.

With all air traffic grounded in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attack, Ford and his crew drove from Houston to New York City to bring coverage of the disaster to television viewers in Houston. As part of his station’s coverage of the first anniversary of that attack, he profiled a former Houston firefighter who a year earlier had taken a bus to New York to volunteer for ten days at Ground Zero. Ford traveled back to New York with the man, who shared his memories and experiences. The story won Ford an Emmy.

As a current Houston resident, Ford acknowledges one of his favorite assignments was covering the 1999 NFL Owners’ Meeting, when a surprise decision was made to award a new franchise to Houston – giving birth to a new team known as the Texans.

He took a short break from journalism to serve as an administrative assistant to a Harris County (Texas) Commissioner.

When he returned to the news business, Ford served as managing editor of a nightly investigative program. And he returned to on-air work as the weekend anchor for the FOX TV station in Houston.

Ford brings his impressive journalism skills to his work at The Terri Ammerman Group, where he participates in a variety of media interviews, crisis news briefings and other simulations. He also consults with clients who are preparing for anticipated negative news stories or who are already dealing with a media crisis. Drawing on his journalism experience, Ford assists clients in writing press releases and developing messages delivered to the print and broadcast media.

Patricia Prebula

Patricia Prebula has over 32 years in government relations, lobbying, media relations, crisis management, employee relations, community outreach and strategic communications. As president of Prebula Public Relations, LLC, since 2006, her career experience includes directing and developing public relations strategies for CITGO, PPG, Axiall, Lotte Chemicals, Indorama Ventures and consulting for Entergy Louisiana.

Working as Manager, Government & Public Affairs in the refinery and petrochemical industry, she helped manage a 100-day labor strike, Hurricane Rita in 2005 and the ensuing refinery shutdowns and startups, environmental issues (fish advisories, Bayou D’Inde and contaminated canal reroute, wetlands restoration and remediation, hazard waste & other environmental public hearings), Dr. Sanjay Gupta / CNN’s Mossville “Toxic Town” broadcast, explosions/fires and unit upsets, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez visits to the United States, pipeline communication, and many other high profile public relations events.

In addition to her public relations business, Patricia joined The Terri Ammerman Group to enhance and expand its services into Louisiana.  As a Public Relations professional with real-life crisis management experience in the petrochemical and refinery industry, Patricia supports The Terri Ammerman Group with spokesperson, high emotion public meeting and crisis management training for pipeline and other industry clients.

In 1998, she was elected to serve on the Sulphur City Council for two consecutive terms serving as Chairman and Vice Chairman of the City Council.  She successfully chaired the United Way campaign in 2012 raising approximately $4.3 million.  She currently serves on the United Way Board of Directors, Former President of the McNeese State University Foundation Board, McNeese Quarterback Club, Brimstone Museum Board, American Heart Association Circle of Red and St. Patrick Hospital Board of Counselors.  She is a member of the West Calcasieu Association of Commerce, Lake Area Industry Alliance, the Louisiana Chemical Industry Alliance, River Region Chamber of Commerce, and the SWLA Chamber of Commerce.

Patricia received her B.S. degree in Business from McNeese State University.

Bruce Hicks

Bruce Hicks is a senior public relations and crisis management consultant with more than 50 years of experience in the news media and public relations fields.

He has operated the Houston offices of The Alliant Group and its predecessor firm, Darcy Communications, since 1989, serving a wide range of international, national and local clients in travel and tourism, airlines, energy, commercial real estate development, legal, technical and manufacturing industries.  His clients have included American Airlines, Delta Airlines, Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Marriott International, Wyndham Worldwide, United Airlines, Virgin America, Aeromexico airlines, World Airways, AirTran Airways, Atlantic Southeast Airlines, Allstate Insurance, KPMG Peat Marwick, American Express Travel Related Services Company, Ethyl Corporation, Coastal Corporation, Crown Central Petroleum, Olympic Figure Skating Gold Medalist Tara Lipinski, Mexico City Tourism Board, Hawaiian Airlines, Mexicana Airlines, Midway Airlines and others.

Hicks is recognized as an expert in crisis management with experience in labor (contract negotiations, strikes, lockouts, corporate campaigns, union organizing), financial (bankruptcy, takeovers), legal and regulatory (lawsuits, government investigations and hearings), and physical (airline crashes, refinery fires, office building fires) crises.

His crisis work also includes developing crisis and emergency operating plans for clients.  He has directed or supported communications during six major airline fatal accidents.

For Starwood Hotels, Hicks was the senior crisis consultant from 2003 until the merger with Marriott in late 2016 and continued to assist Marriott during the transition through May 2017.  He developed Starwood’s emergency and crisis management plans as well as assisting directly with all major crisis events.  He went to New Orleans in the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Katrina spending six weeks assisting in Starwood’s crisis management efforts and leadership in the city’s recovery.

From January 2012 through March 2013, Hicks served as chief spokesman for American Airlines on labor and bankruptcy related issues.  From 1992 through 2005, Hicks consulted with American Airlines on a wide variety of issues, including labor organizing attempts, contract disputes and strikes, the September 11th tragedy and the November 2001 A300 crash in New York.  For more than a year, he served as internal and external communication strategist and public media spokesperson in the successful effort in 2003 to restructure all labor agreements and avoid bankruptcy.

In 2006 and 2008, respectively, Hicks consulted with Delta Air Lines and United Airlines on labor issues facing those carriers.  Additionally, he consulted with Delta and subsidiary Comair on the NTSB investigation of Comair’s tragic accident in Lexington, the sixth commercial airline accident investigation in which Hicks was involved.

In his more than 40 years as a public relations executive, he has both agency and corporate experience, including his highly public role as vice president, corporate communications for Continental Airlines and Texas Air Corporation for the first decade of deregulation.  As a journalist, Hicks was the NASA spaceflight bureau chief for both United Press International and the Houston Chronicle, night city editor of the Austin American-Statesman and editor of the weekly Austin Citizen.

He has won numerous awards, including the Public Relations Society of America’s top national honor, the Silver Anvil, twice (crisis communications and special events).  Hicks holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Houston.  He is active in community affairs.  He has been a volunteer Little League umpire for more than 20 years and was selected to umpire at the 2017 Little League World Series.

Trace Saylor

Trace Saylor works behind the scenes to make sure every seminar runs smoothly whether at our training site in the Houston area or in the many locations around the world to which the Ammerman teams travel.

Our Founders

Dan Ammerman and Mary Ammerman founded the Terri Ammerman Group, then operating as The Ammerman Experience, in 1973.  Years ago, Dan accurately predicted that organizations would need help in managing crisis situations, making him one of the pioneers in the media training industry.

Dan was a nationally known lecturer and author who spent 30 years in broadcast and print journalism. His vast knowledge of the media and immensely successful teaching style made The Terri Ammerman Group seminars the benchmark of the industry. Many clients, colleagues and media mourned the passing of Dan Ammerman in 2009.

Mary Ammerman is well-known in the Houston area as “Lovely Mary” from the popular radio show, “The Lunch Bunch.” Mary’s business acumen helped move the fledging company into a world-wide training organization and she currently serves as Chairman.