About Colin Rowan

Colin Rowan has managed communication campaigns for politicians, businesses and the non-profit sector. He led national and regional communication efforts for Environmental Defense Fund, a national environmental advocacy group, where he promoted causes including endangered species preservation, air quality, ocean restoration and global warming. In the private sector, he led the technology practice at TateAustin Public Relations as a vice president and served as a partner at I&O Communications. And he’s managed the communication strategy for mayoral and congressional campaigns.

He has been quoted or has placed stories and OpEds in The New York Times, The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal, on PBS, NPR, NBC Nightly News and ABC World News Tonight, as well as most major and mid-market Texas media outlets. He has helped position businesses and non-profits as leaders in their field and has overseen communication campaigns ranging from small, community-focused efforts to million-dollar national launches.


In 2006, he led Environmental Defense Fund’s communication campaign against TXU’s proposed coal plants in Texas, which culminated in early 2007 in a landmark environmental agreement between the organization and TXU’s prospective buyers.


Colin’s greatest strengths are designing strategic communication campaigns, crafting messages and preparing organizations and their experts for communication opportunities. He has conducted seminars on media training, presentation coaching, message development, marketing for non-profits, storytelling and branding for businesses and non-profits, including Environmental Defense Fund, the League of Conservation Voters (National), The World Resources Institute, the American Association of Public Health Laboratories, the California Housing Association, the Catholic Diocese of America, the American Dental Association and others.


In 2006 he was selected by The Climate Project to train 1,000 citizen activists to present Al Gore's "An Inconvenient Truth" global warming slideshow in their communities. In addition to conducting the training, he has presented the slideshow in venues across Central Texas.