Marc Rylander
Marc Rylander guides clients with communications strategies, crisis communications implementation, communications policy development, press and media relations and training, and also leverages his many relationships in Austin and Washington to deliver winning government relations results. Prior to joining our team, he served as Director of Communications and Senior Advisor for the Office of the Attorney General of Texas.
Today he provides consultative communications leadership to leading names in the construction industry, higher education, municipal and state government entities in Texas and beyond, local school districts, church-related and nonprofit organizations, public safety departments, global manufacturing space, and the legal field. Additionally, he publishes written materials and articles for clients, including opinion editorials, and has an extensive database of contacts in local, state, and national media outlets.
Communications is a generational calling for Marc. His grandfather was an early broadcasting giant in Dallas/Ft. Worth who helped pioneer WFAA TV, after serving as a radio operator in World War II and then as a disc jockey at WFAA radio, before there was television in Texas. Growing up around a newsroom instilled a love in Marc for the ever-changing world of headlines and a strong understanding of the critical and necessary role of the media and the people involved in that arena. This upbringing provided him critical insight as he navigated communications efforts through some of the toughest events in Texas’ recent past, including: the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, the complex Austin bombings, and tragedies at the Church at Sutherland Springs, Santa Fe High School, El Paso Wal Mart, and the 2016 attack on Dallas Police officers. During these events, Marc led or coordinated with White House and other federal, state, and local public safety communications offices. He has also led communications efforts for numerous state or local news events, including crises involving first responders, active shooters, issues at school districts, legal decisions, and broad array of other media-facing activities.
Marc holds a bachelor’s degree in telecommunications (broadcast journalism) from Baylor University and earned three master’s degrees. The first part of his communications service was spent in local churches, including ten years on the executive staff at Prestonwood Church in North Dallas. He currently serves on the Board of Trustees of Houston Christian University, where he was Chairman of the Board in 2018-2019, and serves as President of the Board of the Celina Education Foundation in Celina, Texas.
Marc’s passion is his family, travel, and all things outdoors, especially hunting, fishing, grilling, and enjoying ample time at the lake. He recently accomplished the feat of watching a baseball game in every Major League Baseball stadium in the game with his sons before they graduated high school. As a fifth generation Dallasite, Marc has extensively studied the history of North Texas and has a collection of historical Dallas memorabilia second-to-none.